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Newspapers ➔ Newspaper, 'celebration On The Grand - Ford And His Museum'
Identifier:
1982.1.118Date:
September 13 1981Current Location Status:
In StorageRelated Entities:
Grand Rapids Press (creator)Alternate names: Evening Press, Evening Press and Leader
The history of the Grand Rapids Press began in 1890 when William J. Sproat published the first issue of Morning Press. In 1892, George G. Booth purchased both the Morning Press and the Grand Rapids Evening Leader and in December of that year, the Evening Press and Leader was formed by joining the two papers. In early 1893, the name was shortened to the Evening Press and was used until 1913 when the name changed to the Grand Rapids Press. The Grand Rapids Herald merged with the Press in 1959.
The Grand Rapids Press had five locations in the West Michigan area prior to moving production to Ohio in 2020. The first was at 63 Pearl Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan on the second floor of the Metropolitan building. These offices were used by the Press from 1890 to 1892 until they moved to offices on the southeast end of the Pearl Street Bridge. This location, often referred to as the "by the bridge" location, was the first to include a printing press owned by the newspaper. After a remodel in 1893 due to a spring flood, the tanbark gymnasium, dedicated as the Newsboys Assembly Hall in 1894, was built for the newsboys after their original space became home to a second printing press. In 1906 the Evening Press moved to the corner of Fulton and Sheldon in Grand Rapids, Michigan to accommodate the growth of the business. Built specifically for the Press, the building was designed by Albert Kahn and consisted of four floors including an auditorium on the top floor and a pool in the basement. The Press stayed at this location until 1966 when they moved to a new, larger facility at 155 Michigan Street in Grand Rapids. They stayed at this facility until a move to Walker, Michigan in 2004. This was the final Michigan location of the Press prior to moving production out of state in 2020.
The Grand Rapids Press is part of Booth Newspapers, a media company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Formed in 1914 by brothers George G. Booth, Ralph H. Booth, and Edmund W. Booth, it owned The Bay City Times, The Flint Journal, The Grand Rapids Press, Jackson Citizen Patriot, Kalamazoo Gazette, Muskegon Chronicle, The Saginaw News, and Advance Newspapers. Celebration On The Grand (is related to)
Celebration on the Grand was a free music festival held in Grand Rapids, Michigan to celebrate the quality of life in the Grand River valley and to act as an unofficial end to the summer for Grand Rapids and included a fireworks display. The event was held annually on the weekend following Labor Day weekend.
The first Celebration on the Grand took place in 1980 as a part of the events that opened the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, and the Grand Rapids Art Museum's move to the old Federal Building. Funding was provided by corporate sponsorships, private donations and fund raising activities held by COTG volunteers during.
Celebration’s mission was to celebrate the city and encourage others to celebrate the city. For a number of year’s Celebration accomplished this goal through the September Celebration event. Celebration had the opportunity to impact the city more by taking over the 4th of July festivities which fit neatly with its mission. So beginning July 4, 2014, Celebration will be putting on 4th of July festivities, in conjunction with the city, Townsquare and Amway. Celebration on the Grand was normally in September, but with the unique opportunity to put on the 4th of July, the committee jumped at the idea and is proud to be a part of the new improved partnership.
In May 2015 Celebration on the Grand announced the dissolution of the organization. The reason was that for over 30 years they worked to celebrate the people and the spirit of Grand Rapids, and they believed that they had fulfilled that mission. In the last decade the region has flourished and Celebration on the Grand was a catalyst for that growth. They chose to step aside and let other organizations find new ways to keep that momentum going.