(bright music) (bright music) - [Tom] On this action packed episode of UTR, we're back in Grand Rapids for a museum on a mission, a tropical tavern with taste tempting tiki treats, and a fourth generation family farm with old school traditions.

Heck, we'll even find some long lost stories for you.

Get ready to explore the cool people, places, and things that make Grand Rapids a grand place to be.

(bright music) (gentle music) - [Announcer] The Stahls Motors and Music Experience features a collection of automated music machines, neon signs, gas pumps, and 150 years of automotive history.

More info at stahlsauto.com.

(bright music) - We've been around the world, but there's one place we keep coming back to and the more we explore, the more we realize it's the place to be.

- I'm Tom Daldin.

- I'm Jim Edelman.

And this is... - [Both] "Under The Radar Michigan."

(bright music) (upbeat music) (screen whooshing) - Ugh, back on the road.

- Uh, another UTR Road Trip official.

- Absolutely.

And another chance for us to eat gas station snacks like it's an Olympic event.

- That is us.

And one of the things I love is we're going back to Grand Rapids, fantastic city, wonderful people, great things to see, and maybe even a chance to see something weird.

- Yeah, speaking of weird... I found a bag of Corn Nuts under the front sink that was open and I had some, you think that's okay?

- What's the worst that can happen?

- Sure.

(both laughing) - Grand Rapids is one of those cities that keeps growing and evolving while still holding on to everything that made you fall in love with it the first time.

Incredible food, amazing art, great music, and awesome history.

It's also been Beer City USA for almost 15 years now with more amazing breweries than you can shake a bottle of brew at.

But what really makes Grand Rapids special are the people here, folks who deeply care about community, creativity, preservation, innovation, and finding new ways to bring people together.

And that's what brought us back for yet another UTR.

Just like last time, you'll find Grand Rapids smack dab in the sweet spot of Western Lower Michigan, close enough to Lake Michigan for a beach day and surrounded by enough super satellite cities to keep you entertained for an eternity.

So let's saddle up and ride.

(screen whooshing) (screen whooshing) - You know, when I think about all the museums we featured in the past, it's what professionals would call a bunch, but this next one is doing something pretty amazing.

It's not only helping to preserve the past, it's helping to connect people to the very river that shaped the city.

Plopped right on the banks of the Grand River.

The Grand Rapids Public Museum has been sparking curiosity, inspiring young minds and collecting incredible stories for nearly 170 years, making it the oldest museum in Michigan.

But these days, this legendary local landmark isn't just focused on what's inside the building, it's also expanding outward toward the riverfront, helping create new ways for people to connect with the Grand River.

I talked to Dr.

Stephanie Ogren and Dale Robertson to get the scoop.

I love walking into a museum, when you get to walk back in time.

So, you know, we're looking at a street scape representative of what eras, how do you decide that?

- So for this exhibit, it was the 1890s, when there was a level of economic activity and entrepreneurship and growing part of the community occurring at that time.

And it end, we have limited space, so it is, you gotta put things in and weave a story, but it's based on the core principle here for us that we have these bodies and therefore we crave active learning.

And being in the presence of the real thing or facsimile thereof, creates the stronger hooks for future information to land on for all learners, but particularly the school groups that we have that come through here.

- Yeah, and that education, it's everywhere in here.

And you know, you, kinda, can be a walkthrough as we were coming through.

And there are just so many little tiny corners that you don't even know they're sneaking up on you.

I mean, that's really magical about how you build this museum, isn't it?

- It's amazing.

So this is a fully immersive exhibit.

There's not a lot of text in this space.

And so when we have school groups come in, we have scavenger hunts for them, we have games for them to play where they can learn all about math and economics by buying things in stores for different prices.

And so it's a great way to weave in sort of those STEM principles into a really immersive exhibit.

- And that's a really important point that Stephanie's making here, 'cause there's museum rules about protecting artifacts and collections, and we have to, we do that.

But we've made a decision here to go beyond what most museums do and actually put artifacts and specimens in users' hats.

And that is rare, but that goes back to that full sensory being in the presence of the real thing.

We're making good on the promise that we made to those who donated those artifacts and specimens to us.

- There are so many items here that it's hard to, you know, to place this story inside of a show.

But like, what, I'm not gonna say what's your favorite item?

Because people ask us all the time, your favorite city, you know, but what's your favorite item?

(laughs) - Oh my goodness.

So I would say, you know, I am partial to our Grand Fish Grand River exhibit, so I do really enjoy that space.

We do have live Lake Sturgeon there, and there's some other really amazing pieces in there.

There's indigenous pottery that shows how ecology influenced the art and actual the earth and wear of the time.

So I think there's just, there's a lot of pieces, but I do love the Grand Fish Grand River exhibit.

- And?

- So, you know, there's a quote from Bill Walton who was a big Grateful Dead fan of, what's your favorite song?

And he said, "Life's not binary.

It changes every day."

(Jim laughing) So, you know, for me, yeah, I mean, it, so I happen to be a Polish heritage on my mom's side.

The Polish Hall and the newcomers exhibit really speaks to me.

So does the planetarium, you know, which is just a whole another level of science and exploration.

And then even outside the Roger Chaffee display there, local kid, Apollo one astronaut, my interpretation, he was probably gonna be part of the crew that first landed on the moon and he was from right here.

- Who do you think asks the best questions?

Kids or TV show hosts?

(Jim laughing) - I would have to say fourth graders, probably ask the best questions, right?

They're curious.

They haven't been told they're wrong too many times yet.

And I think fourth graders are where it's at.

- Yeah.

- They have great questions.

- That's wonderful.

Well, whether you're exploring the streets of Old Grand Rapids, checking out fossils and science exhibits, watching kids discover something new for the very first time, or overlooking a river that's evolving right alongside the city itself, the Grand Rapids Public Museum has a way of making learning feel like an adventure.

(screen whooshing) (screen whooshing) - You know, on UTR we're always trying to expand your minds with great information, places to go, things to see.

But right now it's time for Tommy to expand his tummy with some tastes tempting tiki treats.

(chuckles) Bye-bye, belt.

- Tucked away in downtown Grand Rapids is Max's South Seas Hideaway.

It's part restaurant, part tiki bar, part immersive island adventure and part... Wait, are we still in Michigan?

From the moment you walk through the doors, you're surrounded by glowing lanterns, bamboo, incredible carvings, tropical drinks, and enough tiki culture to make you start checking flights to Hawaii.

This place is a total tribute to classic Polynesian pop culture.

And it's not just a restaurant, it's a total experience, which is perfect for me because I'm very experienced at eating and drinking.

So I launched right into a pre-dinner libation with Mark Cellars.

I mean, what inspired you to do this?

Were you always a tiki head or?

- So I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan where, and my parents were middle class, we never went to Hawaii, but I saw Hawaii and exotic Polynesian places on shows like "Fantasy Island," "The Brady Bunch," (Tom chuckling) "Gilligan's Island," - Yep.

- "Hawaii Five-O."

So growing up in the seventies and eighties, I mean, Hawaii and the Polynesian lore was always kind of an exotic dream of mine.

And I never visited, but I did eventually go to Hawaii and I kind of fell in love with it.

And then I started getting into going to tiki bars.

And this was in the early two thousands.

And I then started traveling a lot just to go to tiki bars all over the country and even in other countries.

And then I started collecting about 2012 or 2011.

And it became kind of an obsession, collecting stuff and- - Well, that's funny you should say the word collection because this place really is almost a work of art.

The way you've curated the whole thing, it's almost like it's a piece of art in and of itself.

- [Mark] Yeah, well, we have the world's largest collection of tiki art and artifacts.

- I knew it.

- There is no other restaurant or any, even a private collection on that.

It's the size and a lot of the stuff is vintage.

It's from old Trader Vics locations, old Kona Kai locations and many other defunct tiki bars that, you know, stuff got sold off.

Even some of the stuff on the walls was dumpster dived, you know, 30, 40 years ago when they were just throwing stuff out.

And I was lucky enough to be able to purchase some of that kind of stuff.

- Yeah, because there are tiki bars and tiki restaurants and then there's this place, I mean, you have, I can't say it enough.

I mean, I've been telling Jim about this place for six years and then when he walked in today, he was just like, "Oh, yeah, - Now, I'm watching.

- Wow."

- I mean, just those little rooms that you have downstairs, the little huts, the little huts, it's almost like it's all been Hollywood-art directed by somebody who's really knows tiki art, which is you.

- Well, 'cause I've been to so many different tiki bars that I've taken mental notes over the years, you know, and then plus this is not my first restaurant.

I, this was actually my 17th or 18th different restaurant that I've opened in my life.

And, but this is the only one that I own now.

And it's a passion project as much as anything.

- Are you a foodie?

- I'm a foodie, but I'm not a chef.

So, I hired a really good chef because I came up with some of the food ideas.

But like I said, he had to do the recipes.

- Yeah.

It's the, the menu's creative.

The drinks are amazing.

The way this place is run, you don't let people stand around.

It's run like it's this place is, it's the kind of place that Dean Martin and Frank's Sinatra would be proud to go to.

- Yeah, that's kind of what I modeled it on, is just I wanted it to feel like an old school tiki supper club like you said, but with modern, I mean, you need kind of, we have, we call our bartenders mixologists because they're complex drinks.

They're not just cheap, you know, one ingredient, two ingredients.

So, and that's kind of a modern thing.

I mean, people are into that kind of thing these days.

- When my wife and I wandered in here, 'cause we'd heard about it.

'cause you had just opened and we wandered in.

It made the night so amazing.

You know, like as we wandered to the back bar, sat down, the staff was wonderful, the food, incredibly creative.

And then that little hula lamp, it was sitting next to me just doing the hula- - That's a vintage lamp, she has a grass skirt.

- Yes.

- Yeah.

- So fond memories and yeah, I you did it right.

- It's the only way to do it.

Either you do it right or you don't do it at all.

That's kind of my philosophy.

- That's my motto.

That, and please pass the mashed potatoes.

(Mark chuckling) Well, somewhere between incredible food, exotic drinks, and unbelievable island atmosphere, I completely forgot I was in downtown Grand Rapids.

This place really is GR'S portal to the Pacific.

If you're looking for a one of a kind destination filled with flavor, fun, fantastic design, and enough tropical treats to help you tolerate a temperate zone, chart a course to Max's South Seas Hideaway.

But don't blame me if your closet suddenly fills up with Hawaiian shirts.

(screen whooshing) (screen whooshing) - This is my kind of place, fresh air, open fields in a family farm that's been bringing people together for generations.

Oh, and donuts.

Just a couple miles outside of the Grand Rapids sits Ed Dunneback and Girls Farm, a fourth generation family gem where crops, laughter and memories have intertwined since 1925.

What started as simple farming blossomed into an all day adventure spot, bursting with food, music, a dance hall, animals, and good times for everyone.

As the sunrise painted the fields, I grabbed a seat with Stephanie Dunneback to get the scoop on what makes this place so special.

The farm life - Yeah.

- is, it's so appealing to us non-farmers.

- Mm-hmm.

- Is it, I know you grew up in it, but how does it feel to be a farmer?

- Well, I left for a while.

- Yeah.

(Stephanie Dunneback laughing) - But I came back, so obviously it was, it was something that I wanted to do.

It's just, it's a way of life, you know?

And honestly, growing up here did influence me a lot.

And now that I have young children, it's nice to have them here.

And I said, today's the last day of school and we're gonna have free reign children all summer long.

So go make yourself busy, find something to do.

And that's how you were grew up on the farm.

If you don't find something to do, we'll put you to work, you know, so.

(laughs) - One of the great things about a centennial farm is the history here, your great-grandfather founded this farm.

And I mean, does he walk with you?

Do you have conversations with him when you're walking around?

- I mean, my grandparents were my best friends, so I got off the bus and walked right here to their house.

And this is where we had our afterschool snack.

And then we went and found grandpa out in the field.

So I very much, that's part of the reason I came back to the farm, was to make sure that the tradition continued.

So I think he's up there, and grandma, they're both up there happy as can be, just to know that we're still here doing the thing that he wanted to have keep going, you know.

So, and we brought a lot of things back with the music and all the fun activities that wouldn't necessarily be a part of farming, but as a part of farming in a community, it really is.

- Making it the hub of a community is important because not only is it good for business, but it's good for connection.

- Yeah, our centennial year, I don't consider myself the farmer.

I consider myself more of a storyteller, you know, to continue the traditions that, you know, I always heard about these great dances and how they used to hang out in the barn and they'd go on hay rides even in the winter and stuff like that, so, bands in the barn, and our centennial year was a lot about coming full circle, bringing that all back.

I mean, clearly we have to do things a little bit more legal now.

(laughs) So we did have to jump through a few more hoops than they did back then.

But, the vibes are the same, you know?

- Yeah.

- Good music, good food, you know, you're always welcome.

The doors are open, whether you've been here 10 times or you've never been before, we're happy to meet you and we're happy to share our farm with you.

And that's kind of the way grandpa always, that's how he lived his life, so.

- And the restaurant.

- Yeah.

- I mean that's, you know, I was looking at some of the burgers you offer.

I mean, that looks fantastic.

- Yeah.

I mean, burgers, pizzas, right now, we're serving our famous chicken salad.

Everybody waits for summer to come back so that we can serve our chicken salad.

So something for everybody- - Tom's a big fan of chicken salad.

- (laughs) Well, you'll have to see if he likes it.

We haven't had many complaints, but I'd say, it's up there.

I've tried in different places.

It's kind of like coconut shrimp.

When you go, you gotta try all the coconut.

We have chicken salad, chicken salad and donuts is kind of what we like to try at different places.

- And you're not just open for the summer.

And I mean, you're al almost open year round, right?

- Yes.

- What the- - We're usually open like March through December.

So it's been, winter months on a farm aren't very fun.

So, and especially this year, it was a difficult, (chuckles) lots of snow.

We need it, we need it.

But definitely, so we usually, we do some pop-up events, special events.

We'll do a Valentine's Day dinner, "Let me Call You Sweetheart."

And then when we roll into our big season, it's about May through December, so.

- Yeah.

And then you really work.

- Then we're going because it's time, all that you hear the tractors, everything's moving.

Nobody slows down after about, you know, May, we gotta keep it rolling.

- And it's very wise that you don't have roosters.

- Yes.

- Very smart move.

- We don't need that.

When you have Sue Ann, who needs a rooster?

She calls you.

(laughs) - Well, I understand you need some help picking asparagus.

I mean, 200 pounds seems like a lot for me, but let's go hit that and get that going.

I'm gonna finish my coffee as we walk out there.

(Stephanie Dunneback laughing) Fresh donuts, family traditions, food, and a whole lot of community spirit.

It all somehow comes together perfectly at Ed Dunneback and Girls Farm because sometimes the best places aren't just somewhere you go, they're somewhere you instantly feel like you belong.

(screen whooshing) (screen whooshing) - You know, one of the best parts about doing this show are the people and the stories.

Well, this next place is dedicated to making sure some really, really important stories are never forgotten.

Tucked inside the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives, also known as GRAAMA, are stories of pioneering race car drivers, baseball legends, award-winning filmmakers, local heroes, and everyday people whose contributions help this city in ways most of us never knew but should.

In fact, their newest exhibit is called "Nobody Knows," which might be the perfect description for some of the incredible history waiting inside these walls.

So to learn more, I arrange some time with George and Deborah Bayard This place is amazing and I love your acronym, GRAAMA.

It's like you just hear that and it makes you feel like you're getting a big hug and it's like someplace you should be.

- That's exactly what we were going for.

- That's right.

- We wanted it to feel like you're going to grandma's house.

- Right, right.

Well, I wanna know more of what's in this exhibit, but before I get into that, what inspired you two to start?

Because I mean you, I'm understanding you started small and now you've acquired this brand new beautiful space downtown Grand Rapids.

What started it all?

- Well, we'd have to rewind back probably 30 years, actually.

- When I had hair.

(Deborah, George and Tom laughing) - We started with an art gallery.

When we came to Grand Rapids, one of the things that we heard all the time was, "I have to go to Detroit to get my artwork.

I have to go to Chicago to get my artwork."

We were saying Grand Rapids is the second largest city in Michigan.

And so my husband had the idea, "Hey, I'll start an African American art gallery."

And so we had Bayard Gallery applying African American art for many years and around about 2014, 2015, he said, "You know, we're Grand Rapids.

We're the second largest city and we don't have an African American museum.

I think I'll start one."

(Tom laughing) And that's how we came about.

- People were, they knew we collected art.

They didn't know we collected collectibles and artifacts.

- Because this is, I was gonna say, this is so much more than just art.

It's artifacts, it's history.

- Right.

And we both are not from Grand Rapids.

So we weren't really sure what things were valuable or what things explained the history here, Grand Rapids.

And then we were like, wow, I didn't know that about Grand Rapids.

I didn't know Al Green came from here.

Or I didn't know that DeBarge family or the Buster Mathis.

I didn't know these people were all from Grand Rapids.

And so it started us on a journey to collect more and tell more stories.

And so we ended up with a storage unit full of stuff and no place to display it because our gallery at the time was really small.

And so we put it all in storage and then slowly came to the fact that we need a bigger place.

- Do you have a favorite story in here?

(indistinct) - One of my favorite, again as an art collector, is worked by Paul Collins, the "Underground Railroad" piece.

We knew about the piece.

It was one that Paul did using local people here in town that he staged along the river and painted them.

- I wanna just piggyback on what he said about that picture, that was actually the Robeson Players.

Cedric Ward, founder of the Robeson Players and eventually Edye Evans Hyde, who is a part of the Robeson Players, established the Ebony Road Players.

But what has been so cool is having folks come into the space and look at that.

And about two weeks ago, a young lady walked in and said, "Hey, that's my dad in that picture."

So she recognized that her dad had been one of the models in that picture, she also shared with us, yeah, and that's so and so, and that's so and so.

We knew some of the other folks, their names of the folks who had posed for the painting.

But to have the daughter of the person who's depicted in the painting say, "hey, that's my dad in that picture" was very cool.

That was very cool.

- Well, the stories in this one room alone are worth 11 billion words.

I mean, what you guys have done is so important.

So I wanna personally thank you.

I'm gonna cry.

I want to thank you guys for what you're doing because you're helping accelerate that because you still have so much work to do.

So, thank you.

- Thank you so much.

- Thank you.

- [Tom] I gotta tell you, if you're the kind of person who loves discovering stuff they didn't teach in school or just wandering into a place and saying, "Wait, what?"

Then you need to check out the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives.

Because around here, history isn't just sitting quietly on a shelf.

It's alive and growing.

Besides, the best stories aren't always the famous ones.

Sometimes they're the ones that are waiting for you to find them.

Well, Grand Rapids did it again.

It's one of those places that just keeps evolving.

Every time we come back, there's something new to discover, another great story to hear, and another reason to stay a little longer.

So if you get a chance, get in the car and get to Grand Rapids.

I mean, you can't expect us to have all the fun.

(car door thudding) - Alright, well another wonderful UTR adventure behind us.

- Yeah, thanks a lot Grand Rapids for great people, food, fun stories.

It was, we had a great time.

We did.

- Now, how did those Corn Nuts work out for you that you found under the seat?

- Oh, the ones I ate wouldn't be, oh, that's fine.

They're fine.

I'm sure I'm fine.

(stomach growling) Oh, oh boy.

But, you might wanna pull over.

- Right now?

- Yeah, sorry about this, but I think- - No, there's a bunch of kids around that garbage can.

- Well there's a spot right there.

No, right there.

Over there.

- More kids.

- Well look out here.

Does this window go down?

- No.

- Ooh.

Ooh, I don't know if I'm gonna make it.

Oh, oh.

Corn nuts.

You did me wrong.

(graphics beeping) - Now this next one is doing something pretty amazing.

It's not only helping people reconnect to the past, it's helping them reframe and connect to this future with the city that rolls through the thing.

(graphics beeping) - You know, here on "Under the Radar," we're always trying to, no, I got a better way.

(graphics beeping) - This is my kind of place.

Fresh air, open field, and a family farm that's been bring, bring, bring, bring, bring.

(lively music) (graphics beeping) (bright music) - [Announcer] The Stahls Motors and Music Experience features a collection of automated music machines, neon signs, gas pumps, and 150 years of automotive history.

More info at stahlsauto.com.

(upbeat music) (bright music)