Good morning, lakeshore. Bike Time hits its back half this weekend, and this issue is your guide to riding out the last few days, haze and all. Between the engines, the smoke, and Friday's stacked live music lineup, there's a lot going on out there, so we pulled together everything you need to enjoy it without overdoing it. We've also got a new-to-you shop in Grand Haven and a hidden lakeshore view most people drive right past.
In this week’s Lowdown:

Let’s get into it.

- Sam Johnson, The Lakeshore Lowdown

We're at the halfway point of Bike Time's 20th anniversary run, and there's a wrinkle nobody put on the poster: wildfire smoke drifting down from Canada has pushed our air quality into rough territory, with alerts covering Muskegon and Ottawa counties through tomorrow. If the sky's looked hazy or the sunsets have been extra orange this week, that's why.

Here's how to still make the most of the weekend. Check the AQI before you head out. MiAir (Michigan.gov/MiAir) and AirNow.gov both give real-time readings for our zip codes, and it only takes a second on your phone. If you've got asthma, heart issues, or you're pregnant, older, or bringing little ones, plan outdoor stretches for early morning when particulate tends to be lower, and keep rides shorter.

The good news: the rally itself isn't going anywhere. Vendors, live music, and the scene at Hot Rod Harley-Davidson roll on rain, shine, or haze. Saturday night's 20th anniversary drone show at 10 PM is still the one to catch. Pack a mask if you're sensitive to smoke, and give yourself grace to duck inside if your chest feels tight. Bike Time's waited twenty years for this weekend.

A little smoke isn't calling the shots.

Friday's shaping up warm and hazy, with highs pushing toward 87 and a 30 percent shot at showers rolling through at some point. Skies will carry that smoky, washed-out look thanks to the wildfire smoke drifting down from Canada, so don't be surprised if the sun looks more orange than usual come evening. Winds stay light out of the northwest, and it'll feel sticky before any rain shows up.

Out on the water, Lake Michigan's sitting around 69 degrees, brisk enough to make you gasp on the first dunk but totally swimmable once you're in. Waves are running 1 to 2 feet, nothing that'll rattle a paddleboard, with a light breeze off the beach most of the day.

The verdict: It's a good beach day, but check the air quality index before you commit to a long stretch on the sand, especially if you're sensitive to smoke.

7 Day Glance: Temps ease off through the weekend, with Saturday topping out near 82 and a better chance of rain moving in, then Sunday and Monday settle into the upper 70s to low 80s with drier, calmer skies. The haze should thin out as winds shift, but keep an eye on alerts since wildfire smoke forecasts can flip fast this time of year.

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

If the smoky skies have you looking for something indoor and low-key, the Muskegon Museum of Art has two exhibits worth the trip right now: Material World: Ten Women and HerStory of Animation: Mary Blair & Beyond, both running through the end of summer in the new Bennett Schmidt Pavilion.

Over in Spring Lake, the Tri-Cities Garden Club wraps up its 67th Annual Flower Show, "A Passion for Fashion," at the Spring Lake District Library through Saturday, so there's still time to swing by if florals and garden club charm are your thing.

And once the air clears up in the evening, the Grand Haven Musical Fountain keeps doing its thing nightly on the waterfront, free lights and music right on the river, no ticket required.

Friday night's stacked, smoke permitting. Grand Haven Free Fridays brings Crazy Hearse, a Neil Young tribute, to Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium starting at 6:15, and it's free, so grab a blanket and get there early for a good spot.

Over on Pere Marquette Beach, The Deck's got Johnny Russler & The Beach Bum Band starting at 7, mixing trop rock, reggae, surf, and calypso for the kind of set that makes you forget you're in Michigan for a minute.

And out at BoDocks on Harbor Town Marina, it's the Lauryn Allen Duo from 7 to 10, a laid-back lakeside pick if you want music with your sunset over Muskegon Lake.

If the air quality's rough tomorrow evening, all three of these are outdoor venues, so check conditions before you commit to a full night out.

With Bike Time bikes rumbling through downtown, Muskegon Lake and the channel are seeing extra boat traffic this weekend, so give wake room to bigger boats heading in and out toward Lake Michigan. If you're paddling, mornings are calmer before the wind picks up, and Muskegon Lake's a good bet if you want flatter water than the open lake. Pere Marquette Beach's hazard flag system is worth a glance before you wade in: yellow means moderate waves or current, green means calm but still use your head.

Given the smoke hanging around, keep outings shorter if you start feeling it in your chest, and check conditions before you commit to a full day out.

For the anglers: Salmon are staging in the harbor ahead of their run up the Muskegon River, and boats working the channel and nearshore water are finding good numbers. On Muskegon Lake itself, a mix of jigging and trolling has been putting walleye, perch, and bluegill in the boat, a solid bet if you want variety without heading out onto the big water.

Smokey Jose's has settled into Grand Haven after making the jump from Mackinac Island, and the mashup menu is the draw: think smoked brisket sitting next to street tacos on the same table, a combo you don't see much around here. It's a fun one if your group can't agree on BBQ or Mexican.

In downtown Muskegon, Rake Beer Project's breakfast burrito has become the unofficial fuel-up spot for anyone doing a full day of Bike Time wandering, and their Overgrown Coffee counter means you can grab a cold brew even if you're not ready for a beer yet. Back in Grand Haven, Tip-A-Few Tavern is still slinging its famous wet burrito, a plate so big regulars call it two meals in one.

The Clippers wrapped up their regular season this week, and Ben Meyers is the name to know. The Muskegon third baseman, an Aquinas College commit, was named GLSCL Player of the Week after a stretch that included multiple home runs and a string of clutch RBI hits. The Clips closed out the home slate Thursday against the Michigan Monarchs on Host Family Appreciation Night, so if you caught that one, you already know how the summer's shaping up heading into the postseason.

On the high school side, it's a quieter stretch with most programs between seasons, but Mona Shores had a moment worth mentioning: seniors Ella Grimm and Lucy Quaine both signed on to play hockey next level, Grimm heading to Central Michigan and Quaine to Aquinas. Over in Grand Haven, fall sports physicals and early conditioning work are already starting to pop up on athletic department calendars, so if you've got an athlete at home, this is the week to get that paperwork sorted before the rush.

Todd Hancock has been making clothes by hand since he was twenty, taught himself the construction techniques old tailors used because he liked that things built that way actually last. For years, that meant selling on Etsy and hauling his machines to markets in Chicago, Detroit, and Indianapolis while working nights as a bartender, until having a kid made the travel feel like too much time away from home. So he opened TENDEN right in Grand Haven, his hometown, four years ago, and now works out of a storefront on North 7th Street stitching classic menswear from fabric sourced mostly here in the U.S. Stop in and you'll usually catch him at one of his vintage sewing machines, happy to talk through what he's working on.

Grand Haven has its own secret summit, and it doesn't cost a thing to see it. Climb South Harbor Drive up to Emmet or Prospect Street and you'll hit 5 Mile Hill, a steep little rise that earned its name because you can see five miles in every direction from the top. Grand Valley State's archives even hold a home movie shot from up there back in the 1930s, proving people have been climbing this same hill to take in the same view for almost a century. On a clear evening, with the lake stretching out past the pier and the whole town laid out below, it's easy to forget you're standing on a residential street and not a mountaintop. If the smoke clears by the weekend, it's worth the walk up just to remember how far you can see when the air lets you.

That's your Lowdown for the back half of Bike Time. Keep an eye on the sky, keep the tank full, and we'll see you Tuesday with the Coast Guard Festival creeping onto the horizon.

We’ll see you Tuesday.

-The Lakeshore Lowdown
Email: [email protected]