Things to Do in Rochester

Each year on the shores of Lake St. Clair, massive bash Hottiefest celebrates the art of looking good with a weekend of professionally DJ’ed parties. Spinsmiths such as DJ Captn20 and DJ Godfather select dance-friendly jams that evoke all the beachy fun, sun, and camaraderie of a snowman that reincarnates in sand form to be near you again. In addition to dancing until body temperatures rise, guests can lounge in outdoor cabanas and take home goody bags full of neon-hued party favors; VIP visitors earn the added perks of bypassing the entry line and mingling in the waterfront VIP tent.

Dawn Malek and Kathy Hinchman, co-owners of CCPlus @ The Center, designed their roster of fitness classes with one goal in mind: to make exercise accessible to people of all ages and abilities. Regular fitness classes cater to all tastes, and include Vinyasa yoga, kickboxing, Zumba, and Flirty Girl Fitness. Seniors keep in shape in a staggering array of gentle, low-impact exercise programs—many of which are appropriate for clients who use wheelchairs and walkers—such as water aerobics, ballroom dancing, and seated yoga and tai chi. On the other end of the age spectrum, high-energy Zumbatomic classes get kids aged 4–12 in on the popular aerobic dance routines, which harness children’s innate capacity for energy in the same way nuclear power plants rely on an atom’s ability to create electricity by running on a hamster wheel.

To make good on their mission statement, instructors run the My Chance to Dance program. Specially designed for kids and adults with physical and developmental disabilities, the program trains up to 3,000 Special Olympics Michigan athletes each year.

A nonprofit organization, Midwest Freefall Sport Parachute Club aims to instill a love for skydiving in each person who steps into its 17-place Jet-Prop Cessna Grand Caravan, which elevates jumpers to more than 13,000 feet above the southeast Michigan countryside. Tandem jumps allow thrill-seekers to harvest cotton candy from clouds as seasoned instructors take care of dive essentials, including parachute deployment. For those who want to learn more, seven levels of free-fall training transform novices into experienced jumpers who can take solo dives. Before their second jump, skydivers become members of Midwest's club, which hosts social gatherings that debate the merits of traveling down stairs by parachute. Midwest Freefall Sport Parachute Club embraces the standards and procedures established by the United States Parachute Association to help ensure safety during all of its dives.