Good morning, lakeshore. July is here, and Muskegon is building something worth watching. A WWII submarine fires up its engines on the 4th, a waterfront hotel just broke ground on Muskegon Lake, and the Clippers are locked in a pennant chase with Flag City coming to Marsh Field this week. The weather is holding, the lake is 70 degrees, and the music doesn't stop until after the fireworks.

In this week’s Lowdown:

Let’s get into it.

- Sam Johnson, The Lakeshore Lowdown

Something big is rising on the Muskegon lakeshore…

If you've driven past the Harbor 31 site lately, you've seen the cranes. Construction is underway on the Element by Marriott, a five-story, 136-room extended-stay hotel on Viridian Drive along Muskegon Lake, and it's the piece of the puzzle a lot of people have been waiting on.

Great Lakes Capital broke ground in April alongside Schahet Hotels and Wolverine Construction. The hotel won't open until mid-2027, but what's being built matters now. This isn't a roadside property. It's designed with an indoor-outdoor bar and restaurant concept built to pull in locals, not just guests. Think waterfront dinner spot, not lobby grab-and-go.

Harbor 31 has been years in the making. The Viridian Shores condos are done. Harbor Terrace Senior Living opened in 2024. The marina is taking shape. The hotel is the anchor that ties it together, and once it opens, Muskegon will have the kind of lakefront hospitality that sends people home talking about the city instead of passing through it.

The full Harbor 31 buildout is a $130 million transformation of 31 acres of former industrial land on Muskegon Lake. This is what a city betting on itself looks like.

Hot. That's the forecast, and it's not going anywhere. Tuesday comes in at 87 degrees with light clouds and barely a rain chance in sight. Overnight lows settle in the low 70s, so even after dark it stays warm. Winds out of the south-southwest at 10 to 20 mph with gusts pushing toward 35. Good news if you're on the water, worth knowing if you're setting up anywhere outside.

Lake Michigan is sitting at 70 degrees right now. That is as close to perfect as this lake gets in June. Get in.

The rest of the week holds steady in the upper 80s straight through Wednesday and Thursday before a few storm chances creep in Thursday afternoon and Friday. Nothing that should wreck the holiday weekend, but worth watching.

The verdict: Get your beach day in before Thursday. Tuesday and Wednesday are the cleanest days of the week, and with 70-degree water and nothing but sun, there's no reason to wait.

7 Day Glance: Tuesday kicks off the week with pure sunshine and heat, carrying right into Wednesday with highs near 90 and south winds keeping things breezy. Thursday stays warm but brings the first real chance of afternoon storms rolling through, and Friday follows a similar pattern with slightly cooler air in the mid-80s moving in ahead of the 4th. The holiday weekend itself looks mostly clear, with Saturday July 4th setting up as a hot, dry day built for fireworks, exactly what you want.

Weather sourced from the National Weather Service the day prior to this issue.

The week starts with a reason to get outside early. The Muskegon Farmers Market is open Tuesday morning at 8 AM on Western Ave, and with summer in full swing, the produce stands right now are worth the trip. If you've got kids, Tuesday evening belongs in Grand Haven: NORA Kids Nights run every Tuesday through the summer on Washington Ave downtown, free, no registration, 6 to 8 PM.

Wednesday brings Music on the Grand to the Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium in Grand Haven. Whiskey Bound kicks off July's lineup at 7 PM. Free admission, bring a lawn chair, and plan to stay until the river goes dark.

Then there's Saturday. The 4th of July pre-party at Heritage Landing starts at 7 PM with food vendors and DJ James spinning until the fireworks launch around 10:20 PM. Rather watch from the water? The SS Milwaukee Clipper is hosting a fireworks viewing party on Muskegon Lake from 6 PM to midnight. Tickets are $15. Two cities, two ways to do it.

The week starts tonight. Velvet Mushroom Syndicate hits The Deck at 6 PM for a Tuesday set on Pere Marquette Beach. Loose-cannon party band, lake air, cold drink. Easy yes.

Wednesday belongs to Grand Haven. Whiskey Bound opens July's Music on the Grand lineup at the Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium, 7 to 9 PM, free. Bring a chair and plan to stay until the river goes dark.

Thursday delivers something worth driving for. The Insiders, one of the best Tom Petty tribute acts in Michigan, play Grand Haven Free Fridays at 6:15 PM, free, with Reverend Jesse Ray opening. That same night the Jack Leaver Duo is over at BoDocks on Muskegon Lake, 6 to 9 PM, if you want to stay closer to home.

The holiday weekend fills in nicely from there. Scott Pellegrom Trio at BoDocks Friday the 3rd, 7 to 10 PM. Sophia McIntosh and The Sages close out the 4th Saturday night on the water, 7 to 10 PM.

Lake Michigan is giving you everything you need right now. Water is sitting at 70 degrees, waves are a foot or less through midweek, and south winds are keeping things moving without getting rowdy. Tuesday and Wednesday are the cleanest days of the week on the water. If you've been waiting for the right window to paddle out, kayak the channel, or just drift on a paddleboard at Pere Marquette, this is it.

For boaters, the early part of the week is smooth. Conditions start building Thursday night into Friday as south winds push up to 15-17 knots with waves climbing to 2-3 feet by the 4th. Fine for experienced mariners, worth knowing if you're taking something smaller out for the holiday.

Get on the water before Thursday. The lake is too good right now to sit it out.

For the anglers: Fishing has been solid in the channel and off the pier. Walleye and bass are active in Muskegon Lake with water temps holding warm. The Pere Marquette pier is always worth a cast on a calm morning this time of year.

The pizza news out of Grand Haven is worth your attention. Lakeside Pizza Co., the wood-fired spot that opened in Muskegon last fall, is expanding with a second concept called The Slice Shoppe at 38 Washington Ave. It's going in as a New York-style pizza-by-the-slice operation, built on the same cold-fermented, Italian-flour dough that made the Muskegon original worth the trip. No open date confirmed yet, but they're hiring and finishing the space now. Watch their socials.

On the flip side, the Grand Haven Tribune confirmed The Lucky Bucket will not reopen for the 2026 season. Rough news for seafood fans who counted on it.

For something you can do tomorrow night: Legends Bar and Grill on Western Ave runs Wine on Western every Wednesday from 4 to 9 PM. Nine-ounce pour at a six-ounce price, small plates menu, right in the Muskegon Social District.

And if you want to taste the week before the 4th actually kicks off, Pigeon Hill's Lake State Lager was made for exactly this kind of weather.

The Clippers split the weekend series with the first-place Lima Locos, and both games had Marsh Field energy worth talking about.

Friday, Isaiah Domey put on a show. Three hits, two RBI, and a leadoff double in the ninth that set up Justin St. Antoine's walk-off sac fly. Clippers win 3-2. Sunday told a different story. Muskegon and Lima went to eleven innings, the Clippers led 5-4 heading into the final frame, and Grant McGuire's single for Lima plated the tying and winning runs in a 6-5 gut-punch loss. St. Antoine went 3-for-5 in the loss.

The Clippers are 10-11 and third in the GLSCL Northern Division, four games back of Lima and chasing Flag City for second. Flag City comes to Marsh Field Tuesday and Wednesday this week. It's a series that matters. First pitch is 6:35 PM both nights.

Lakeside Pizza Co. has been quietly doing things the right way on Lakeshore Drive since last fall, and if you haven't been yet, this is the nudge. The takeout-only spot at 2009 Lakeshore Drive operates out of a wood-burning oven with a short, focused menu built around imported Italian flour, 72-hour cold-fermented dough, and San Marzano tomatoes. No dining room, no shortcuts. Just really good pizza from people who clearly care how it turns out.

The pies run 12 inches and the menu stays tight -- a handful of specialty options like the Calabrian Kiss alongside the classics, plus wings, meatballs, and house-made sandwiches. They're open Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 8 PM. And if you needed any more evidence that Muskegon is building something, Lakeside just announced they're expanding to Grand Haven this summer with a New York-style slice concept called The Slice Shoppe on Washington Ave. A Muskegon original, growing into the lakeshore. That's the kind of story worth rooting for.

This Saturday, a World War II submarine parked on Muskegon Lake is going to fire up its diesel engines at noon. That's not a metaphor. The USS Silversides, a Gato-class sub that spent the entire war hunting Japanese ships in the Pacific, will run its engines on the 4th of July at the museum on Bluff Street -- the same engines that powered her through 14 war patrols and 23 confirmed sinkings. No other surviving submarine anywhere in the world sank more ships than the Silversides. She came home. Most of them didn't.

Walking through her is one thing. Walking through her while the engines are running, making heat and making noise, is something different. The museum opens at 10 AM. Engine start is at noon. This is the most Muskegon thing happening this weekend, and it isn't close.

The lakeshore doesn't slow down for the holiday. It leans into it. Get out there this week, and we'll see you Friday.

We’ll see you Friday.

-The Lakeshore Lowdown
Email: [email protected]