Coy Davis and Celebration! Cinema announce statewide Black History month tour featuring the one hour made for TV documentary
"WHATEVER HAPPENED TO IDLEWILD?"
The documentary has aired on PBS and been featured at the Charles H. Wright museum in Detroit, just to name some of the venues it has run. The film was produced by award winning producer, Coy Davis, and gives the entire history of this Black Eden that is closing in on it's 100th birthday, 1912-2012. It documents the history of the Idlewild resort just west of Reed City, Mich. The resort once attracted blacks from all over the Midwest. During the 1930s through 1960s it served as a place of respite for thousands of black people. It also hosted some of the most popular black comedy and musical acts.
SCHEDULE
Sun., Feb. 1 - 2:00pm
Celebration! Grand Rapids South - Off M6 at Kalamazoo Ave
Sun., Feb. 8 - 2:00pm
Cinema Carousel - Muskegon
Sun, Feb. 15 - 2:00pm
Celebration! Cinema Lansing - Off South Cedar at I-96
Sun., Feb. 22 - 2:00pm
Celebration! Cinema Benton Harbor - Off Pipestone at I-94
For tickets & further information call Coy Davis at (616)-977-2913
http://www.wzzm13.com/life/programming/local/take_five/links_story.aspx?storyid=104853&catid=42
A book about Idlewild:
10-02-2001
Perusing Ronald J. Stephens' book, "Idlewild: The Black Eden of Michigan" (Arcadia Publishing Co.), there comes the almost immediate realization that, unless you are of a certain age, something fabulous was
missed. It was, but thanks to Stephens' interesting and informative book, which is
part of Arcadia's "Images of America" series, "the rest of us" can
vicariously experience Idlewild and everything it represented. In the 1920s and 1930s, Idlewild, located in rural western Michigan (in Yates Township), was often identified as "the Black Eden of Michigan" because of its idyllic setting.
