Kalamazoo has a wide variety or area events going on in April! Click below for information on each event:

• April 1-15: WMU Theatre presents “Tony ‘N Tina’s Wedding”
• April 2-6: Challenger Learning Center (at Kalamazoo Valley Museum) is offering learning activities and Mission Scenarios for kids ages 8-11
• April 2-6: Kalamazoo Valley Museum presents “Spring Break Hands-On Happenings,” with a variety of offerings
• April 6: Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo’s Art Hop will be at the Wellspring Theater, with a live dance performance
• April 6: “Through the Looking Glass” exhibit opens at the West Michigan Glass Arts Center
• April 7: Kalamazoo State Theatre presents comedienne Paula Poundstone
• April 11: Food Dance Café is holding a cheese tasting class: For the Love of Cheese
• April 12: WMU hosts the Poverty Reduction Initiative’s Poverty Simulation Workshop
• April 14: Kalamazoo State Theatre presents Comedians from “Chelsea Lately”
• April 16: Can-Do Kitchen presents “Essentials of Northern Italian Cooking”
• April 18: Food Dance Café is holding a Cupcake Decorating Class
•  April 20: Kalamazoo Institute of Arts presents Flypaper Rock Band at “Art & All That Jazz“
• April 21: Kalamazoo Nature Center is presenting a variety of events at their Earth Day Celebration
• April 22-25: Kalamazoo College presents Bach Festival Week
• April 24-25: Miller Auditorium presents “Young Frankenstein”

Schedule Courtesy of Stephanie Sherriff

The annual Michiana Area Genealogy Fair will be held this Saturday, March 17, 2012 at the downtown Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library.

Topics this year include tips for scanning photographs, and using computers in your research.

Visit the South Bend Tribune for more information on the event.

by Rik Lobenherz

Savvy buyers are benefiting from emerging waterfront foreclosures and short sales.

For decades foreclosures on waterfront in Northern Michigan were rare and always sold prior to the redemption period so the banks never ended up getting the property back.  Only recently have we started to see bank owned properties on prestigious bodies of water such as Lake Charlevoix or Lake Michigan.  These bank owned properties tend to be priced under the market for a quick sale, the banks preferring not to hang on to them for more than 30 to 90 days.

A few owners who used their high value properties to borrow against, found themselves upside down when waterfront values dipped for the first time in decades.  The ones that end up in the banks hands offer a great opportunity for a ready and able buyer to pounce and get a great value.

Currently we have bank owned properties on Lake Charlevoix, Lake Michigan, Paradise Lake, and Long Lake to name a few.

Search for waterfront properties at PPRMI.com

Kalamazoo has many area events in March! Click below for more information on each event:

• March 2-3: Kalamazoo County’s Premier Womens Expo
• March 2-18: Civic Theatre presents “Smokey Joe’s Café” Rock Musical
• March 2: Arts Council of Grater Kalamazoo’s Art Hop
• March 2: State Theater presents Coco Montoya, blues guitarist
• March 3: Gazelle Sports presents Walkin’ on the Wild Side: Kalamazoo River Valley Trail
• March 3: Killamazoo Derby Darlins Roller Derby at Wings Stadium
• March 5: Kalamazoo Cooks! Culinary Classrooms presents Essentials of Italian Cooking
• March 6: Kalamazoo Institute of Arts’ Sunday Funday
• March 7-10: Home Builders Association of Greater Kalamazoo’s Home Expo
• March 11: State Theater presents Gabriel Iglesias, comedian
• March 13: Miller Auditorium presents The Acting Company in Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors”
• March 16: Kalamazoo Institue of Arts’ West Michigan Area Show Reception and Awards Ceremony
• March 17-18: Kalamazoo Nature Center’s Maple Sugar Festival
• March 20-31: Miller Auditorium presents “Jersey Boys” Musical
• March 23: Kalamazoo Cooks! Culinary Classrooms presents Essentials of Vegetarian Cooking
• March 23: Kalamazoo Institue of Arts’ Hands-On Sampling of Arts Classes
• March 24: Housing Resources, Inc.’s Walk for the Homeless
• March 24: Richland Area Community Center’s Spring Bazaar
• March 30: State Theater presents The Tommy Castro Band, R&B musical group
• March 31-April 1: Spring into Wings Arts & Crafts Show at Wings Stadium

Tubing in Harbor Springs, MI - from Livability.com

Harbor Springs has been named one of the Top 10 Spring Break Destinations for Families by Livability.com, a national website that highlights more than 500 of America’s best places to live!

Harbor Springs came in at #5 — click to read the article and view all ten destinations on Livability.com.

Livability.com also offers additional articles on life in and around Harbor Springs:

• Livability: Harbor Springs, MI

The agents and staff of the Prudential One Realty Warsaw Office recently made donations and volunteered their time to Combined Community Services, a food bank in Warsaw. Time was spent helping to stock shelves, organize the stock room, and fill orders for needy families.

The Prudential team enjoyed their time so much that they have made a monthly commitment for volunteer time, and also in helping with the food bank’s upcoming move to a new facility.

We are proud to be serving in our local communities!

Harbor Springs and its surrounding areas offer beautiful lakefront real estate, vacation homes and year-round properties. Located on the Little Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan, this area is a gem in the crown of Northern Michigan!

Our local REALTORS can help you get the best out of your Harbor Springs, Michigan experience while being a part of the Prudential Real Estate national network providing the latest tools for buyers and sellers.

Visit www.harborspringsrealestate.org to search homes for sale in Harbor Springs today!

John Laney, a REALTOR at the Charlevoix office of Prudential Preferred Properties Network, is featured in an article published by the Petoskey News Review. The article tells the story of one woman who was able to purchase her first home with the assistance of various housing and financial programs.

• Read the article, A home for Jayne, on PetoskeyNews.com

Come to Bay Harbor for this two day event extravaganza and watch ice carvers create works of art with ice in both professional and amateur divisions while competing for cash prizes. This event is sanctioned by the National Ice Carving Association with Bay Habor being one of the stops on the NCIA Tour of Champions, which is the largest ice carving competition in the world! Also enjoy winter activities throughout the weekend for the entire family.

Visit www.villageatbayharbor.com for more information!