Festival director Kris Jordan previews the 2019 Summer Concert Series and the July 10-14 Kindleberger Summer Festival of the Performing Arts, touching on popular returning acts, such as Matt Giraud and the Beatles tribute band Shout!, and a Festival Day filled with activities, from a Boy Scout French Toast Breakfast, to a Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show, Book Sale, Arts & Crafts Show, a Youth Production of The Skokie Detective Charter School, and the Family Musical, Disney's Freaky Friday. 

Jordan says the free festival, now in its 38th season, was something she appreciated as a parent with young children, when her family moved to Parchment in the early 1990s. In the beginning, her children wanted to act in the youth theatre productions, and she soon found herself helping to organize the festival in various capacities. She credits hard-working volunteers, community support, and a wide range of sponsors with the long-term success of the festival and concert series.

Kids and their vivid imaginations are no mystery to Paul Bauer, who grew up with young nieces and nephews, watched his mother run a home daycare, and became a pre-school teacher himself before turning to music full-time. An instructor at Kalamazoo Kids in Tune and at the Crescendo Academy, he's also the drummer for the  local band The Mainstays. Bauer started another project, Small Sounds, a few years ago with his wife, Katrina Davidson. In the studio with Craig Freeman, Bauer and Davidson talk about how they write songs and engage children with their live shows. 

Drawing from a variety of music genres - pop, rock, electronic, and more - Small Sounds released its first album, Good Morning, Sun!, in 2016. In the studio, they play a stripped-down version of "Hey, Alligator!" from that release, and two newer songs, "My Pet Possum," and "Life on the Seven Seas."

Kalamazoo Mayor Bobby Hopewell gave his final "State of the City" address Thursday, June 13. After 12 years as mayor, Hopewell isn't running for re-election this fall. Inside the still unfinished Exchange building downtown, Hopewell said the city is committed to "shared prosperity."

The Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport started repaving its main runway on Monday, June 10. It will be closed until June 26th. But the County says that shouldn’t affect travelers much.

The musical Fun Home continues this weekend and next at Farmers Alley Theatre in Kalamazoo. WMUK's Gordon Bolar has this review.

(This story orginially aired in October 2018.)  Mount Ever-Rest is different from Kalamazoo’s other cemeteries, and Jeff Sarnacki wants to know why.

The fight for women to get the right to vote will soon be remembered in glass in downtown Kalamazoo.