Hundreds of people gathered in Cedar Springs on Thursday, Aug. 13, as the Kent County North Community Fest brought families, county departments and community resources together at the Kent County North Campus.

Cedar Springs welcomed two new firefighters to the department during the Tuesday, Aug. 13, City Council meeting, continuing the city’s effort to strengthen its emergency response team. Firefighter Cristy Tracy swears in Cristy Tracy and Ayden Crouch were sworn into service by City Clerk April Decess during the meeting. Both Tracy and Crouch have successfully completed their firefighting certification and will be testing soon to obtain their medical first responder (MFR) certification. For Crouch, the moment carried special family significance. Crouch is the grandson of City Councilor and former Cedar Springs Fire Chief Jerry Gross. As a fourth-generation firefighter, Crouch is continuing a family legacy of service to the community. During the meeting, Gross was given the honor of badging in his grandson. “It means a lot,” Crouch said after the meeting. “To follow in the footsteps of my grandfather, my dad, my mom, my uncle, and to be able to give back to the community. It just really means a lot.” The addition of Tracy and Crouch comes just two months after two other firefighters were sworn into the department, marking continued growth for the Cedar Springs Fire Department. Firefighter Ayden Crouch swears in The city currently has an active roster of 16 firefighters, but officials say the need for more paid on-call responders remains. As the population grows in and around Cedar Springs, the demand for residents willing to answer emergency calls continues to increase. The department is still looking for additional firefighters to join its ranks and help serve the community. The latest swearing-in was a reminder of the dedication and family traditions that have long been part of the Cedar Springs community.

CEDAR SPRINGS — The Cedar Springs Community Players are setting the stage for another season of local theater at The Kent Theatre, with a lineup that offers comedy, original writing, youth performance and plenty of opportunities for community involvement. The 2026-27 season will open Oct. 22-25 with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a musical comedy filled with humor, heart and memorable characters. Auditions for the show will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 22, and 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, at Cedar Springs United Methodist Church. The season continues Feb. 26-28 with the group’s 9th Annual One-Act Festival, which highlights short plays by local playwrights. The festival gives area writers, directors and performers a chance to bring new stories to the stage. Play submissions are due by Oct. 31, after which the Cedar Springs Community Players board will review entries and select pieces for the production. The Junior Community Players are also expected to offer a winter workshop during the same general timeframe as One-Act rehearsals. The workshop will conclude with a one-day performance for participants’ family and friends. Additional details will be posted later in 2026. In June, the Community Players will present an original play by Scott Phillips. The production is scheduled for June 4-6 and June 11-12. Phillips is currently working on the script, and the title has not yet been announced. The season will close July 29-31 with The Little Mermaid Jr., presented by the Junior Community Players. The summer production gives young performers a chance to learn, grow and take the stage in a full youth production. An optional audition preparation workshop may also be offered for children interested in building confidence before auditions. The full 2026-27 season includes: Oct. 22-25: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Feb. 26-28: 9th Annual One-Act Festival June 4-6 and June 11-12: Original play by Scott Phillips July 29-31: The Little Mermaid Jr. With the exception of the annual summer Junior Community Players production, most Cedar Springs Community Players shows are geared toward adult audiences and may not be appropriate for younger audiences. If you are a longtime theater fan or simply looking for a fun night out close to home, the Cedar Springs Community Players offer a great way to support local talent and enjoy live performances right here in the community. Additional information, updates, audition sign-ups, newsletter sign-ups and contact information are available at cedarspringscommunityplayers.org. The group can also be found on Facebook.

CEDAR SPRINGS - A memorial sculpture placed near the new City Hall was removed from city property Monday, August 3. The removal came prior to the August 13 City Council meeting, where the council was set to discuss concerns about how the piece was accepted and where it was placed. In an August 3 email to The Cedar Springs Bugle, City Manager Darla Falcon confirmed "The Eagle's Nest" had been removed that morning and that the decision was made by the artist. The Bugle attempted to contact the artist via phone and email for comment, but no response was received in time for publication. The sculpture had been the subject of a July 16 Bugle article examining how the piece came to be placed on city property after prior proposals involving city funding or city-provided materials did not move forward. Concerns over the artwork centered not on the memorial purpose of the sculpture, but on how it was accepted and where it was placed. Before the sculpture was removed, the matter was expected to appear on an upcoming council agenda as a discussion item. The removal leaves unresolved questions about whether Cedar Springs has a consistent policy for accepting and placing donated artwork, memorials and civic displays on public property, and whether the city’s handling of such donations adequately protects donors and artists from being drawn into disputes after a display has already been accepted or installed. The situation comes shortly after the City Council publicly debated the placement of the “Red Flannel Town, Cedar Springs, Michigan” medallion in the new City Hall. The medallion, which had previously hung in the former council chambers for more than a decade, was ultimately approved for display, but only after discussion and a council vote. Questions have been raised, however, about why the medallion’s placement required public council discussion and approval while The Eagle’s Nest, a much larger donated sculpture, was accepted and installed without the same visible public process. Public art, donations, and the process for accepting and placing them are expected to be discussed at the August 13 City Council meeting.

CEDAR SPRINGS — If you have been looking for a fresh way to show off your Cedar Springs pride, the Red Flannel Festival office is once again opening its doors as the Red Flannel Festival Store. Part store, part small-town time machine, and all hometown pride, the shop offers visitors a chance to pick up official Red Flannel Festival gear while taking a look back at one of Cedar Springs’ most beloved traditions. The store features a variety of Red Flannel Festival items, including shirts, hats and other apparel, along with coffee mugs, yard decor, accessories, and more. Whether you're preparing for festival season, shopping for a gift or simply looking to add a little more red flannel to your life, the store is ready to help. But the fun does not stop at the merchandise. Visitors will also find historical pieces from Red Flannel Festivals of the past, including the historic Keystone Kops uniforms, magazine articles, pins, posters and other memorabilia. It is the kind of place where you come in for a T-shirt and leave having learned a story about Cedar Springs you had never heard before. For longtime residents, the store offers a nostalgic walk through familiar memories. For newcomers, it is a welcoming introduction to the heritage that helped put Cedar Springs on the map. And for anyone who has ever wondered why this town loves red flannel quite so much, this is a good place to start. The store invites guests to come for the red flannel gear, but stay for the stories, the history and the reminders of a community tradition that continues to bring generations together. And for those who want to do more than shop, there is now another reason to stop in. Anyone interested in volunteering for this year’s Red Flannel Festival can add their name to the volunteer book, now open on the counter. It is a simple way to get involved and help continue one of Cedar Springs’ most beloved traditions. The Red Flannel Festival Store will be open during the following hours: August Hours Sunday and Monday: Closed Tuesday through Friday: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Also available by appointment The store will be closed Labor Day weekend. September Hours, after Labor Day weekend Sunday and Monday: Closed Tuesday through Friday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Appointments may be arranged by contacting vicepresident@redflannelfestival.org. So whether you need a hat, a mug, a yard sign or just a little dose of hometown nostalgia, stop by the Red Flannel Festival Store. You may walk in looking for festival gear, but there is a good chance you will walk out feeling a little more connected to Cedar Springs.

CEDAR SPRINGS — Cedar Springs Public Schools is inviting students, families, staff and community members to take part in a series of Community Listening Sessions on Wednesday, Aug. 19, as the district begins its search for its next superintendent. The sessions are intended to give the community a voice in the selection process by sharing thoughts on the qualities, skills and priorities they would like to see in the next leader of Cedar Springs Public Schools. Feedback gathered during the meetings will help guide the Board of Education as it moves through the superintendent search process. The search follows the announcement that current Superintendent Scott Smith will retire after nearly nine years of service to the district. Smith first joined Cedar Springs Public Schools in 2018 and will continue serving through the remainder of his tenure until Dec. 31, 2026. The listening sessions will be held at the Cedar Springs District Office and Early Childhood Center. Staff will direct attendees, who are asked to enter through Door 11, to the appropriate conference room. Three sessions will be available throughout the day to accommodate different schedules: 8 a.m.: Parents and community members 3 p.m.: Open community drop-in session 6 to 7 p.m.: Parents and community members The sessions will be facilitated by Mark Dobias, a consultant with the Michigan Association of School Boards. District leaders said they are committed to a thoughtful and transparent process that reflects the values of Cedar Springs Public Schools and includes input from students, staff, families and the broader community. Community feedback will help the Board of Education identify the leadership characteristics most important for the district’s next superintendent, including the priorities residents believe should guide Cedar Springs Public Schools in the years ahead. Those who attend will have the opportunity to share what they value in district leadership and what they hope to see as Cedar Springs prepares for its next chapter. For more information, and to see the full schedule for this event, please visit https://buff.ly/cCgSAPu

It's mid-summer, and this time of year usually gets described the same way. The days are long, the air is heavy, and the afternoons don't seem to be in much of a hurry to end. Yes, we are in the dog days of summer. And I always understood that phrase to mean the stretch of heat we tolerate before fall finally shows up. Kind of the peak of the season. The part of that feels drawn out and a little restless, but this year it’s meant something different to me. I recently had to say goodbye to a dog I’ve had for fifteen years. He came home as a pup and somehow grew into eighty‑five pounds of muscle, loyalty, and personality. Most dogs don’t typically get fifteen years. By nearly all standards, he had a very long run. Though, it still felt short. Sitting there with him in those final moments, my mind started flipping through the years as if they were pages in a thin booklet. Different houses, different routines, different sights and smells. Early mornings and late nights. Walks that, at the time, felt just ordinary. I could see it all at once, compressed into something that felt like an instant. Indeed, it was fifteen years that had been reduced to a handful of memories that seemed to overlap each other. We talk about the dog days of summer as though they drag on. We complain about the heat and count down the days until cooler air arrives. But sitting in that room, I was reminded that even the seasons that feel long while we’re in them don’t actually last very long at all. It was nothing if not a harsh reminder of that. Time has a way of moving forward while we assume there’s more of it than there really is. The evenings this week will still be bright. The air will still hang heavy for a little while longer, and life in our little hometown will carry on the way it always does in August. Before long, school will be starting again, and with it new (or even familiar) routines. But it is moving faster than we tend to believe. Fifteen years ago feels like yesterday to me right now. I can still picture bringing him home. I can still remember thinking there would be so much time ahead. There was. And there wasn’t. Maybe that’s what these late summer days are good for. They remind you that what feels stretched out in the present will one day feel condensed in memory. The routines we barely notice now will eventually be the ones we wish we could step back into for just a minute. Before the weather shifts and the schedules change again, it’s probably worth paying attention to what’s right in front of us. In the ordinary way that most of life actually happens. Because even the dog days don’t last forever.

ROCKFORD — After 30 years of serving moviegoers, NorthStar Cinemas in Rockford and Whitehall will permanently close at the end of the summer.

SOLON TOWNSHIP — The Solon Township Planning Commission took a measured approach July 22, voting to amend a proposed zoning ordinance while postponing action on a separate rezoning request tied to the 17 Mile Road and Algoma Avenue corridors.

CEDAR SPRINGS — Vanderhyde Brothers Ford in Cedar Springs will host a community blood drive on Tuesday, July 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., as part of the statewide Roll Up & Give summer campaign in partnership with the American Red Cross. The event will take place inside the Vanderhyde Brothers Ford showroom, located at 345 N. Main St. NE, Cedar Springs, MI 49319. Roll Up & Give is organized by Neighborhood Michigan Ford Dealers in support of Ford Motor Company’s Building Together initiative. The campaign brings together more than 30 dealerships across four Michigan markets to help address the critical summer blood supply shortage. In summer 2025, 13 West Michigan dealers piloted the program, collecting 363 units of blood and welcoming 232 first-time donors. In addition to the blood drive, the July 28 event will feature games, food, music and family-friendly activities, creating a community-centered atmosphere for donors and visitors alike. Dealer staff and American Red Cross volunteers will be on site assisting donors throughout the day. This year’s Roll Up & Give campaign runs from June 4 through July 31, with participating dealerships working toward a collective goal of maximizing blood donations during the summer months. Community members interested in donating blood or finding a participating dealership can register in advance through the American Red Cross website. For more information about the Cedar Springs event, you can contact Vanderhyde Brothers Ford directly.

Every now and then I’ll drive up to the north parking lot at Cedar Springs Baptist Church and just sit there for a few minutes. From up there you can look straight down Main Street. And if you get there early enough it's quiet most of the time. A few cars move through and sometimes you may see a person or two pass along. And I’ll catch myself wondering what that same view looked like a hundred years ago, or seventy, or even fifty years ago, which isn’t all that long ago when you think about it. There are still plenty of people here who remember it. I try to picture how folks interacted back then. What the storefronts looked like. How quickly or slowly news traveled. Who was sitting in which office when certain decisions were made. It’s easy to look at a building or even just the layout of town today and assume it simply landed there. But at some point someone had to decide something. Almost certainly someone had to say, "yes," and someone had to say "no." Sometimes I’ll go from that parking lot back to my desk at the museum and start flipping through old editions of The Post or The Clipper, or even The Weekly Journal. Remember that one from the early '90's? You can learn a lot that way. You start to see the conversations as they were happening. Not as we remember them now, but as the names and dates, and real-life discussions or debates that were taking place. And what I've realized is that what feels settled today once felt uncertain. That’s where the “why” starts to come into focus. A building went up because there was growth, or perhaps it's construction was denied because it wasn't suitable. An ordinance was passed to enhance this or discourage that. The reasoning is usually there if you’re willing to look for it. It may not always hold up the same way decades later, but it almost always existed. When one can understand the “why,” especially with something that may feel distasteful or unwanted, the natural urge to assume ill-intent makes less of an immediate case for itself. We stop seeing things as random or careless and start to see the chain of decisions that led there. And once we see that chain, it becomes a little easier to think about what comes next. Not because history hands us the answer, but because it reminds us that every generation stands where it does for a reason. And perhaps every generation stood where we stand now, having to make decisions. From that church parking lot, Main Street looks established. But underneath it are layers of choices made by people who were doing the best they could with what they had and what they knew at the time. That's not to say every decision was a good one. In fact, some good decisions are made out of learning from previous bad decisions. Knowing all this doesn’t settle every question we face now, and it doesn't necessarily justify every decision made before us. It just keeps us from assuming this moment appeared out of nowhere and gives a more clear vision of how to decide for the future. The “why” doesn’t always change our opinion, but it usually deepens our understanding. And that’s just enough to make the "why" matter.

CEDAR SPRINGS — Kent County is bringing the Community Fest back to Cedar Springs next month, promising an afternoon of family-friendly fun, free resources and opportunities to connect with local services. The Kent County North Community Fest will take place Thursday, August 13, 2026, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Kent County North Campus, 4191 17 Mile Rd. NE, Cedar Springs. The event is designed to give residents a chance to meet county departments and affiliates, explore available services and enjoy a relaxed summer celebration with neighbors. Organizers say attendees can look forward to: Local food trucks serving hometown favorites Free ice cream (while supplies last) Kids’ activities including face painting, balloon animals and more Big trucks on display, including fire engines from the City of Cedar Springs and road equipment from the Kent County Road Commission The Kent County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Unit and horses, along with live K-9 demonstrations Meet-and-greet tables offering helpful information, resources and support. Families with school-aged children can also pick up free backpacks and school supplies for students in grades K–12, while supplies last, a popular feature for many local households preparing for the upcoming school year. Last year’s Community Fest in Cedar Springs drew hundreds of attendees, filling the North Campus grounds with families, children and community members eager to connect with county officials and enjoy the festivities. The strong turnout highlighted the growing interest in events that combine fun with access to important local resources. With its mix of entertainment, education and community engagement, organizers hope this year’s event will build on that success and once again bring out a strong crowd. Residents are encouraged to mark their calendars and plan to attend the Kent County North Community Fest on August 13.