Each year, we endure the unrelenting chill of winter–waiting, albeit not always patiently, for the unparalleled bliss of a West Michigan summer. We are rewarded with balmy breezes that kiss the shores of Lake Michigan and the boundless possibilities of a sunny Saturday. Maybe you grab your pickleball paddles and head for the courts or don your lifejacket for an afternoon of standup paddleboarding on the Grand River. Your favorite summer recreational activities may be equipment intensive or on the simpler side; if you’re having fun and getting your blood pumping, you’re doing it right!
Defying Gravity
When a picture of a co-worker riding a unicycle to work in a torrent of snow popped into my Microsoft Teams chat, I knew I had to know more. Turns out, Kevin Higby rides his unicycle to the office almost every day and has been riding for 24 years.
“For one, it’s really fun,” Higby said. “It’s kind of been part of my identity, I guess. I learned when I was seven, and I stopped riding my bike at that point, and I just rode the unicycle everywhere. You get a lot of looks; I do it partly for the attention, I will admit,” he laughed. “You get really funny reactions, and it makes people’s day, so it’s fun to be able to do that.”
Higby learned to ride from his father, but the unicycle tradition started with his grandfather, who built one for his kids using things he had laying around the garage.
“He put together a unicycle, and he challenged his kids–whoever learned how to ride it first would get a banana split,” Higby said. “I think my dad learned when he was in elementary school, but I don’t remember how old he was exactly. He did that same challenge with us. At the time, though, we were in West Africa, so a banana split was a bigger deal,” he continued. “We all tried, but I stuck with it, and eventually I got all the way down the street and back to our gate and I earned my banana split.”
Today, he rides for transportation, sport and because he enjoys it, but he also has a friendly rivalry going with his father. Last year, they raced their unicycles in the Dirty 30 Gravel Grinder–a 30-mile race in Saranac, Michigan. The duo also ride atop their six-foot giraffe unicycles, dazzling crowds in parades.
“Last year, he beat me by eight minutes in the race, but this year, we have both signed up again, and I’m gonna kick his ass,” Higby laughed. “We rode in the East Grand Rapids Fourth of July parade last year together, which was super fun. My dad has actually ridden in the Chicago Thanksgiving Day parade. He invited me, but I missed the registration window, but hopefully this year I’ll be able to do that.”
With kids of his own now, Higby and his father hope to pass the unicycling legacy down to the next generation this summer.
Dancing Queens (and Kings)
It started as Queens of J – line dancing classes for women who loved to dance in the Grand Rapids community. Little by little, founder Joycelyn Evans broadened the scope to include anyone who wanted to participate. That’s when Queens and Kings Linedance began to take shape.
“At first, it was just a fun activity, then I started realizing like, ‘wait a minute; this is muscle memory because you have to memorize different steps,’” Evans said. “It’s also giving you exercise. You could do slower line dances, or you could do the faster ones, either way. If you do the faster ones, of course it’s going to get your heart rate up. If you do the slower ones, you would be able to do some muscle toning.”
Her classes cater to beginners and advanced dancers alike, so don’t worry if you’re new to line dancing. And if you think you can’t dance, Evans is here to tell you, that’s not true.
“Whatever the step is that we’re doing, I call it exactly that,” she said. “If I say step two times to the right, starting with the right foot, that’s what we’re going to do. It’s breaking it all the way down so they can feel comfortable. I’m not going to use fancy terms because everybody doesn’t know what those terms are. Some folks come in with very low self-esteem; we have some that the first thing they’ll say is, ‘I can’t dance, or I don’t have any rhythm,’” she continued. “First of all, let me assure you, you can dance, and you do have rhythm; we just have to find it.”
As an instructor with Grand Rapids Parks and Rec, you can find her Queens and Kings Linedance classes all over – Roosevelt Park, Baxter Community Center, Garfield Park, Briggs Park – you name it.
“Our classes for Grand Rapids Parks and Rec are usually in between 45 and 55 minutes,” Evans said. “When you’re outside, it really looks more like an exercise class, but, you know, we’re having fun and you’re learning steps. In a 55-minute class, we can probably do seven or eight hustles or line dances.”
Evans knows somewhere in the neighborhood of 350 unique line dances, including the ones she created herself. She even choreographed one for R&B singer Lenny Williams’ nephew.
“To see other people perform, especially something that I’ve created, I mean, it’s just heartwarming because at the same time, I look at the participants, and they trust me,” she said. “Because that’s really big to be able to say, ‘Okay, you want me to do what with my feet and my ankles and my hips?’ And then to see them do it and I don’t have to instruct it, I don’t have to count it out. I just turn the music on, and they go; that’s the payment.”
Dog Days of Summer
I’m one of those people who hikes in all seasons. Whether it’s 86º or 26º, you can catch me out on the trail, decked out in whatever gear is required to beat the heat or brave the cold. Most of the time, unless it’s too toasty or too frosty, Lilue tags along. Who’s Lilue, you ask? She’s a 12-pound, all sass, Schnauzer Poodle mix. More than chasing tennis balls and lying in sun-soaked patches of carpet, she likes taking a walk, or hitching a ride, on one of my frequent outdoor excursions.
A couple years ago, I got an electric bike, and it has changed the game. I was always lagging behind and struggling to conquer even the smallest of hills until my sky-blue Blix bike came on the scene. While I don’t bike in all seasons, I spend the better part of summer cycling around Kentwood with Lilue in tow; literally. With her in a dog trailer tethered to my bike, we glide through town, her tongue lolling out as she catches the wind.
Whether biking or hiking, I have a few go-to trails that always deliver. Ken-O-Sha Park is one of my absolute favorites. There’s a paved trail that winds its way through a lush, wooded area, with smaller gravel paths that zig and zag over streams and tree roots. Lilue loves meandering by Plaster Creek and catching the scent of nearby squirrels as we go along.
On days when I’m feeling more ambitious, the Paul Henry-Thornapple Trail is just the ticket. I only bike or hike a small section of it, but it goes on for miles, cutting across Kentwood and Caledonia with plans in the works to potentially stretch all the way to Vermontville. Meanwhile, Millennium Park is a bit out of the way for me but never disappoints with its scenic backdrops and rambling pathways–it’s always worth the trip.
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