The Day Olivia visited a West Michigan Meijer Store

By Scott Winters

Olivia and Scott. Photo by Scott Winters/Townsquare Media

Written 9 August 2022

It started out as just a normal fall day in October of 2016. People were going about their business, and some were heading to Meijer to get groceries. All of a sudden a huge line was developing near the back of the store. Many people wandered by and asked what was going on... Olivia Newton-John was visiting the store!

Olivia Newton-John
Scott Winters / Townsquare Media

On Monday, October 10th, 2016, Olivia was in town at the Cascade Meijer to promote her Pink & Blue for Two charity wines. Those two colors were chosen because pink is associated with breast cancer and blue is used for prostate cancer. Her nephew, race-car driver Emerson Newton-John, came up with the idea for the wine brand. A portion of the proceeds went to the Blue & Pink campaign to raise money for early detection of breast and prostate cancer. Other funds from the sale of the wine went to Olivia's Wellness and Research Centre in Australia.

On that October day six years ago, I - like a few hundred other people - stood in line to meet Olivia. I had also purchased a bottle of her wine so that she could sign the bottle for me.

I still have my unopened bottle of wine and display it proudly. Rest in Peace Olivia.

Original article