Things to Do in Grand Rapids

[[m:####EasyRotor Helicopter

Founded in 2005 by passionate aviator Eric Swanson, the high-flying adventures of EasyRotor Helicopter have enjoyed publicity from Rapid Growth Media as well as from fellow Michigander and recording artist Kid Rock, who hired the company to shoot aerial footage for a music video. EasyRotor's world-class R44 Raven chopper, manufactured by Robinson Helicopter Company, conveniently facilitates the company's tours and aerial services based out of Gerald R. Ford International Airport. As the helicopter slices through the air, views of Grand Rapids, its downtown, and passengers' own homes come into view. Noise-canceling headphones allow for both free-flowing conversation and unobstructed listening to the pilot's anecdotes on the sights below and the exploits of Leo da Vinci, the patron saint of helicopters.:m]]

Seva Yoga's teachers host daily classes that vary in style and difficulty to accommodate students of all abilities inside the studio’s serene, high-ceilinged sanctuary. Certified yoga instructors move about the practice space during sessions, including moderate and gentle classes, offering verbal cues and hands-on adjustments to help beginners sink into stretches. Vinyasa sweat sessions encourage more seasoned yogis to hone their meditation skills while moving from one pose to the next with balance-challenging movements designed to bolster muscles without adding bulk or its attendant purple shorts. In total, six different types of classes are available, with some sessions taught on donation basis. The studio also teaches a 200-hour program designed to pass along knowledge to budding yoga instructors.

As the sun dips below Coopersville Farm Museum and Event Center’s grain silo, local musicians gather in the high-ceilinged hall against the backdrop of patchwork quilts and antique farm tools. They sing gospel, country, and folk songs that have been passed down for generations. Events such as these are one facet of the museum’s mission to honor and uphold rural traditions. In addition to the monthly jam sessions, the 12,000-square-foot facility hosts quilting circles, line dancing, and other skill-swapping events. Curators spotlight the region’s agrarian past by recruiting antique-farming tools and folk art and freeing hopelessly lost scarecrows from corn mazes. In addition to shining a light on the region’s past, the museum strives to support current culture makers; The hall serves as a gallery space for local artists, and during the youth-led Kids’ Day local teens teach tykes creative skills.

Full wall mirrors stretch across a long studio, reflecting groups of still, flexible bodies stretching amid images of verdant foliage painted on earthy-green walls. Carlos Pasos, the sturdy leader of The Studio Yoga, teaches these strengthening moves in the warm studio. His expertise in the power yoga practice helps students to build flexibility through moves that flow together with the use of steady breathing. Toes grip mats laid out on wood floors as arms shoot to the ceiling and Carlos calmly directs his pupils to center their minds and empathize with bobbleheads.

UICA fills 4,000 square feet of gallery space with innovative exhibitions by contemporary artists, screens films in a 198-seat movie theater, and organizes creative classes for youths and adults. The institute is going into its 35th year of sharing and inspiring innovative, challenging forms of visual arts, and it continues to engage the public with events such as a speaker series.