Long ago, there was this kid who walked into a radio station one day and wanted a job.  He was willing to do anything and settled on an internship figuring that it was a foot in the door, and that at bare minimum, at least he'd be around radio people to go along with all the weekend dances he dj'd at schools or clubs or wherever he could find a place to play his records and tapes.  CD's were just starting to be a "thing".  He wouldn't leave and after a while, they figured if they gave him $6 bucks an hour for handing out bumper stickers after concerts and staying behind and running the music while the real DJ was doing a live broadcast at some appliance store, well, maybe he'd quit begging for food.  That was 1989 and 1990.

On the staff at the Muskegon Channel you see quite a few of us in front of the camera.  You also hear some of us on the radio.  But as we work to grow and continue to follow our belief that "We've Got a New Story To Tell" about Muskegon, there are some who shy away from the spotlight most of the time.  There are occasional photos that pop up, but like most true artists, and perfectionists our own Derek Wong is generally his happiest making things look awesome and adding the special touches that us "content creators" are kinda busy worrying about other things to notice. 

In West Michigan, we are remarkably fortunate to have the Celebration Cinema Theaters as a spot for gathering to see the movies that make up our lives.  It's a company that recently celebrated 75 years of bringing a premium movie going experience to audiences in our area and they are an industry leader when it comes to technology, amenities and offering programming past just what's on the "now playing marquee.  In Muskegon specifically we're lucky to have Cinema Carousel but we have the sacred grounds of the Getty 4 Drive In which is something that's hard to find anywhere in the country anymore.  We've had an awesome partner in the Loeks family for a long time.

Not long ago, a friend of mine an I were taunting back and forth on Facebook and he called me a "washed up old dj."  It was totally in good fun, but it got me to thinking about some of the stuff that "washed up old dj's have that no one else does.  You know, those things that people seem to love, but somehow got lost in time and as things change, well, those things that made us comfortable and fun...they just fade away.  Well, we hang on to some of that stuff.

Last year, we had our eyes opened up to the world of competitive robotics when the MARS 4004 Rovers team invited us out to do a story on their team and highlight the work and effort the young people from different area schools put in to battle it out in a local, state and regional and national level to see who can build the most competitive machine piloted by the most talented team.  It's all part of STEM learning and the hands on approach for these young people is AMAZING!

Today Paranormal Muskegon sat down with Darren Dykhouse and Jamie Rae of Lakeshore Paranormal, a ghost-hunting team and Paranormal Youtubers in Muskegon. Ghost-hunting has become quite popular and it seems there is no shortage of them in Michigan. Most use a variety of instruments in their search for them but Lakeshore Paranormal is one of the few that rely on their abilities to sense and communicate with the spirit world in their pursuit of the unknown in addition to using devices that pick up ghostly manifestations. Darren Dykhouse is an empath and Jamie Rae is a psychic medium. They agreed to talk with us about their work and shared a few hair-raising stories of the spirits they encountered while on the hunt. 

The advice week in and week out is the same - "Warm up, stretch out and consult your Dr. to make sure if you're ready for this or any other workout".  It's the boiler plate line for any workout program but what is proper stretching?  Becky will show you in episode 135 of Fit and Healthy With Becky on The Muskegon Channel. 

It was a splendid night again at Smash Wine Bar and Bistro in Downtown Muskegon as we rolled out the 14th episode of Muskegon Tonight Live!!  A cold February night didn't keep a decent crowd away as Restaurant Week was kicking off in Muskegon and everyone enjoyed the great food and drink that Smash is known for.

To follow up on some of the stories of ghostly happenings around the Muskegon area, Paranormal Muskegon wanted to ask some experts about it, so we contacted the West Michigan Paranormal Team to see what exactly what, if anything, is haunting Muskegon.  West Michigan Paranormal Team is comprised of Deanna Headley and Candi Hess, have done a number of paranormal investigations in the Muskegon area as well as other states over the last few years. Lovers of everything mysterious, paranormal or ghostly, these brave and personable ladies spend their weekends investigating reports of hauntings and ghostly shenanigans around the Muskegon area, from darkened cemeteries to Muskegon’s iconic historical buildings as well as private residences; all to find some ghostly apparitions or strange phenomenon. 

It's an event that's been building steam and flavor for a few years now.  Tiffany Woods Apartments has been hosting an chili cook off and competition for a few years in their beautiful club house.  It's been well attended by the residents there and every year, a few more pots full of the best secret recipes and family famous chili have come with their game face on to be judged by the blue ribbon panel as well as the attendees of the get together.  

It was a great night to celebrate a couple of things.  First, the one year anniversary of Muskegon Tonight Live!  Yep!  January of 2019 we got things underway in the middle of the "Polar Vortex" we were enduring at the time.  Not many people were out doing anything for a good week at the time, but we had a decent crowd turn out for our first episode and outside of the "little teeny tiny" problem Andy had in December, we've made Hometown Hospitality venues our home since!  Both Smash and Pub 111 in Whitehall have been outstanding and we're going to be back all year at both!

It’s always a sincere pleasure to meet with truly talented, inspiring people in our West Michigan community...that is why it was so great sitting down with two of the most talented, inspiring people I know….Trent Klairter and Deirdra Ross. Both incredible Drama and Music Teachers and Directors at Reeths-Puffer Schools. We chatted about some very exciting events happening for students and for the public.

Today Paranormal Muskegon visited the Hackley Public Library to find out more about its history as well as to see what we could find out about some of the stories that have circulated for years that the library is haunted by the ghost of its founder, philanthropist and lumbar baron, Charles Hackley. We spoke with Program and Marketing Coordinator, Mallory Metzger, who was kind enough to talk with us about its history and share some of the accounts of possible paranormal activity that a few have reported. Mr. Hackley was one of Muskegon's most prominent lumber barons of the day. As co-owner of a large lumber company started in Muskegon in the 1850's, he was also instrumental in the foundation of many of Muskegon’s other buildings and establishments; including a hospital, school administration building, and a city park and continues to be an iconic figure here. 

 Hackley Park's Christmas decorations are up for the season!

Oh what a night we had at Smash Wine Bar and Bistro on November 21st!  It was a short month between shows it seemed, Smash is really becoming a destination for GREAT entertainment in Downtown Muskegon and we booked a little early in November because of the Thanksgiving holiday coming up and all of the incredible entertainment Smash has planned!  Hey, that's what we're in business for!  We LOVE to see places succeed when we're there and we're so incredibly thankful to Smash for being our anchor in Muskegon!  

Today Paranormal Muskegon was on location at the Montague Museum in Montague, Michigan. Having learned from their website that the museum had amongst their exhibits a couple of rather curious artifacts, we wanted to check them out in person as well as find out more about the history of the museum.  The building was formerly a United Methodist Church, which was evident by the beautiful stained glass windows and high vaulted ceilings. The church was built in 1872 and sold for a nominal fee of $1.00 to the Museum Board in 1969, where it has been since then.