Nominate West Michigan Children Making a Difference for THE BARNUM AWARD!

In honor of one of the founders of The Greatest Show On Earth®, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® announces the call for West Michigan Area nominations for The Barnum Award.

The award honors the spirit of P.T. Barnum and his inspirational contributions to society by identifying and celebrating children age six to 14 who give back to their own communities in creative, fun, and innovative ways. Nominations now being accepted for West Michigan area children can be submitted online at http://www.thebarnumaward.com/ through Sept. 3.

Three local award recipients will be chosen by a panel of distinguished local luminaries, and will receive award medals and grants to fund future local service projects. The Gold Barnum Award Recipient will receive a $1,000 grant, the Silver Barnum Award Recipient will receive a $750 grant, and the Bronze Barnum Award Recipient will receive a $500 grant to fund future community service endeavors.

Nominees will be judged on the impact of their accomplishments, creativity and innovation, and their inspiration to others relating to their cause. Nominators are required to be over the age of 21, and must fill out a short questionnaire about the child they feel is making a difference in the community.

The West Michigan recipients will be recognized at an award ceremony prior to the start of the opening night performance of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents ZING, ZANG, ZOOM® on Friday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. at Van Andel Arena®, where the show will perform through Sunday, Sept. 19.

The Barnum Award is a national program presented by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey in conjunction with a two-year celebration of the 200th anniversary of P.T. Barnum’s birth. Nationally, more than $150,000 in grants will be awarded.

Buy 1, Get 1 FREE 'Best of The Best' MMA Tickets-Today and Tomorrow ONLY!

Come check out amatuer competitors fighting their way into the professional ranks—right here in Grand Rapids. See tomorrow's MMA icons today!

Tickets available at http://www.ticketmaster.com/, the DeVos Place Box Office, Forever Ink Tattoos, Grand Rapids Harley Davidson or at any of the gyms involved.General Admission tickets are $27.50 in advance or $32.50 at the door. VIP tickets are $52.50 in advance or $57.50 at the door.

Doors open at 6:00pm. Fights are from 7:30pm - 11:00pm. Click here for more information.

Broadway Grand Rapids to Offer Individual Ticket Sales for Five Shows Beginning Monday, September 20th

Broadway Grand Rapids will begin offering individual tickets sales for five shows beginning Monday, September 20th at 10AM on Ticketmaster.com. Pre-sales begin September 13th for EClub members. The Broadway Grand Rapids EClub is open to the public by signing up at www.broadwaygrandrapids.com/eclub.

Shows to be on-sale include LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL ~ November 23-28, 2010, NEW SHANGHAI CIRCUS ~ February 15, 2011, THE ALUMINUM SHOW ~ February 20, 2011, CHICAGO ~ May 10th-11th, 2011 and STOMP ~ May 20-22, 2011.

Individual tickets to GREASE ~ March 1-6, 2011 and SHREK THE MUSICAL ~ June 21-26, 2011 will not be included in this on-sale event, but are currently available as part of a series subscription package. Subscription packages are still available and may be purchased by calling 616-235-6285.

Broadway Grand Rapids tickets are available at the DeVos Performance Hall box office, all Ticketmaster locations, http://www.ticketmaster.com/ or via phone at 1-800-745-3000. Group discounts for 10 or more are available by calling 616-742-6185. For more information on the Fifth Third Bank Broadway Grand Rapids series visit http://www.broadwaygrandrapids.com/.

ArtPrize, Art Fair Coming Soon: The First Art Installation in DeVos Place is Up!

The first art installation at DeVos Place for ArtPrize 2010 happened yesterday! Helen Gotlib is the first of 53 artists to showcase their art at DeVos Place. Good luck, Helen!

Click here to visit our Facebook Fan Page for a brief bio on Helen and her work.

ArtPrize 2010, an international art contest decided solely by public vote, officially begins Wednesday, September 22 and runs to Sunday, October 10.

Don't miss Art Fair 2010!
During ArtPrize, thousands of people will be in Grand Rapids for one reason: to see, experience and discuss art. And thanks to Art Fair, every one of them can browse or buy artwork* from over 50 registered ArtPrize artists. Held in centrally-located DeVos Place, at the heart of the ArtPrize district, Art Fair 2010 provides another exciting way for artists and the public to connect. Wander through our booths at DeVos Place to find a one-of-a-kind piece of art that speaks to you.

*Artwork entered in ArtPrize is not available for purchase.

"Lottery Ticket"- In Theatres Tomorrow

Comedian Mike Epps’ highly anticipated new movie, “Lottery Ticket,” is coming to the big screens this Friday, August 20, 2010.

The film follows Kevin Carson (Bow Wow), an ordinary, young man, whose luck quickly changes after winning $370 million in the lottery. Epps plays ‘Reverend Taylor,’ a loan-shark that tries fervently, among Carson’s other neighbors, to take possession of the winning ticket.

The comic/actor can also currently be seen starring in his own one-hour standup special, “Mike Epps: Under-rated and Never Faded” airing on Comedy Central and Showtime.

Epps earned a large portion of his fame from his appearances in numerous feature films, including “Next Friday,” “Guess Who,” and “The Fighting Temptations,” as well as his hilarious cameo appearance in the 2009 mega-hit, “The Hangover.”

Epps can be seen live in Grand Rapids on Saturday, September 25th at 8:00 P.M for his on-stage performance at DeVos Performance Hall. Ticket prices for this event are $42 and $50. Tickets are available at the Van Andel Arena box office, by calling Ticketmaster at 1.800.745.3000 or order online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/. Tickets are also available at all Ticketmaster outlets.

For more information about Epps' Grand Rapids appearance, visit http://www.devosperformancehall.com/. To learn more about "Lottery Ticket", visit the movie website at http://www.lotteryticketmovie.com/#/home.

Food Network Celebrity Chef Coming to Grand Rapids!!

Celebrity chef Duff Goldman will be visiting Grand Rapids this fall!! The expert cake-creator will appear at DeVos Performance Hall on Wednesday, September 15 at 7PM to share stories about his rise to fame and his hit show.

Those in attendance will be served cake, baked by Duff and his team, in celebration of Hospice of Michigan's 30th Birthday.The cake design will be kept secret until the night of the event. You can, however, check out Charm City Cakes' website to see some other designs Duff has come up with in the past!

For more information about the event, please visit the DeVos Performance Hall website or Hospice of Michigan's website. Tickets can be purchased at the Van Andel Arena box office, through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1.800.745.3000.

Tickets On Sale NOW for "The Best of the Best" MMA at DeVos Place

Tickets for "The Best of the Best" went on sale this morning (August 18) at 10:00 AM! Get yours now by calling Ticketmaster at 1.800.745.3000, visiting www.ticketmaster.com, or by stopping in to the Van Andel Arena box office. Tickets will also be on sale at the DeVos Place box office when it re-opens on August 23rd.

Broadway GR presents Mannheim Steamroller

This holiday season, Mannheim Steamroller will celebrate a quarter-century of being America’s favorite Christmas music artist with a 25^th Christmas Anniversary Tour of their spectacular and beloved holiday show.

The show will feature the favorite Christmas music of Mannheim Steamroller along with state of the art multimedia effects in an intimate setting.

The group will perform live, for one performance only, at DeVos Performance Hall on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010 at 7:30 PM.

Ticket prices start at just $27.50 and can be purchased at the Van Andel Arena box office, www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1.800.745.3000.

Group discounts for 10 or more are available by calling 616.742.6185, e-mail groupsales@smggr.com

IQ Sports and Harley Davison of Grand Rapids Present "The Best of the Best" Amateur MMA at DeVos Place®

IQ Sports and Harley Davidson of Grand Rapids have collaborated to present “The Best of the Best,” a showcase of premier mixed martial artists at DeVos Place® on Saturday, August 28th at 7:30PM.

Thirty fighters, five from each of the top six gyms in the country, will compete in 15 featured fights. The gym with the best record at the end of the night will be crowned “The Best of the Best.” Additionally, the winning gym will receive a title belt and five percent of the night’s ticket sales. Emphasizing the quality of the participants, only fighters holding five-plus wins and one-or-less losses are scheduled to participate.

Professional scouts from several Pro Camps will be in attendance to watch these premier fighters as they prepare to enter professional mixed martial arts leagues. Time Bomb Production will be streaming a live feed of the event over the internet.

“Izzy” Quintanilla, General Manager of IQ Entertainment, will be announcing “The Best of the Best” to the press at 3PM on Saturday, August 14th at Harley Davidson in Hudsonville, MI.

Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, August 18th at 10AM and will be available at the Van Andel Arena® box office Ticketmaster ticket centers including D&W Stores and select Family Fare locations, charge by phone: 1.800.745.3000 or on-line: ticketmaster.com. Tickets will also be available at the DeVos Place box office when it re-opens on August 23rd.

Television Premiere of Lincoln Center Theater’s Production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Live From Lincoln Center will present the television premiere of Lincoln Center Theater's Tony Award-winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific on Wednesday, August 18 at 8:00 p.m. on WGVU-TV, live from the Vivian Beaumont Theater.

Lincoln Center Theater's new production of the musical classic won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival as well as the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Award for Best Musical Revival. South Pacific, directed by Bartlett Sher, began performances Saturday, March 1, 2008 and opened Thursday, April 3, 2008 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, and will end its record breaking run on Sunday, August 22, 2010, making it the longest running Broadway revival of a Rodgers & Hammerstein musical.

The Lincoln Center Theater Production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific will kick off the 2010-2011 Fifth Third Bank Broadway Grand Rapids Series at DeVos Performance Hall for performances September 7-12, 2010. The performance schedule is Tuesday-Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the Van Andel Arena box office, all Ticketmaster locations, http://www.ticketmaster.com/ or via phone at 1.800.745.3000. Group discounts for 15 or more are available by calling 616.235.6285.

Based on James Michener’s Pulitzer Prize winning book Tales of the South Pacific, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific has music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan. Set on a tropical island during World War II, the musical tells the sweeping romantic story of two couples―US Navy nurse Nellie Forbush (Kelli O'Hara) and French plantation owner Emile de Becque (Tony Award winner Paulo Szot), and Navy Airman Joe Cable and a young local native girl, Liat―and how their happiness is threatened by the realities of the war and by their own prejudices.

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific premiered at the Majestic Theatre on April 7, 1949 and went on to enjoy a five year Broadway run, winning countless awards including nine Tony Awards (including Best Musical) and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Considered by many the finest musical ever written, the score’s songs include such musical theater classics as Some Enchanted Evening, Younger Than Springtime, Bali Ha’i, There is Nothin’ Like A Dame, and A Wonderful Guy.

Live From Lincoln Center is in its 34th broadcast season. The series has received 13 Emmy Awards, most recently for the broadcast of New York City Opera's Madama Butterfly. Produced by Lincoln Center's John Goberman, this series has made the world's greatest artists on Lincoln Center's renowned stages accessible to home viewers in virtually every corner of the United States. It is the only series of live performing arts telecasts on American television today.

For more information on the Fifth Third Bank Broadway Grand Rapids series visit http://www.broadwaygrandrapids.com/

On Tuesday, September 14, Food Network Star and master cake creator Duff Goldman will sign his book, Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes, for West Michigan residents at Schuler Books & Music.

The local and independent bookstore, in downtown Grand Rapids, will host the FREE book signing at 6:00 PM on Sept. 14. The book, which is a New York Times best-seller, is available for purchase at the store, with the proceeds going to Hospice of Michigan’s Open Access Program, which provides hospice care to individuals regardless of age, diagnosis or ability to pay. It is a behind-the-scenes look at the daily nuances within the bakery and on the show.

Don't miss out on this event and the chance to meet a famous, Food Network star! The downtown Schuler Books is located at:

40 Fountain Northwest
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

If you have any questions or for further information, please contact Schuler Books at 616.459.7750 or visit www.devosperformancehall.com.

Calling All Brides-To-Be!!!

The Fall Bridal Show of West Michigan will be taking place at DeVos Place on Friday, Sept. 17 from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM, and Saturday, Sept. 18 from
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.

Say “I Do” to wedding day planning all under one roof. Brides, grooms, moms and friends…come celebrate this special day!

You'll witness the ultimate bridal fashion shows, the latest in bridal gowns & tuxedos, trend-setting floral design, honeymoon travel ideas, unique photography, health & beauty, sumptuous catering, reception halls, music & DJs, cookware & home ideas, finance options and limousine & transportation.

Special savings from area wedding exhibitors will be offered only to brides and grooms, including the chance to win exciting door prizes for your wedding!

View the latest in bridal fashions at several spectacular fashion shows: Friday at 6 PM and Saturday at 1 PM & 3 PM.

Tickets will be available at the door. (Ticket prices to be determined)

For more information visit kohlerexpo.com.

Video: Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific

The Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific tour is coming to Grand Rapids from September 7-12, 2010. Check out this video for a preview of some of the great music to expect at the show!!

South Pacific on Tour - Video

Broadway GR presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific

"Simply Wonderful! Beguiling Theatrical Magic!" hails the New York Post for Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC. A stunning reinvention produced by Lincoln Center Theater, SOUTH PACIFIC swept the 2008 Tony Awards, winning seven honors including Best Musical Revival and Best Director for Bartlett Sher. The breathtaking new production features a cast of 34 and a full orchestra of 26 members - the largest orchestra of any touring Broadway production.

Set on a tropical island during World War II, the musical tells the sweeping romantic story of two couples and how their happiness is threatened by the realities of war and by their own prejudices. The beloved score's songs include "Some Enchanted Evening," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair," "This Nearly Was Mine" and "There is Nothin" Like a Dame." USA Today cheers, "★★★★! Gorgeous! SOUTH PACIFIC doesn't just float; it soars!"

Based on James Michener's Pulitzer Prize winning book Tales of the South Pacific, Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC has music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, a book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan and is directed by 2008 Tony Award-winner Bartlett Sher.

The show will be at DeVos Performance Hall on the following dates:

o Tues–Thurs., Sept. 7-9 at 7:30 PM (Ticket prices $32-$62)
o Fri., Sept. 10 at 8:00 PM (Ticket prices $37-$67)
o Sat., Sept. 11 at 2:00 PM & 8:00 PM (Ticket prices $37-$67)
o Sun., Sept. 12 at 1:00 PM (Ticket prices $37-$67)
o Sun., Sept. 12 at 6:30 PM (Ticket prices $32-$62)

For more information/to buy tickets, go to:
http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/65699/?brand=devos

Groups of 15 or more save! Call 616.742.6185,
e-mail groupsales@smggr.com or order on-line at devosperformancehall.com/groupsales