Brought to you by the Dutch Program and
the Meijer Chair in Dutch Language and Culture

Events Organized and Sponsored by the Meijer Chair-Fall 2009

1. The Meijer Chair is helping sponsor the visit to Calvin of Sietze de Vries, one of the Netherlands most sought after organ improvisationists. As part of the John Calvin 500th anniversary celebrations, Sietze de Vries will play improvisations on a number of Psalm tunes together with the Calvin alumni choir, Friday, October 2 at 8:00, Calvin Chapel. This Artist Series concert is part of the 500th anniversary year celebration of the birth of John Calvin in conjunction with the Meeter Center and the Meijer Chair in Dutch Language and Culture. Tickets: $20 (adults), $10 (students) are available at the Calvin Box Office, 616-526-6282. (Canceled due to illness).

2. On Friday October 9, beginning at 1:00 in the Commons Lecture Hall, Calvin will take part in the Go Green, Go Dutch, Go Bike initiative. Professor Aay will give a brief talk about the importance and place of bicycles in Dutch society. Then Calvin riders will bike in orange (what else!) Go Green, Go Dutch, Go Bike t-shirts from campus to Rosa Parks Circle in the historic heart of Grand Rapids. Once downtown, George Heartwell, mayor of the city, will greet the riders. This event will accent the contributions the Dutch have made to bicycle transportation as well advocate for bicycle friendly initiatives in Grand Rapids. The ride will raise funds for the Motion Initiative: An Urban Cooperative Youth Bicycling Ministry (http://mibike.org/) in Grand Rapids; its mission is to connect urban youth and area adults to L.I.F.E. (Life In the Fullest Extent) through the gateway of bicycling. T-shirts will sell for $7 (students) and $12 (adults) and will be available beginning Sept. 25 in the office of the GEO department (North Hall 083).
The bike ride from Calvin College to Rosa Parks Circle has been canceled for multiple reasons. It will be rescheduled for sometime next year (2010).

3. On Monday, October 26 at 7:30 the Dutch film Oorlogswinter (Winter in War Time) with English subtitles will be shown in the Bytwerk theater. It is based on the youth novel of the same title written in 1972 by Jan Terlouw. The film was quite a success in the Netherlands and drew nearly a million visitors. It has garnered a number of awards (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0795441/)

4. On September 12, New York 400 celebrated Friesland Day on Governor's Island. A number of people from Calvin College and West Michigan attended, including Henry Baron and Dick Harms. The day included the public presentation of the book Famous Frisians in America; seventy Frisian Americans are included. Dick Harms wrote quite a number of the entries.

Henry Baron and Dick Harms will present highlights from the book as well recount the events of Friesland Day. The book will be available for purchase. This event is for everyone interested in the contributions Frisians have made to the United States. Please join us. November 3, 3:30 p.m., Meeter Center Lecture Hall.

5. In the late fall Calvin hopes to host William T. (Chip) Reynolds, Director, New Netherland Museum and Captain of the Replica Ship Half Moon (Halve Maen) captained by Henry Hudson on his explorations of Manhattan and the Hudson Valley. He will speak about the significance of Henry Hudson’s discovery as part of the 400th anniversary of the voyage.

Visit the Dutch and Meijer chair Website

Phone: 616-526-7033 (Henk Aay)