Henry, a 1-month-old camel, makes his debut at John Ball Zoo this weekend.

The 1-month-old Dromedary (single hump) camel was born in Oklahoma.  He is still nursing from his 9-year-old mother, Angel.  Henry and Angel are joined by two adult female camels, also from Oklahoma, Emily and Tika.  All four will return to Oklahoma this winter.

Henry will appear for the first time on Saturday, April 28, when camel rides open at John Ball Zoo.  The three adult camels will be available for rides, while Henry will live in a pen nearby where everyone can see him.  Cost for a camel ride is $5.  Camels do not give rides in the rain.

Gather the kids and pay Henry a visit!

Matt Milhouse

Byron Township held an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 24, at Whistlestop Park.

Over 100 participants enjoyed the Easter Egg Hunt, a visit from the Easter Bunny, pizza, and prizes.

The weather cooperated on Saturday and every kid went home with a basket or bag full of goodies.

It’s never too early to get in a little Easter Egg hunting practice…especially when there is chocolate to be had!

We couldn’t have asked for better St. Patrick’s Day weather.  Hope you had a chance to get out and enjoy it.  Check out some pictures from a few of the big events going on around West Michigan on St. Patrick’s Day.

cpsc.gov

The Grand Rapids Civic Theatre is presenting this musical for the first time, from February 24-March 18. Tickets range from $16-$30. But be sure to check out http://www.grct.org/ or call (616) 222-6650 for details about a FunBundle Package!

Check out these AWESOME pics from the dress rehearsal!

It’s time to break out the puff paint, glitter, feathers (heck, there might even be a bedazzler) and decorate some bras! This Saturday is Bras Across the Grand, a Channel 95.7 and American Cancer Society event to celebrate breast cancer survivors and help raise awareness. Check out pictures from last year and get all the details after the break.

Bras Across the Grand is Saturday, October 22nd at the Gillette Pedestrian Bridge at Ah-Nab-Awen Park, 9am-12pm.

Join us to decorate bras in honor of loved ones and hang them along the bridge ($5 suggested donation). We’re aiming to break a Guinness World Record!

There will be a $5 pancake breakfast, a silent auction, a ‘History of Bras’ fashion show, and other family friendly activities.

We’ll have a special Survivor Getaway tent with manicures, massages and other goodies.  

At 11am, join us at the stage for a ceremony to honor our survivor attendees.

We’d love to see you all Saturday! If you’re not able to attend and would like to support the cause, you can donate online here.

Practical jokes can sometimes be quite annoying if you are the butt end.  I could only imagine being the son of these parents, who took their practical joke digitally!  Check out the gallery of pictures that Bran’s parents posted on facebook when he asked them simply to not go in his room while he was at camp.

(Photo by Steven Boehner)

Glitter, cowboy hats and boots, bright posters and summer dresses filled the streets downtown Grand Rapids for Taylor Swift’s performance at Van Andel Arena.  Can I just say that all of you were absolutely gorgeous?  What a classy group of fans follow Taylor and her music!

A half hour before the party got started indoors … Channel 957 held a drawing for the last pair of tickets outdoors!  You had to be present to win, and wouldn’t you know it, the first number I called was a no show.  Talk about suspense!  I even had butterflies in my stomach!  Then I drew #8099 and Pam Douglas came a runnin’ to the front to claim her floor seat tickets.  She’s the happy mom I’m posing with in the picture above.

Behind the arena, all sorts of band members came out to sign autographs and Grant – one of Taylor‘s guitarists – started handing out these really cool guitar picks!  Lisa said she got to meet Taylor and the lyrics on her arm read: “We all learn to make mistakes and run from them” from Channel 957 band Paramore.

Backstage, Taylor had a T-party with a few of you she invited.  When did the inviations go out?  Taylor has friends who spend the afternoon out front the arena she’s performing at and her friends randomly ask people backstage.  Isn’t that the coolest?

Taylor also has a huge Twitter following — about 7 million, I think — and tweeted a picture of that scary looking barrel pig that was a part of Artprize last year and remains hoisted above The B.O.B. along Fulton Street.  She said, ‘This is cool Grand Rapids!’ Later, Katy Perry commented on it too!

Oh, and before the day is over, I may have a Taylor Swift gift package for my Channel 957 Friends With Benefits to bid on to win so, make sure you become one by the time I post scoop on what’s in the gift box, k?  Just click on ‘Friends with Benefits’ and enter the code: TSwift4LIFE to jump start your account with 5,000 bonus points!

(Photo taken by Michael of Channel 957)

Picnics, perfect weather and pop.  What could be better than sitting out on the lawn at Cannonsburg Ski Area on a warm summer night with friends and family?  All of that plus a picnic, of course, for a night out with the D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops! 

I had such a blast hosting the first Picnic Pops concert of the summer last night!  Honestly, it was my first time going and will definitely NOT be my last!  As I watched thousands of fellow and fellowette picnicers (is that even a word?) race to find his or her spot on the slope for the evening … I not only got the giggles because I’ve never seen so many huge coolers file into a venue before, but because everyone was having such a great time with one another.  There was laughter, people holding hands and even a couple of high five’s!

Grand Rapids Symphony music director, David Lockington, is a dear friend and entertaining to watch — I looove his passion on stage.  It is equally as exciting to hear and watch the symphony glide their bows in harmony over their stringed instruments, pluck and switch between first and third positions.  Extraordinary night, for sure!

Each of you who shared in this experience were a joy to spend an evening on the lawn!  Please take a moment to look through the gallery of pictures Channel 957 took to capture the moment.

On Saturday, June 25th, hundreds of West Michiganders descended upon downtown Grand Rapids in the first annual ‘Slut Walk’.  Contrary to what you are thinking, the ‘Slut Walk’ is to bring awareness to the fact that a woman’s body should be respected and no matter what she wears it should never lead to sexual assault.  Please enjoy the pictures above, courtesy of our friends at the Grand Rapids Social Diary.  The photos were taken by Jake Kosten.

This year’s Waterfront Film Festival saw record crowds on opening night as festival organizers were rewarded with perfect weather all weekend.  What exactly does that mean for a film festival on the lakeshore?  Well…it was nice enough to bring out the crowds, but not so nice that the crowds were drawn to the beach instead of the theatre.

I visited Waterfront Film Festival for the first time on Saturday.  I was very impressed with the quality of the films, the enthusiasm of the volunteers, and the overall beauty of the city.

If you go next year plan to do a little walking from venue to venue, but I don’t think a little exercise is such a bad thing after sitting in a theatre for a couple of hours.

This weekend was the 39th Annual Cutlerville Community Days.  Things got off to a rough start Friday night with the weather forcing the outdoor movie to be moved to Saturday night, but the rest of the weekend went smoothly.

The 5k on Saturday morning was a success with over 2,000 runners.  After the race most runners and hundreds more stayed for the parade which immediately followed.  Check out the pics. 

Festival weather has more than cooperated this weekend.  Both attendance and revenues are up for Festival 2011! 

I spent a couple of hours pushing the double stroller around downtown on Saturday.  We saw some bands and ate some food, but my kids would tell you the highlight was the ICE CREAM!  (I hope blue ice cream doesn’t stain)

Sunday was a little cooler and less humid, making for an even better day downtown.  Check out the photos from Sunday afternoon.  Can’t wait until next year!

Famous moms deserve just as much thanks as others. Here’s a list of famous moms and their kiddos, from the First Lady to the Material Girl.

With Mother’s Day coming up, the offspring of these rock star moms have to be wondering: what do you get the mother who has fame, fortune and the coolest job on the planet? Check out our gallery and see the women who can carry a tune and a Baby Björn, too.

The West Michigan Mom’s Sale and Kids’ Expo was at the Delta Plex on Saturday, and Channel 957′s Sabrina Fairchild was on-hand for all of the great deals and fun!

Channel 957 was your exclusive photographer for all things Lady Gaga! Check out all of the pictures here!