In Brief - Grand Rapids, MI

TIME ZONE: Eastern
AREA CODE: 616
FOUNDED: 1850
POPULATION: 1,323,287*
GET AROUND: The Rapid (bus)
AIRPORT: Gerald R. Ford International Airport
WEBSITE: www.experiencegr.com
*in Seven County CSA Area

BY THE NUMBERS

92 length (in miles) of the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail — the longest rail trail in Michigan — which runs from Grand Rapids to Cadillac

2,200 animals at John Ball Zoo, one of the country’s oldest

1,500 size (in acres) of Millennium Park, one of the largest urban parks in the US

3,391,722 times “The Grand Rapids LipDub” — the longest and largest lip-sync video ever made — has been viewed on YouTube at press time. (Check it out!)

CULTURE CALENDAR

Aug. 8-13
ROCK THE RAPIDS
The delightfully incon gruous lineup at this festival — now entering its third year — includes such musical heavyweights as Alice Cooper, Willie Nelson, Stone Temple Pilots, Ludacris, Blake Shelton and Lynyrd Skynyrd, who may or may not play “Freebird” after you’ve shouted it for the 12th time. www.rocktherapids.com

Though Aug. 21
LAURA FORD: ACTUAL, FACTUAL FABLES
Welsh-born sculptor Laura Ford, known across Europe for her highly inventive figures and animal forms, gets her first US solo exhibition at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Be sure to check out The Great Indoors, featuring five larger-than-life deer made of cloth and leather. www.meijergardens.org

NEWS FLASH

Deeper Shade of Green • Last month, CityFlats Hotel Grand Rapids became this eco-friendly city’s newest green accommodations. The 28-room boutique hotel is home to CityBru Coffee, which offers fair-trade coffee 24/7. www.cityflatshotel.com + Nice to Meat You • The 1913 Room at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel (and the state’s only AAA Five-Diamond restaurant) closed a few months ago to make way for Ruth’s Chris Steak House, opening next month. www.amwaygrand.com