Muskegon’s Dynamic Lakeside Business District Celebrates Fall with First-Time Festival Oct. 7
September 29, 2023
For immediate release
MUSKEGON, MI (Sept. 29, 2023) – The dynamic and ever-changing Lakeside Business District invites West Michigan to visit Saturday Oct. 7 for the launching of the Lakeside Fall Festival
The unique business district along the south shore of Muskegon Lake three miles from Downtown Muskegon and two miles from Pere Marquette Beach on Lake Michigan is in a critical location on Lakeshore Drive. With the historic redevelopment of downtown and the residential developments near the beach, Lakeside is home to 46 businesses from retail and services to restaurants and beverages.
Lakeside Fall Festival is designed to build brand awareness and refocus the region on the district since the upgrade of Lakeshore Drive in 2019 and the end of the COVID pandemic, said Marge Smith, of the Lakeside District Association and owner of Marge’s Outstanding Meat and Snacks. The 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Fall Festival is being produced by the Lakeside District Association, Lakeside Business Improvement District and with the support of the City of Muskegon.
The festival will begin with a “flash mob” presented by Water’s Edge Fitness shortly after 11 a.m. During the day there will be hayrides, street performers, a children’s obstacle course, games for kids and adults, a fall photo booth in the Lakeside Pocket Park, a West Michigan Lake Hawks three-on-three basketball tournament and tours of Tiny Digs Lakeshore. The band “Kindred” will provide live music at the Marine Tap Room and festival patrons can enjoy the Lakeside Social District.
The Lakeside Business District will be decked out for the fall season as 24 businesses and organizations are competing in a Scarecrow Contest with patrons asked to judge. There will be cider and donuts, face-painting and chalk to decorate the sidewalks.
Culinary options for Lakeside Fall Festival include food tents with soup from Lake Bluff Grille, brats and hot dogs from MOMS, special pizza slices from Rolling Stone Pizza, Los Burritos at Ghezzi Market, along with special menu items at Marine Tap Room and Greek Shore and a Bloody Mary Bar at Wonderland Distillery.
The Lakeside Business District is a giving group with businesses offering a portion of sales as a donation to three local non-profits – the S.S. Milwaukee Clipper, the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy owners of the Muskegon lighthouses and Heaven Can Wait Animal Haven. The donations are part of Lakeside Gives.
“We want people to visit us on Oct. 7 and leave with a fabulous impression of Lakeside,” said Louise Hopson, owner of Art Cats Gallery. “And then return.”
The Lakeside Fall Festival is made possible with the help of sponsors the Lakeside Neighborhood Association, Your HomeTeam Mortgage, Dr. Patricia Roy, The Marine Tap Room and David Medendorp Real Estate Group. The business district hopes to have Fall Festival an annual event along with Holidays in Lakeside, which is on Saturday Dec. 2 this year.
For more information, contact:
Marge Smith(616) 275-0309
[email protected]
