This weekend in Kalamazoo, MI

The debut Battle on the Block brings a community fitness competition to Paw Paw, Michigan, hosted by CrossFit on the Block. Open to seasoned competitors and first-time entrants, it features two-person same gender teams with RX and Scaled divisions. Participants can look forward to challenging workouts that spotlight strength, endurance, and teamwork in a lively, encouraging setting alongside a welcoming community. Centered on testing limits, forging friendships, and showing up together, this high-energy event is being introduced with the aim of becoming a tradition the Paw Paw community anticipates each year.

Celebrate the season at a family-friendly fall festival and market featuring an outdoor craft and vendor show with more than 35 handmade artisans and crafters. Browse unique gifts while enjoying free admission, free parking, and live music. Kids can bounce on a giant jump pillow and zoom down a mega slide, and the farm fun continues with an apple cider mill, apple picking, and hayrides. Savor treats from the bakery and concession stand, including cider slushies and donuts, and relax with lunch on the patio. VerHage Fruit Farms & Cider Mill has welcomed visitors since 1960 and has been hosting shows for over 15 years. Vendors are invited to participate, with a $30 fee due on the day of the show, a reservation required in advance, and plenty of room on the farm for hundreds of makers. Inquiries are accepted by phone or email only.

Operation Heaven Sent and the OHS 2nd Hand Store present the Circus Tent, held on the last Saturday of each month from April through September. Food offerings include chili dogs, nachos, chili cheese nachos, popcorn, and cotton candy. Proceeds benefit families in need, restock the blessing pantry, and purchase supplies for a free community event.

Operation Heaven Sent and The OHS 2nd Hand Store present The Circus Tent, offered on the last Saturday of each month from April through September. This gathering marks the final edition for 2026 and features favorites like chili dogs, nachos, chili cheese nachos, popcorn, and cotton candy. Proceeds help families in need, restock the blessing pantry, and cover supplies for a free community event.

Held at Spring Valley Park, this community 5K welcomes walkers and runners and also invites anyone who wishes to come solely for the remembrance after the finish, honoring babies lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss. Before and after the event, local organizations and community leaders will be available with perinatal bereavement resources and support. Participants can choose a one-loop walking route of 2 miles or a two-loop running course totaling 3.1 miles. Post-race snacks and water are provided, and parking is available on site with overflow on nearby streets. A family pricing option is offered for up to two adults and four children, and a free race shirt is available with early registration. Proceeds support three organizations that help individuals and families in Southwest Michigan and beyond who face pregnancy, stillbirth, and infant loss. The day includes a remembrance ceremony with brief remarks from the hosts, the reading of babies’ names, a moment of silence, awards for winners, and thanks to sponsors. Organized by Amos’ Anchors and Forever Loved, this event takes place rain or shine and honors Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.

Brunch is on at HighDive Kitchen + Bar with a lineup that blends comforting favorites and lively sips. Enjoy slow-braised corned beef with eggs or satisfy a sweet tooth with Bananas Foster French toast finished with house-made butter rum caramel. Sip espresso martinis crafted with fresh-pulled espresso, explore a Mimosa Mix-Up featuring ten creative variations, or go classic with a bold Bloody Mary. The regular menu is available during brunch, and reservations are not required.

Cousins Maine Lobster rolls into the International Airport Air Fair in Portage, serving fan favorites alongside a day of planes and family-friendly activities. For convenient pickup and rewards, the mobile ordering app includes a loyalty program that earns points toward free food. Orders placed through the app accrue points automatically, or guests can have their barcode scanned at the window. If app ordering is limited or unavailable, walk-up orders at the truck are welcome.

The inaugural Crooked Nook Book Fest brings together more than 80 authors and vendors. In the backyard, alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks as well as a variety of food will be available for purchase. Entry costs $3. Further details will be shared.

At the Storytime Stage, a weekly storytime features readings of favorite classics alongside newer tales. After the stories, imaginations take center stage as participants dream up new worlds together.

Glow Hall hosts an all-ages evening of immersive ambient, experimental, dream-infused and electronic sounds featuring Windy & Carl with opening sets from Zelienople and DJ Karl Meier. Windy & Carl have spent three decades shaping mostly instrumental, cinematic music. Centered on guitars, their long-form ambient work intersects with excursions into dreampop and shoegaze. After signing to kranky in 1998 they built an extensive catalog and toured across the United States and Europe, sharing bills with Silver Apples, Tony Conrad and Terry Riley. The recent reissue of Consciousness drew praise from Boomkat for its airy, near-cosmic ambience and lasting impact on drift music, and Pitchfork has included the duo in roundups of landmark ambient and shoegaze albums. After a long pause from the stage, they returned for select live dates in 2025 and 2026. Zelienople brings the quartet of Matt Christensen, Brian Harding, Mike Weis and P.M. Tummala. The project began in Chicago in the late 1990s in rehearsal rooms above an antique shop, moved from loft happenings to clubs like Lounge Ax and the Empty Bottle, and issued early releases on Loosethread Recordings before working with labels including Root Strata, Type and Miasmah. With Tummala on keyboards, synths and vibraphone, the group most recently released Everything is Simple on Shelter Press, and the album is available now. DJ Karl Meier, a lifelong advocate for electronic and experimental music who came up through Chicago House and Detroit Techno, crafts forward-looking sets informed by the past. He has opened for artists such as Surgeon, Monolake and Jeff Mills, exploring the space between movement and reflection with an emphasis on energy, contrast and recontextualization. His collaboration with Jonathan “Stave” Krohn as Talker appears on the Downwards imprint, alongside two releases and remix work for Eye Teeth, Horizontal Ground and Kathexis. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the show. All ages are welcome.

Pride Recovery offers a weekly twelve-step meeting for LGBTQIA+ adults, ages 18 and older, who have been impacted by substance use. Sessions take place at OutFront Kalamazoo.

The Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan Out of the Darkness Walk returns to Milham Park in Kalamazoo for a walk focused on helping save lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. Registration is free and simple. Day-of check-in will be available, followed by a program.

Enjoy a relaxed afternoon at The Vine Barn during a market that celebrates community, creativity, and the best of the local scene. Browse a variety of goods, discover distinctive work from artists and vendors from the area, and take time to unwind while supporting businesses and artists from the community. Freshly made mocktails and savory charcuterie are part of the offerings, and the setting provides a warm, welcoming place to relax and connect. Whether you are searching for a special gift or planning a low key outing with friends, this market offers an easy way to make the day feel special. It is also convenient to reach on foot or by bike from downtown Kalamazoo.

An open-topic, peer support group for trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming adults 18 and older. Discussions are participant-led and shaped by the needs and interests of those in the room. Meetings take place at OutFront Kalamazoo.

Challenge your brain with nerdy-themed trivia featuring fresh rounds every month. The top three teams take home gift certificates, and anyone in cosplay gets 15% off their bill. This event recurs on the last Sunday of each month.

Unroll your mat for a 60-minute vinyasa class on the grass by the Flesher Field gazebo as the Park Yoga Summer Series returns for its fifth season. All ages and experience levels are welcome. Please bring your own yoga mat or a blanket. Advance signups are encouraged for planning, but drop-ins are welcome. The fee is $10, and it is free for unlimited members. Cash and credit cards are accepted, with no Venmo, PayPal, or Apple Pay.

Enjoy karaoke hosted by Xtreme Karaoke every Tuesday and Sunday night.