Zora Young, an internationally known Chicago-based blues artist, is the big draw for the White Lake Blues Fest this year.

WHITEHALL, MI — Zora Young, an internationally known Chicago-based blues artist, is the big draw for the White Lake Blues Fest this year.

Blues artist, Zora Young, will headline the 6th annual White Lake Blues Fest at the Howmet Playhouse on May 4, 2013.Courtesy | Killer Blues Headstone Project

The event which is sponsored by the Killer Blues Headstone Project, will be held at the Howmet Playhouse at 304 S. Mears Ave. in downtown Whitehall at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 4.

“Zora is the real deal, blues woman,” said Steve Salter, the president of the Killer Blues Headstone Project. “She has preformed with a who’s who of the blues world all while traveling around the world delivering honest heartfelt stories of real people living the blues.”

In addition to playing gigs across the globe, Young has the distinction of headlining the main stage at the Chicago Blues Festival six times, as well as performing on stage with renowned blues artists such as B.B. King, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy and Albert King.

“This is the first time we’ve had an artist of Zora’s stature come here to play for us,” said Steve Salter, the president of the Killer Blues Headstone Project. “So we’re excited about that.”

Hank Mowery & the Hawktones, a popular blues group from Grand Rapids will be Young’s back up musicians at the event. Brian Curran, an up-and-coming blues and folk artist from St. Louis, will be the opener.

The yearly music festival was established in 2008 to raise funds to buy headstones for deceased blues performers’ gravesites.

According to Salter, the money that has been raised through the blues shows has enabled his organization to purchase 14 headstones so far.

“Our mission statement is to provide headstones for blues artists lying in unmarked graves,” Salter explained. “We are proud of what we have accomplished so far and owe much of our success to West Michigan blues fans.”

With the proceeds from last year’s show the organization was able to purchase two headstones.

This year the goal is to provide headstones for three blues artists interned at Restvale Cemetery in Chicago, the same graveyard where blues legend Muddy Waters is buried.

“The primary person is going to be Bonnie Lee, also known as the sweetheart of the blues. She’s going to be our primary focus,” Salter said.

He thought it seemed appropriate to focus on finding a headstone for Lee because she and Young toured together while she was alive.

Lee, like many blues musicians, lived in poverty while she was creating music that has lived on long after she died. Salter sees his project as a way of paying tribute to the lasting impact of artists like Lee who never experienced the financial success they deserved in their lifetime.

“It’s all about honoring their legacy and recognizing the art that they left for us,” Salter said.

At the event, the blues lover will be promoting his recently published calendar book, “Every Day I Have the Blues,” a record of the dates of birth and death of more than 1200 blues artists.

Tickets for the White Lake Blues Fest are available at White Lake City Hall, the HarborLight Credit Union or at the door at the Howmet Playhouse the night of the show.

The cost to attend is $15 and all proceeds go to the headstone project.

More information about the event is available at the Killer Blues website.

The southeast Texas community drew a record-smashing 33,650 people to the opening of the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series March 14-17. The professional anglers come to Muskegon County’s Heritage Landing Sept. 27-29.

MUSKEGON, MI – Orange, Texas has set the bar for Muskegon and all of the other tour stops for the various Bassmaster events in 2013.

The southeast Texas city with a population of 18,500 drew a record-smashing crowd of 33,650 people to the banks of the Sabine River for the first stop of the 2013 Bassmaster Elite Series March 14-17.

That crowd was more than 15,000 people over the previous record Bassmaster event in 2011 in Decatur, Ala. The Orange event also set a one-day record of drawing more than 14,900 fans to a park and launch ramp on a river that flows into Sabine Lake and eventually the Gulf of Mexico.

The Bassmaster tour is coming to Muskegon County’s Heritage Landing on Muskegon Lake Sept. 27-29 for the B.A.S.S. third annual Toyota All-Star Week. Like Orange, Texas, it will be the first time Muskegon has hosted a Bassmaster event – a national professional bass fishing tour that has its television home on ESPN2.

“Holy cow!” was all that Bob Lukens could say when he read the reports of the first Bassmaster event for 2013. Lukens is the Muskegon County community development director who is spearheading the September event at Heritage Landing.

The Elite Series event in Orange drew as many as 100 professional anglers from across the country. The Muskegon event, at the end of the season, is an all-star tournament for 14 of the top fishermen from this season and a group of top college anglers.

But the Orange community party will be similar to what is planned for Muskegon. For the uninitiated to the world of professional fishing tournaments, the activities and crowds in Orange created a weekend festival that not only included the fishing action on the water but a carnival, sponsor displays, music, food and beverage tents and a Saturday night fireworks show.

The crowds for the Saturday and Sunday afternoon weigh-in event with more than 14,000 people gathered in the Orange riverside park looked like the old days of Muskegon Summer Celebration concerts at Heritage Landing, which for a concert has a capacity of about 17,000.

The Orange Bassmaster event began in the pre-dawn hours as fans gathered at the city boat launch to see the professional fishing crews off each morning. By early afternoon, crowds gathered in the park for the carnival, food vendors, live music and sponsor displays. There were demo boat rides by marine sponsors Yamaha, Mercury, Nitro, Triton and Skeeter.

The main event was the daily weigh-in around 3 p.m. when the fishermen brought their day’s catch to the stage to see who had the heaviest haul. Todd Faircloth of nearby Jasper, Texas won the four-day event with 49 pounds and 6 ounces of bass caught. Faircloth won a $100,000 first prize and entry into the 2014 Bassmaster Classic – the year-end “super bowl” of the sport.

On Saturday, the crowds stayed for a free evening concert by country artist Neal McCoy and fireworks. Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce President Idea Schossow said the community expects to receive more than $1.4 million in economic return from the Bassmaster event.

RELATED: Three things to expect from the Bassmaster all-star tournament in Muskegon

“People in southeastern Texas love the outdoors,” Schossow told the B.A.S.S. communications department of a community that is on I-10 between Baton Rouge, La. and Houston along the Texas-Louisiana border. “I would say 75-80 percent of our residents hunt and fish. Anytime you come out, you’ll see our rivers full of boats.”

Planning for the Muskegon event is under way, Lukens said. A group of fishing enthusiasts is working with the Muskegon County Convention and Visitors Bureau to produce the community event around the September all-star bass tournament. Bassmaster officials are expected to be in Muskegon this month to begin to set the details of the event, Lukens said.

“That first event in Texas had summer-like weather and if we can get some good weather in September I think we can draw a crowd,” Lukens said. “We have the potential to drawing 20,000 people over the weekend.”

The Alabama-based professional fishing tour will go from Texas to Wisconsin and Virginia to California this year before reaching Muskegon. No doubt Orange, Texas is anxious to host another Bassmaster event.

“It is the buzz around town that we want Bassmaster back,” Schossow said. “The whole community wants to see the Elite Series return.”

Email: dalexan1@mlive.com

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The audience waited for almost 30 minutes in the darkened Frauenthal Center for Performing Arts theater for the West Michigan Student Showcase awards to be announced on Thursday night.

MUSKEGON, MI — Two Mona Shores High School students garnered a loud response from the crowd by winning the top honor at the West Michigan Student Showcase.

The audience waited for almost 30 minutes in the darkened Frauenthal Center for Performing Arts theater for the awards to be announced Thursday night, March 21.

When the curtain was finally raised, Britta Cleveland, the host, and JC Howe, the presenter, were onstage with all the high school performers.

After handing out first-, second-, and third-place awards in the Literary, Visual and the Performing Arts categories for both individuals and groups, it was time for the announcement of the highly anticipated Gary Ostrom Showstopper Award.

When Cleveland made the announcement that Mona Shores High School students Kayla Green and Hunter Zhao had won the coveted award for their violin and cello duet of “Passacaglia in G Minor” by Handel-Halvorsen, it was almost impossible to hear their names above the enthusiastic crowd noise.

Zhao said he was “exhilarated” and surprised by the win because he thought that he and Green had been “shut out this year.”

“We didn’t expect it at all,” Green said.

After having such a positive experience performing onstage, Green said she wants to continue pursuing a career in music.

“I want to go into violin performance,” Green said. “This was a great experience. It was the best experience of my year.”

The Showstopper Award, along with the other first-place awards, comes with a $1,000 prize that the students can use however they please. For the other categories, the second-place award is $500 and third-place award is $300.

Green said she plans to use her half of the prize money toward furthering her musical education.

“I’d like to go to a music camp that I’ve been saving for that I wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise,” she said.

Zhao has slightly different plans for how he wants to use his portion of the winnings.

“I might dye my hair some more,” Zhao said, describing his current hair color as “cranberry red.”

RELATED: West Michigan Student Showcase’s first night highlights unique talents, impresses crowd

Dave Sipka, the superintendent of the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District, which sponsored the event, said as an educator he is pleased to see all these talented students excel in their areas of interest and gifting.

“It just really gives me such hope for our community and for all of West Michigan,” Sipka said. “I look at the talent of all these kids and I’m pretty humbled. When I grow up, I want to be like them.”

Over the course of the two nights of performances, nearly 250 students competed in the Showcase which is meant to highlight the best and brightest from 32 schools in Mason, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana and Ottawa counties.

The show on Thursday featured students from Calvary Christian School, Careerline Tech Center, Coopersville High School, Fremont High School, Grant High School, Hart High School, Holton High School, Mason County Central High School, Mason County Eastern High School, Montague High School, Muskegon Heights PSA High School, Muskegon High School, Newaygo High School, Pentwater High School, Providence Christian High School, Shelby High School and Western Michigan Christian High School.

Thursday’s show featured actors, dancers, musicians, singers and songwriters with groups of high-achieving students in the areas of athletics and academics being publicly acknowledged during the program as well.

Here is the complete list of the 2013 West Michigan Showcase winners for the different categories:

Literary Awards

First-place winner was “My Doctor Cries for the Air” by Abbey Vermeulen of North Muskegon High School;

Second-place winner was “The Painter” by Maggie Moul of Hart High School;

Third-place winner was “Sidewalk Concerto” by Courtney Elliot of Holton High School;

Honorable mention went to “Bring Her a Rose” by Emily Prado of Hesperia High School.

Visual Awards

First-place winner was “Facets: Choice and Chance in a Child’s Life” by Abigail Wilson from Mona Shores High School;

Second-place winner was “My Childhood Love Story” by Valory McClellan from Pentwater High School;

Third-place winner was “The Wrestler” by Ashley Bryant from Grand Haven High School.

Performance Awards for Individuals

First-place winner was Jessy Dick, a dancer from Reeths-Puffer High School;

Second-place winner was Jesse Dunn, a pianist from North Muskegon High School;

Third-place winners were Chad and Colin Jensen, singers and musicians from Grant High School.

Performance Awards for Groups

First-place went to the band The After Effect from Mona Shores High School;

Second-place went to the band It Is Written from Shelby High School;

Third-place went to the drumming group Incredabass from Reeths-Puffer High School.

Showcase Special Olympian

The award went to Heather Lobdell.

Of the six initial requests for funds under Muskegon County’s tourism event marketing program, the Muskegon Lumberjacks’ USHL Hockey Week and the North American Irish & Celtic Festival Organizers were the only two events funded so far in 2013.

MUSKEGON, MI – For festival and event promoters wanting support from Muskegon County room tax funds, timing will be everything.

Timing – as in the time of the year of the event seeking supported – will drive the Muskegon County Convention & Visitors Bureau’s tourism event marketing program.

Tourism event marketing dollars will not be given to events that occur between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The Muskegon County Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee established the policy to only support events and activities in the nonsummer months.

The policy for event funding has been a long time coming, as both the tourism advisory group and the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners have had difficult political decisions in the face of questionable requests from various groups over the years.

In adopting the policy last month, the committee went on to apply the new criteria for the $10,000 in room tax dollars set aside in the 2013 for Muskegon County events. Of the six applications for fund, three were rejected outright because they were asking for support for summer events, including Muskegon Bike Time and the newly revamped Lakeshore Art Festival.

The committee approved $3,000 for the Muskegon Lumberjacks 2013 USHL Top Prospects Week that was Jan. 18 to 26 and $1,500 – half of the requested funds – for the North American Irish & Celtic Festival Organizers Conference in Muskegon April 19 and 20, hosted by the local Michigan Irish Music Festival.

The $4,500 in grants leaves the tourism advisory committee with $5,500 for the remainder of the year.

Meanwhile, an $11,000 debt Muskegon County was left from last year’s Hot Rod Power Tour event will not be charged to the room tax event marketing program but will be handled in another area of the county budget, according to Muskegon County Community Development Director Bob Lukens. The tourism advisory committee delayed event market program decisions until the Power Tour payment issue was determined.

Bob Lukens

 

“The thing that is driving our event marketing program is the shoulder seasons and winter,” Lukens said. “Muskegon County needs to be a year-round destination, not just a summer place. Tourism businesses can’t survive on three or four months of business in the summer.”

The new tourism event marketing policy allows for county funds to be used for advertising and marketing, event bid fees and costs for transportation inside the county. The policy is explicit in wanting to spread the limited resources throughout the county:

“Due to the high volume of requests received, requesting entities may only apply for funding once every three years, unless a new event is created by the sponsoring association or organization,” the policy reads. “The Tourism Event Marketing Program is not intended to be a regular budget line item for the event but rather to provide initial funding to attract new events to Muskegon County.”

Among the six initial requests for funds this year, Muskegon Bike Time and the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce’s Lakeshore Art Festival were summer events, as was a Michigan Veteran’s Services Division training event.

The tourism advisory committee also rejected a nonsummer request from the LST 393 for the Veteran’s Job Fair and Armed Forces Tribute May 17 and 18.

Those wanting to appeal the tourism advisory committee decision can do so through Lukens’ office with a written appeal request. The final decision will be made by County Administrator Bonnie Hammersley.

Email: dalexan1@mlive.com

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The B.A.S.S. Toyota All-Star Week fishing tournament will bring a dozen of the top professional anglers to Muskegon Sept. 27-29. The organizers will create a family-oriented festival at Muskegon County’s Heritage Landing for tournament, which will be rebroadcast on ESPN2.

MUSKEGON, MI – Fishing enthusiasts in the Muskegon area really can’t believe that the B.A.S.S. third annual Toyota All-Star Week is coming to Muskegon in September.

At the same time, everyone else is trying to figure out what the national bass fishing competition means for Muskegon.

In short, it means a dozen of the top professional anglers in the nation will be fishing on Muskegon and White lakes Sept. 27 to 29 for $100,000 in prize money that will be awarded that weekend. A family-oriented festival will be produced at Muskegon County’s Heritage Landing and the whole event will end up being a two-hour program on ESPN2 in October.

No one is more excited than Kyle Buck of the Norton Shores-based Great Lakes Guide Service.

“This is a big thing for Muskegon,” said Buck, who for the past 10 years has operated a charter fishing boat on Lake Michigan and a guide service on the Muskegon River. “I’ve fished a lot of bass tournaments. You can go anywhere in the country and bass fish. It’s huge. This has the potential to bring more tournaments to town.”

Kyle Buck lof Great Lakes Guide Service displays a local largemouth bass he caught during a recent season opener.
Chronicle file photo

 

Since it was publicly announced in February, Muskegon County Community Development Director Bob Lukens said the community response has been “great.” The Bassmaster organizers will make a trip to Muskegon in April to plan the events at Heritage Landing and take a look at Muskegon and White lakes, where the competition will be staged.

When details begin to emerge from the April meeting with B.A.S.S. officials, local organizers will begin to put together volunteers and local sponsors for the event, Lukens said. Last year’s All-Star Week event was hosted in September on Lake Shelbyville near Decatur, Ill.

RELATED: Three things to expect from the Bassmaster All-Star tournament in Muskegon

“Right now we are in a holding pattern as we begin to learn the site layout for the event and begin to work with festival vendors,” said Lukens, who oversees the Muskegon County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We hope to produce a family festival and that everyone will come out and support that.”

Activities at Heritage Landing in the late afternoon and early evening are in conjunction with the daily weigh-in, where the professional fishermen will see how they did after a day on the local lakes. Bassmaster will bring its own stage to Muskegon for the nightly event.

In addition to the pros, there will be four top college teams competing against each other as the goal of all of the anglers is to make the 2014 Bassmaster Classic, the Super Bowl of the sport.

“This event can bring a lot of bass fishermen into our community,” Buck said. “It will showcase how good the fishing is here. It will really spotlight Muskegon.”

Muskegon will recognize what is being planned for Heritage Landing, a fall festival a week after the Michigan Irish Music Festival will occupy the county’s festival park on Muskegon Lake. There is expected to be country and rock music acts performing, food and beverage tents and plenty of fishing and boating displays from the Bassmaster’s national sponsors.

The Alabama-based bass fishing organization with 500,000 members not only has the support of Toyota and ESPN2 but the Bassmaster sponsors also include Bass Pro Shops, Berkley fishing equipment, Mercury marine engines, Triton Boats, Yamaha marine engines, Carhartt apparel and Ramada Worldwide among others.

“We are excited because Heritage Landing provides such a picturesque place to host the event as it is a great location right on Muskegon Lake,” Lukens said.

Annual scheduling of a series of divisions and events, Bassmaster tends to return to communities in future years. The 2013 schedule has events such as the Lake St. Clair Championship Aug. 22 to 23 on Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River, along with other events from Texas to Wisconsin and Virginia to California.

“I really hope the whole community will embrace this event,” Buck said.

Email: dalexan1@mlive.com

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Gifted high school musicians, singers, dancers, and a yo-yo performer will take the stage for the 2013 West Michigan Student Showcase this spring.

MUSKEGON, MI — Gifted high school musicians, singers, dancers and a yo-yo performer will take the stage for the 2013 West Michigan Student Showcase.

Kathryn Rogers’ winning entry in the Showcase 2013 Logo Design Contest.
Courtesy

The annual talent competition will be held at the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts on March 20 and 21.

Close to 250 students from counties all over West Michigan are chosen to participate by their high schools for demonstrating excellence in one of five different categories ranging from academics, athletics, literary arts, performing arts and visual arts.

The contestants — who represent 32 schools from Mason, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana and Ottawa counties — will be competing for first-, second- and third-place prizes and upwards of $15,000 in scholarship awards.

According to Joel Selby, the instructional services project specialist at the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District, the event gives a bigger platform to young people outside of their hometowns.

“The cool part of the showcase is that our students are used to being recognized in their own districts and this is a step above that,” Selby said.

In past years, students from the five counties have won awards at the showcase, which has served as a launching pad for many for further educational and career opportunities.

Sylvia Yacoub, who was a contestant on the NBC reality show “The Voice” in 2012, was part of an ensemble that won the Gary Ostrom Showstopper Award at the West Michigan Student Showcase in 2011.

“It’s a good opportunity for students to show what they have and get their name out there,” Selby said.

For the 2013 showcase, there will be scouts from the Coast West Music Fest in the audience at the showcase looking for fresh talent. Selby said “it’s not guaranteed,” but there is a possibility that students could be booked to perform at the new Muskegon music festival “based on their performance” this year.

While the knowledge that scouts are in the audience along with family and friends could lead to extra anxiety, Selby’s advice to the students is to go out on stage and enjoy the limelight without worrying too much about the outcome.

“I say make the most of it,” Selby said. “This is your shining moment to go out there and be recognized in your communities.”

The talent showcase typically boasts a wide range of distinctive performers and this year is no exception.

“It’s very interesting to see the variety of performing arts acts we have at Showcase,” Selby said. “There are bands, singers, pianists, dancers, dramatic performances and this year we even have a yo-yo performance.”

In an effort to add even more variety and get students involved from other disciplines, organizers added the new Showcase Logo Design Contest for aspiring graphic designers from West Michigan high schools to come up with the new logo for the showcase.

Kathryn Rogers, a student at the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District’s Careerline Tech Center, was awarded the winning logo design out of 18 total entries and is set to receive $100 dollars along with two tickets to event, plus she will be recognized for her efforts at the event.

Tickets for the West Michigan Student Showcase are $8.50 for adults and $6.50 for students and seniors. The doors will open at 6 p.m. and the competition will begin at 7 p.m. on show nights. Tickets are available at the Frauenthal Box Office or StarTickets at 1-800-585-3737.

To view a complete list of show night assignments and to purchase tickets online, visit the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District website.

The fourth annual Winter Bash sponsored by Hot Rod Harley Davidson is being held on Saturday, March 2 at Fricano Place, 1050 W. Western Ave in Muskegon.

MUSKEGON, MI — It’s cold and there’s still snow on the ground, but the Bike Time Winter Bash promises to be like a summer breeze for Lakeshore bikers.

Promoters of the Fourth Annual Muskegon Bike Time Winter Bash hope to “chase the winter blues away” for motorcycle enthusiasts at the all day event on March 2.
Courtesy

The fourth annual Winter Bash sponsored by Hot Rod Harley Davidson is being held on Saturday, March 2, at Fricano Place, 1050 W. Western Ave. in Muskegon.

According to Bob Lukens, the Community Development Director for Muskegon County, the event serves a dual purpose of being a fun winter activity as well as a great way to “draw focus” to the summer Bike Time event, which attracted an estimated 100,000 people in 2012.

“It’s a fun way to spend a winter day in Muskegon County,” Lukens said. “And it’s a great event to have in the middle of winter, when people aren’t necessarily thinking about riding their motorcycles.”

The event, which is an off-season fundraiser for Muskegon County festivals like Bike Time, will feature motorcycle-related vendors and a bucket auction from noon to 8 p.m. Radio personalities Andy O’Riley and Bill Marshall will be running a live auction at 7 p.m.

Clyde Whitehouse, the chairman of the Bike Time Board of Directors and general manager of Hot Rod Harley Davidson at 149 Shoreline Dr., said that it was due to the “coordinated efforts and hard work of many volunteers” that has made the Winter Bash a success.

At the previous event in 2012, there were more than 1,700 people in attendance.

“Building upon this success, it will again give Muskegon a chance to have some fun while supporting Bike Time and all it does for the community,” Whitehouse said.

Bash attendees will also have the chance to show off body art with a tattoo contest at 3 p.m. sponsored by The Morg tattoo shop, with first-, second- and third-place gift certificates for the best tattoos.

AMA Amateur 250 Hot Shoe Vintage National Champion John Tejchma, who at 62 is one of the oldest competitors in vintage motorcycle racing, will be doing a meet and greet with fans at 4 p.m.

The packed day will also include face painting for the kids, a photo booth, biker games, raffles, giveaways and various other activities.

But it wouldn’t be a Bike Time event without the music.

Grand Rapids-based rockabilly band Delilah DeWylde and the Lost Boys will start off at 4:30 p.m. Then Muskegon’s own Yard Sale Underwear, an R&B cover band playing a range of music from Motown classics to more recent pop hits from the likes of Justin Timberlake, will take the stage at 8 p.m.

Live music will continue until midnight.

Admission is $5 dollars but children under 10 years old will get in free. After 9 p.m. no one under 21 will be admitted.

There will be pizza, hot sandwiches, assorted snacks and ice cream, as well as beverages for purchase throughout the day.

“We’re pleased to have the event here in Muskegon County and encourage everybody to come out and support it,” Lukens said. “Have some good food and enjoy some good music.”

The Cihaks see the value in utilizing the unused space in the store for gallery showings because it will be yet another way to give back to the Lakeshore community.

MUSKEGON, MI — Radium Photo plans to use free wall space in its downtown store to display the work of local photographers and artists in a new gallery.

Radium Photo is opening the “R Corner Gallery” in its downtown Muskegon store to display the work of local photographers and artists.
Courtesy

The grand opening of the new “R Corner gallery” at Radium Photo, 835 Terrace St., will be held on Saturday, Feb. 23. There will be hors d’oeuvres, door prizes, special offers and all the art work on the walls will be for sale at the event.

Radium Photo was opened in 1909, by Charles Cihak in downtown Muskegon on Western Avenue. In the mid-1970s the store moved to the current location on Terrace Street where it has remained a fixture in the Lakeshore community for 40 years.

“We are striving to get our name out there again and have been looking at a number of ways to do so,” Charles Cihak Jr., the great grandson and current store manager.

Cihak Jr. has been having conversations with his father, Charles Cihak III, the current owner, about how to keep their business relevant to the local community while keeping up with the rapidly evolving and improving technology in the photography industry.

According to Cihak Jr., opening the gallery space is an attempt to add another attractive feature to the family-owned store that already has a niche in the school portraits market and school sports photography, as well as boasting a professional photo lab and digital printing and cutting services.

Radium has always looked for ways to “give a little bit back to the local community” by photographing events like the Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree, assisting school yearbook committees and donating time to work with youth sports leagues throughout the year.

The Cihaks see the value in utilizing the unused space in the store for gallery showings because it will be yet another way to give back to the Lakeshore community. The family’s goal is help out local photographers and artist friends who have been loyal customers over the years, while also introducing a new generation of fledgling digital photographers to their store.

“We just figure let’s help these guys out. They’ve been helping us out. (Plus) we have quite a bit of wall space,” Cihak Jr. said.

The first show will feature five local image makers, including Fred Reinecke, Carl Carter, Bryan Snuffer, Jim Keating and Joe Gee. All the artists’ work will be for sale and will be displayed up on the gallery walls for a few weeks after the show.

“Part of these shows is not only to show what these artists are capable of doing but also to help them sell pieces,” Cihak Jr. said.

He also thinks having a variety of unique, beautiful art pieces to look at is preferable to bare walls and “will freshen up our store a little bit.”

“I’m excited. I’m kind of excited to see what they’ll bring. I haven’t seen most of it,” Cihak Jr. said.

The plan is to do a new gallery show at Radium once a month. One of the concepts that Cihak Jr. is excited about trying is the salon model where 20 to 30 different artists come in at once with one or two pieces.

Another idea they are considering is hosting artwork from local students.

At the event he is hoping to generate interest in another upcoming addition to the photo store, which is an in-house portrait studio space that area photographers could rent for an affordable price. For now, he and his staff are focused on preparations for the gallery opening.

“I personally love art, and it will really dress up the store, while hopefully getting people in the store to purchase something for their home or business,” Cihak Jr. said.

More detailed information on the “R Corner Gallery” and the other photographic services that Radium Photo offers is available on their website.