Idlewild Remembered

Through the mid-1900s, Idlewild was a thriving resort town for segregated African-Americans and a haven where jazz greats Louis Armstrong and Count Basie, among many others, played. Today, the Lake County community resembles a ghost town.

Coy Davis, Jr., magazine publisher and broadcasting veteran, will present a documentary, 'What Ever Happened to Idlewild?' at noon on Wednesday, February 19, in the Kirkhof Center at Grand Valley State University's Allendale Campus. The event continues Grand Valley's celebration of Black History Month.

A Grand Rapids resident, Davis is publisher of 'Breakthrough Magazine,' and has spent more than 30 years in broadcasting after starting at WOOD-TV in 1971. He spent three years making 'Idlewild.' The film traces Idlewild's history through its heyday and through the mid-'60s, when its popularity waned after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 opened up public clubs and restaurants to everyone, regardless of race.