July is when summer seems to hit its stride in Lowell. The Sizzlin’ Summer Concerts Series is underway, the Riverwalk Festival takes place and, new this year, the Kent County Youth Fair caps off the month.
Here on Lowell’s First Look, the following articles attracted the most attention in July 2023, based on website views.
5. New Kent County Youth Fairgrounds Dedicated
The Kent County Youth Agricultural Association – the nonprofit that runs the Kent County Youth Fair – has been working for years to move the fair from Recreation Park in the City of Lowell to a dedicated fairgrounds in Lowell Charter Township. All that work came to fruition in 2023 as the fair made the move to its new digs. While there is still lots of work to be done, the association held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in July to officially open the fairgrounds, dubbed The Grand Agricultural Center of West Michigan.
4. Mel Trotter Ministries Closes Lowell Thrift Shop
Secondhand shoppers are down one store as Mel Trotter Ministries closed its thrift store in the Lowell City Mall on Main Street. The nonprofit said the move was made to focus on its operations elsewhere. This article about the closure was the fourth most-read story on Lowell’s First Look in July.
3. Lowell Native Brings Hot Yoga Studio to Community
Down the street, in the former YMCA location, a new business opened its doors in July. Akashic Room is bringing something new to Lowell: hot yoga. Michael and Cheylenne Berry are offering a variety of classes to participants of all experience levels. They are hoping to help residents improve themselves physically, mentally and spiritually, and readers were apparently eager to learn more about what the couple has planned. This was the third most popular article for July.
2. Lowell Twp. Planning Recap: Dollar Tree Wins Final OK
Why did this May article take the No. 2 spot for July? Who knows, but it was shared on Facebook somewhere and racked up an impressive number of views. The internet works in mysterious ways. This recap recounts a Lowell Charter Township Planning Commission meeting in which horse boarding and a sign ordinance were discussed. But for many people, the big news was probably that a new Dollar Tree store got the green light.
1. Get Ready for the 2023 Kent County Youth Fair
The Kent County Youth Fair bookends our top five for July. While the article about the fairgrounds dedication took the No. 5 spot, this article highlighting fair week was the No. 1 story for the month. And if you thought the fair was early this year, you’re right. The fair board bumped the dates up by a week to avoid conflicts with sports and other school activities.
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