Today's a wetter one, high near 74 with a strong chance of rain moving through, so keep the umbrella handy if you're out and about. Wednesday looks like an improvement, high in the low 70s with just a slim chance of a shower, and Thursday and Friday both trend drier with highs in the low 70s.

Lake conditions are still holding in the mid-60s this time of year, with some chop expected as today's system moves through. Calmer water should return by midweek once the front clears out.

The verdict: Push outdoor plans to Wednesday or later if you can, today's the one to spend indoors.

7 Day Glance: The back half of the week clears out nicely, low 70s and lighter rain chances through Friday, before another wetter stretch moves in over the weekend. Good news for Irish Fest's Friday opening, less certain for Saturday.

Muskegon's Farmers Market keeps its regular Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday hours, 8 AM to 2 PM, right as fall produce starts showing up in force. Grand Haven's market has shifted for the rest of the season, now running out of Mulligan's Hollow instead of Chinook Pier, Wednesdays and Saturdays, 8 AM to 1 PM.

And obviously, the big one: Michigan Irish Music Festival kicks off Thursday at Heritage Landing and runs through Sunday. Full details up top if you missed it.

The big one this week isn't at a bar, it's at the Frauenthal: Elvis Costello & The Imposters bring their "Radio Soul!" tour to the Frauenthal Theater Friday at 7:30 PM, backed by longtime bandmates Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas, and Davey Faragher, plus guitarist Charlie Sexton. Expect deep cuts from My Aim Is True through Blood & Chocolate, "Alison" and "Watching the Detectives" included. It's one of a limited number of North American dates on this tour, so if you've been sitting on tickets, don't sit much longer. The Frauenthal follows it up Saturday with "Solitary Man," a Neil Diamond tribute, if you want to make it a two-night run.

The Deck's got its usual run of shows this week too: Rusty & The Razorblades on Thursday, Jedi Mind Trip Friday, and Global Village Saturday.

Muskegon Brewing Company at Adelaide Pointe keeps its Wednesday live music series going, 5 to 9 PM, with 360-degree Muskegon Lake views from the patio. Kyle Brown plays this Wednesday.

Over in Grand Haven, the Kirby House keeps its acoustic solo acts going Friday and Saturday nights, 7 to 10:30 PM, still a good bet for live music with dinner downtown.

And obviously, if you want the most live music per square foot this week, it's Heritage Landing: the Michigan Irish Music Festival runs multiple stages of Celtic music Thursday through Sunday. Full details in the Featured Story above.

Today's rain and wind mean choppier conditions on the pier, so if you're heading out, check the flags first and give it a day or two to settle if you can.

Salmon are still biting off both cities, Chinook running deep in 80 to 140 feet of water, with reports of coho and steelhead mixed in too. Water's holding in the mid-60s, cooling gradually as we get further into September.

For the anglers: Glow plugs and glow spoons remain the move, green and blue spoons still working in shallower water.

ZINI's still the newest name in town, but if you've already made it there, here's where else to look this week. Pigeon Hill's Brewer's Lounge runs its Thursday Pizza & Beer Special all season long, one of the more reliable standing deals in Muskegon, pairing a pie with a pitcher for a price that's kept regulars coming back all summer.

Over at Adelaide Pointe, Muskegon Brewing Company keeps its own weekly rhythm going: live music every Wednesday, 5 to 9 PM, with 360-degree views of Muskegon Lake from the waterfront patio. The food menu leans into shareables done right, bone-in wings in a choice of four house sauces, loaded totchos, and a chef salad if you want something lighter alongside the beer. This Wednesday's act is Kyle Brown.

On the Grand Haven side, Whipped Cafe & Creamery has quietly become an east-side favorite since opening last year. It's counter service, small and simple: savory and sweet croissants, soft pretzel sandwiches, coffee and lattes, and a cinnamon roll waffle bite the shop calls "the one that made us famous." They make their ice cream in house too, so it doubles as a creamery once the weather cooperates. Closed Tuesdays, open 7 AM for breakfast the rest of the week.

And if you're heading downtown for Irish Fest later this week, Bob & Bernie's Pub inside the festival grounds is worth knowing about even outside festival hours; Thursday's Pub Preview Party is your first shot at it this season.

Grand Haven's unbeaten start came to an end Friday, falling 42-14 at #13-ranked Hudsonville to open OK-Red play. The Bucs are 2-1 now and host East Kentwood next Friday to try to right the ship in conference.

Muskegon, meanwhile, kept rolling, beating River Rouge 21-14 to move to 1-2. They'll host Reeths-Puffer next Friday in a game with real local stakes. Speaking of the Rockets, they beat Northview 28-21 and sit at 2-1 heading into that one.

The county's most unusual matchup of the season went about as expected: Mona Shores routed Canadian visitor St. Andrew's College 49-14 on Sailor Salute Night, marking the 25th anniversary of September 11 with an all-American tribute before kickoff. Kevin White ran for 265 yards and three touchdowns, and Owen Terpstra added 141 yards and two more scores on the ground. Mona Shores is 2-1 and hosts Union next Friday.

Elsewhere across the county: North Muskegon edged Shelby 21-20, Orchard View blanked Whitehall 22-8, Ravenna handled Manistee 33-8, and Spring Lake beat Freeland 34-17. It wasn't as kind to everyone: Fruitport fell to Belding 19-14, Oakridge lost to Montague 34-28, Muskegon Catholic Central fell 30-0 to Buchanan, Muskegon Heights dropped a high-scoring one 68-38 to Eau Claire, and Holton was shut out 41-0 by Colon.

Full county schedule, Friday, Sept 18, 7 PM:

Rosewood Provisions opened this spring in Grand Haven's Centertown, tucked into a former barber shop at 106 N 7th Street. It's a low-waste refillery, the kind of place where you bring your own containers and refill everyday goods like soaps, shampoos, and cleaners instead of buying new plastic every time. The motto on their own site says it best: a place where the community comes to refill. Beyond the refill stations, they carry sustainable household basics and host the occasional community workshop.

📍 106 N 7th St, Grand Haven
🕐 Tue-Fri 10-6, Sat 10-6, Sun 10-4, closed Mondays

A few miles south of Grand Haven, there's a stretch of quiet dune land that used to be one of the most ambitious towns in Michigan, and it lasted less than a decade. Port Sheldon was platted in the 1830s by wealthy investors who wanted to build the next great Lake Michigan destination, and for a while they meant it: fine shops, a mill, a lighthouse, even a yacht. Their crown jewel was the Ottawa House, a hotel built for guests who never really showed up in the numbers they'd hoped for. The nearest real neighbors were thirteen miles away in Grand Haven, and that distance turned out to be the whole problem. By the time the money ran out, the town was dismantled piece by piece and the land sold for a fraction of what it cost to build. Drive past that stretch of Olive Township today and there's nothing left to see, just dune grass where a boomtown used to be.

Bring a rain jacket today, and start planning your Irish Fest weekend. See you Friday.