Issues and Ales

Hosts: Zoe Clark and Rick Pluta Voting has begun in Michigan and the November election is a month away. Voters will choose from candidates in races for offices ranging from the President of the United States to the local school board. And, in Michigan, there’s an open U.S. Senate seat and the entire U.S. House of Representatives and State House of Representatives are up for election. Plus, two State Supreme Court races. At our next Issues & Ale, we’ll be less than two weeks away from the election. We want you to have every chance to get your political questions answered. Join Michigan Public’s It’s Just Politics team of Zoe Clark and Rick Pluta, and their expert political panel, as they look at this upcoming election and take your questions! Attend in person or watch online. Admission is free, but in-person space is limited so advance registration is needed. Register Here Issues and Ale is an event series from Michigan Public designed to engage people in conversations about important issues facing Michigan in an informal atmosphere. Your questions are always welcome. For More information click here

16th Annual All Stouts Day

Public Event: Open to all ages. Free.  Description: All Stouts Day is back to its original weekend! Stay tuned for Pub and General Store release information over the coming weeks!

BOOWEEN Dog Days

Public Event:   Free. Open to all ages.   Description: You better be-leaf it! Our next Dog Days a.k.a. Booween will be Sunday, October 20th from 12pm-4pm. Starting at 3pm, we’ll have a Dog Costume Contest, so be sure to dress up your furry friend in their best costume for a chance to win a Bell’s doggie merch prize pack. We’ll have fall beers on tap, a photo booth for you and your pooch, activities for the kiddos, and all the fall vibes.   Mark your calendars! It’s going to be spooktacular. 

Bells Garage Sale

Public Event Open to all ages. Free. About the Event:We’re trying to clear out our warehouse and what a better why to do it than a Garage Sale! The sale will be from open till 8pm in the backroom. The highlights:$5 T-Shirts & Pet Items$15 Bottom-ups / Long sleeve Shirts$20 Jerseys (Cycling/ Baseball/ Hockey)Everything will be under $20!

Bells Garage Sale

Public Event Open to all ages. Free. About the Event:We’re trying to clear out our warehouse and what a better why to do it than a Garage Sale! The sale will be from open till 8pm in the backroom. The highlights:$5 T-Shirts & Pet Items$15 Bottom-ups / Long sleeve Shirts$20 Jerseys (Cycling/ Baseball/ Hockey)Everything will be under $20!

Oberon Eclipse Bright In The Night Party

Public Event Open to all ages. Free.  About the Event: Where your brightest attire (clothes, shoes, glow bracelets, wigs, anything goes!) and celebrate the 25th hour in the Beer Garden at the Eccentric Café We will be unveiling our new outdoor winter set up. Which will include additional lighting, fire pits throughout the beer garden and seating. Bell’s will host a winter trivia for those that dare to brave the outdoor elements at 7pm with prizes for the first and second place teams. Grill menu is available for purchase, which will include your soon to be cold weather favorite, the Eclipse Brat.  S’mores and hot chocolate will be available for FREE! This is a family friendly event    

Kommuna Lux

Public Backroom Event with Connecting Chords Music Festival Event time: 7 – 9pm Event Admission: Buy tickets here   Kummuna Lux “In Odesa, people find togetherness. In Odesa, all will laugh and sing.” Ukraine’s Kommuna Lux validates these words from an old poem, performing their own style called “Odesa Gangsta Folk” – thrilling klezmer music and common gangster folk songs from their hometown, all with a dose of rocket fuel. Self described as “a group of talented and energetic musicians who like to create unforgettable musical experiences for their audience. Our goal is not just sound, but real emotions and unforgettable impressions from our music.” In addition to the band’s presence on the largest festivals in Ukraine such as the Koktebel Jazz Festival, Kyiv Klezmer Fest, Atlas Weekend or Woodstock Ukraine, the band has also received cheering applause from the audiences in the United States and all over the world. Since the beginning of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, Kommuna Lux has collected donations at all their concerts to support humanitarian causes. They honor their hometown and Ukraine’s heroes with a brilliant sound and spectacular concert!

Yolanda Lavender, Elisabeth Pixley-Fink and Sophia McIntosh and The Sages

21 and overPublic EventStanding Room OnlyFREE SHOW Sounds of the Zoo Music Festival, the free multicultural event and symposium September 25 – October 1, 2023, to be held at various locations around Kalamazoo, including Bell’s Brewery, Old Dog Tavern, and Bronson Park. The event is free and open to the public. The second annual event will showcase more than 52 musical acts. We are super excited to be kicking off our first day of the festival at Bell’s Brewery with some amazing musicians! Sounds of the Zoo is offered for free to the community as part of their larger commitment to accessibility to the arts. From the website, “We endeavor to create change through music and believe music is not only creative art but a means to connect and uplift humanity. We believe music can inspire humanity by creating connections that bridge class, gender, and cultural divides. Uniting the community by supporting diversity, inclusion, as well as creating awareness towards environmental sustainability and mental health are core values, we will give platforms to.”  For more information on Sounds of the Zoo Music Festival, including how to become sponsor, visit https://www.soundsofthezoo.com/. Follow Sounds of the Zoo on Facebook and Instagram.

Free Jazz in the Beer Garden with Andrew Rathbun

Free Beer Garden Concert THIS IS AN ALL AGES EVENT This show is standing room only, but you are welcome to bring your own chair or blanket. Event Time: September 1st, 2023 at 5pmTicket Price: Free About the artist: Saxophonist, composer, and Toronto native Andrew Rathbun has achieved a rare depth of lyricism and compositional intelligence in 20 years as a recording artist; Ben Ratliff of the New York Times described Rathbun as “an industrious saxophonist and imaginative composer-arranger.” Voted as a “Rising Star” in the 2018 and 2022 Downbeat Critics Polls, he has documented his stirring original music with a series acclaimed recordings, on the Challenge, Fresh Sound and Steeplechase labels, and has collaborated with musicians like Kenny Wheeler, Billy Hart, Ben Monder and Luciana Souza . “Rathbun’s lines dance and glide,” writes David Whiteis of JazzTimes, “reflecting both childlike wonder and well-honed artistry.” After hearing 2014’s Numbers & Letters the New Yorker declared Rathbun “a crafty saxophonist and composer whose ambitious work over the past decade has eluded the wider recognition it deserves.”  Atwood Suites, Rathbun’s JUNO-nominated jazz-orchestra project was summarized in Jazziz Magazine; “On the basis of this CD alone, Rathbun deserves to be ranked among today’s top arranger-composers.”
His latest recordings include Impressions of Debussy, about which revered Chicago critic Howard Reich declares “the listener travels from a high-toned performance of a familiar work to a new conception that opens up its motifs, rhythms and harmonies.” Northern Noir is Rathbun’s duo recording with the legendary pianist Ran Blake. In James Hale’s review, he describes the recording as “a deeply charming and compelling meeting” and that “he has released some truly moving and memorable recordings.” Semantics finds Rathbun with tenor sax great Rich Perry, and jazz percussion icon Billy Drummond, and has reached over 500,000 plays on Spotify. Semantics was nominated for a JUNO award in 2023.

September Dog Days of Summer

Public Event Open to all ages. Free. About the Event: Bring your furry friend out for a dog-friendly day in the beer garden! Our friends from Animal Rescue Project will be on-site with their puppy kissing booth, and we’ll be selling pet merch with proceeds benefiting their mission of helping at-risk pets. Dog treats and hot dog food features are also on the menu. We warmly welcome well behaved dogs on leashes, supervised at all times, in our beer garden and patio only. Kindly pick up after your pet. Disposable plastic waste bags are provided for your convenience. Guests are solely responsible for any damages or injuries incurred during visit with their pet(s), including but not limited to property, furniture, landscaping, and interactions with staff, guests, and other pets. Noncompliance with these requirements may result in a guest and their pet being asked to remove from our premises.

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