
2025 2nd Annual Pop-Up Art Gallery
May 22, from 4-8: Otsego Park, Stone Thomson Hall
The public was invited to attend this free event where 20-something local artists show-cased their work.
We had a plein air painter who painted live inside since it rained off & on all day.
Aaron Hertzfeld played soothing guitar music, complimentary charcuterie was available,
along with adult beverages for sale.
2024 6th Annual poetry challenge
April 13, 2:00, Poetry Renaissance, poetry reading
We had 60 entries 7-12th grade/adults. Congrats to our winners. Thank you to everyone who
read at our 4th POETRY RENAISSANCE at the Grand Rapids Town Hall.
Our winners read their entries, and anyone who wanted, to read a poem and why it's inspired you.
We all wrote a ZIP CODE poem, inspired by winner, Chuck Thomas. What fun, free, clean entertainment!
THANK YOU TO ANYONE WHO CAME!
POETRY is ART
2024 'LIGHT UP THE NIGHT' PARADE
2024 15th annual Gingerbread House Decorating
We made 120 gingerbread houses, stuffed 120 bags of candy, had cocoa & cookies.
Father Christmas & the Grinch even stopped in!
Thank you for your donations to help keep this event free for 15 years!
2024 Harvest Moon Benefit for the ArtS, nazareth Hall
2024 GRAC SCULPTURE GARDEN
9/22/24 WORKED FROM 11:30-2:30
Our sculpture garden plot was donated to us by a fellow-citizen.
We then, drew up/signed a contract & are so grateful to have this opportunity- THANK YOU!
We installed trees/sun/drought-tolerant perennials that we worked with a landscape on. A couple benches and a winding path tucked in with rotating sculptures will be, yet another photo-op for visitors when coming to shop at our village. We brought our commissioned mural across from Huntington and soon this! Research shows art beautifies a town. Trending now, are sculpture gardens in Perrysburg and Gibsonburg. We’ll be on the ‘sculpture garden’ tour someday.
2024 GRAC JAZZ & ARTS FESTIVAL
August 18, Grand Rapids from 2-dusk
River wildlife & fisherman in their waders listened to soothing jazz along our beautiful towpath.
- Artists were displaying/selling along the towpath
- Jazz performers:
The Lake Erie Jazz Band, Morgen Hammer Quintet,
6th Edition, and Keigo Hirakawa were our talented musicians.
- Tim Tiederman was the Emcee, local Grand Rapids jazz talent
Thanks to our numerous community volunteers who
worked to make this day a success.
We couldn't have done this without you!
Thank you to all our donors and sponsors as well, especially Suzanne Carroll & Georgette Kohn, of the Optical Shop
SCULPTURE GARDEN BEGINNING
JULY 18, 2024: INITIAL WORK PREPARING THE GROUND
Our new sculpture garden is in the vacant lot between Fernando's & Waymaker's.
The space was offered to us at no cost, and a contract was drawn up with the owner. We’ve been working on this behind the scenes for 2 years, going on field trips to Perrysburg and Gibsonburg's sculpture gardens.
We are very excited to bring our dream to fruition, thanks to the support of the
community GRAC members and the Village Council.

Thank you for donating to the Gala! We couldn't have done this without you.

2023 Sunset Jazz & Arts Festival
We haven't had this festival since 2019!
River wildlife, a fisher in his waders, and canoes in the canal listened to wonderful jazz that evening.
Artists along the towpath; 'Jazz Giant', Gene Parker, was the headliner & celebrating his 80th birthday;
Suzanne Carroll was the Emcee, past host of the Sunday jazz show on 101.5, the River.
Thanks to all the GRAC & community volunteers who worked
to make this a success.
Thank you to all our donors and sponsors as well.
Brenda Hynell, winner of the 2023 Jazz Fest Carruth raffle-
Thank you Brenda for coming to our Jazz Festival!

SEE IF YOU'RE IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS
2023 Plein Air in our village
Artists painted on the towpath/around town from 9-2 in the drizzling rain and even in their cars.
HISTORY - The "Plein Air" movement was pioneered by John Constable in Britain. In 1860, it became fundamental to "impressionism". The popularity of painting en plein air (in open air) increased in the 1870s with the introduction of paints in tubes.
2023 GRAC Art Camp @ the Old Fire Station
June 12-16
We had a total of 36 campers!
On Friday, at 11:00, we had a final program for parents/friends/grandparents.
Their final program consisted of:
- An 'art walk' so parents could see art related to water throughout the week
- Musical renditions/motions of the music related to water
- Explanations of their STEM boat projects
Thank you to our engaging teachers: Ali, Chris, & Karin

Decorate a Gingerbread House on us!
...because we believe in giving back to our community!
(since 2011)
November 19th 2022, 2-4, at the Old Fire Station
We made over 100 gingerbread houses
& stuffed over 100 bags of candy
WE USED:
17 bags of various candies
1 large bag of graham cracker crunch cereal
4 gallons of frosting
20 cartons graham crackers
2022 JULY 10, PLEIN AIR PAINTING/WINNING ARTISTS
Artists painted on the towpath/around town from 10-2,
and then displayed their paintings at "Our Town Gallery" in Grand Rapids where people voted for their favorite.
Winning artists were given gift certificates to our town gem, LaRoe's restaurant.
1st place: Susan Ritter (left pic)
2nd place: Joan Hetzner (center pic)
3rd place: Aaron Bivins (right pic)
THANK YOU ARTISTS FOR MAKING THIS A SUCCESS!

This was our 2nd Annual "PLEIN AIR" event
Last year, we had 3 artists; this year, we had 9 local artists set up along the towpath and around town.
We also had Taylor Mac, a finger style ambient guitarist and Lynne Long, who played classical pieces that quietly set the tone for the backdrop of art on this day.
COMMENTS FROM PASSERSBY:
"We are thrilled to see this going on!"
"What a complete serendipity on this lovely day!"
"We're amazed at the local talent here!"
Thank you to all artists & musicians who participated!
Gingerbread House Decorating for kids!
From 2-4, while parents/grandparents took a break from shopping,
children decorated pre-made (over 100!) gingerbread houses at the Old Fire Hall
during the Grand Rapids Christmas Open House
Father Christmas came to sing,
along with members of the Otsego Choir
2021 PAINTED ROCKS #GRACOH
(Post them to our FB or Twitter)
We painted rocks with uplifting messages and placed them around town.
Trending now! We asked people who found them to take a pic and post to Instagram or our GRAC FB page.
Below are pics of some we've painted and some that have been found thus far.
2021 JULIE PONTASCH MOSAIC- past GRAC President
by Otsego area artist, Gail Christofferson who
created this in honor of Julie.
The mosaic hangs in the Wright Pavilion on the towpath.
We also invited 3 artists to join in "Plein Air" painting along
the towpath during the day -
Taking advantage of natural light, artists created their paintings/drawings,
popular in impressionism in the mid-1800's.
Julie Pontasch also created the G.R.A.C. logo mosaic hanging in our window on Front Street.
2020 GHOSTLY GILEAD DRIVE-BY DECORATING
Because of our events being cancelled that year, one of our board members, Carole Sarkan,
suggested a village decorating contest.
"Boo-Crew" judges drove around to vote on houses and businesses
who applied to be in the contest.
Watch the video below :-)
Winners are highlighted below as well.
GHOSTLY GILEAD PHOTOS
CONGRATS to all the winners of our passionate and creative little village.
You helped to create such a wonderful and lasting memory! It was so fun-THANK YOU!
The 1st photo is a map of pinned addresses of the houses/businesses that entered our contest.
The last photo in this section was of our "Boo-Crew" judges compiling the winners using our subjective rubric.