The flags flew, the bands played, and Muskegon showed up like it always does. Memorial Day weekend was everything! Parades downtown, jets of light over the Silversides, the Blessing of the Boats on the channel, and a Lumberjacks Clark Cup run that had Trinity Health Arena rocking until well past midnight. The Jacks didn't win the Cup, but they fought like they were supposed to be there, and they were. Summer is not waiting for permission. It's here. Let's go.

Most cities have one Memorial Day parade. Muskegon County has four in a single afternoon. That says something.

The Greater Muskegon Memorial Day Parade stepped off at 9 a.m. Monday, marching down Morris Avenue and wrapping at Hackley Park where the Mona Shores Marching Band took over with a full musical ceremony. Across the county, Lakeside ran its own parade at 10:30 a.m. and Fruitport capped the day with the Old-Fashioned Days Memorial Day Parade at 2 p.m., complete with an ox roast and two nights of fireworks at Pomona Park.

Over in Grand Haven, the parade stepped off at 9:30 a.m. along Lake Boulevard and ended at the John E.N. Howard Bandshell with a commemorative program that drew a crowd the city is quietly proud of every single year.

But the weekend's standout moment was Saturday night at the USS Silversides Submarine Museum. The Lights of Honor event ran from 4 to 10 p.m.: a WWII sub lit up for the fallen, a flyover, an engine start, free tours, food trucks, and a crowd that went quiet at exactly the right moments. It's the kind of event that reminds you Muskegon has more history per square mile than it ever gets credit for.

Summer's first weekend, done right.

Pure Sunshine Ahead. Highs climbing from 75° Monday into the low 80s by Wednesday before settling back to 73° Thursday and Friday. Rain chances are basically zero all week. Southwest winds, light chop, no drama.

🌊 Lake callout: Lake Michigan is running around 52°F near Muskegon right now. Cold enough to take your breath away, warm enough to make you try anyway. Waves are sitting at 1 to 2 feet with light southwest winds. The lake is open for business.

Verdict: No excuses this week. Pere Marquette and Grand Haven State Beach are calling. The water won't be 72°F until July, but the sky is absolutely making up for it.

The long weekend kicked off Muskegon's event season in full and the calendar doesn't slow down from here. Fruitport Old-Fashioned Days ran all of Memorial Day weekend at Pomona Park: a carnival, ox roast, and fireworks tradition that's been going longer than most of us have been alive. It wrapped yesterday, but it sets the tone for what this summer is going to feel like.

The USS Silversides Submarine Museum's Lights of Honor drew a serious crowd for its Saturday evening Memorial Day tribute. If you missed it, mark it for next May. It's one of the best things this region does all year.

Michigan's Adventure opened its 2026 season and ran free admission for active-duty military and veterans through the holiday weekend. Regular season hours are now in effect, which means the waterpark is officially back in rotation for the summer starting June 13th.

Western Avenue and the Muskegon Social District are heating up fast. Keep your eyes on Unruly Brewing for outdoor events and the Muskegon Farmers Market at Hackley Park on Saturdays.

The Deck is in full summer mode. Hello Weekend played a Memorial Day set Monday evening and this Friday, May 29, Jedi Mind Trip takes the stage at 7 p.m. Live at 1601 Beach Street with the channel view in the background. If you've never caught a show there, this is the week to fix that.

Grand Haven Musical Fountain opened its 2026 season at the Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium with new music and new shows loaded in for the year. The Memorial Day tribute show ran Sunday with an all-patriotic playlist. Nightly shows are free. Bring a lawn chair or catch it on FM 88.7 from your car at the stadium lot.

Unruly Brewing runs weekly live music with national acts on weekends. Check their social pages for this week's lineup. If there's a show Thursday through Saturday, it'll be worth showing up for.

Lake Michigan is waking up. Water temp near Muskegon sits around 52°F: brisk but legal. Waves are calm at 1 to 2 feet and the forecast keeps things mellow all week. Pere Marquette Beach and Grand Haven State Beach are both open. The South Pier Lighthouse looks perfect from the channel and there is no better 10-minute walk in West Michigan right now.

The Blessing of the Boats Cruise aboard the Aquastar departed Sunday from downtown Muskegon. A parade of boats down the channel, a ceremonial washing of the South Pierhead Lighthouse, and an official open to boating season on Lake Michigan. If that is not a Muskegon thing, nothing is.

For kayakers and paddleboarders, conditions this week are excellent: light wind, flat chop on Muskegon Lake, and the channel connecting downtown to the big lake is gorgeous right now. Fishing reports show walleye picking up in Muskegon Lake and early smallmouth bass action near the channel walls. Get on the water. It won't be this calm or this quiet for long.

Lee-Lee's Crosswinds Cafe West is open inside the Muskegon County Airport terminal. It's been one of the more anticipated local openings in a while and it deserves the attention. Open to the general public (not just passengers), free parking, scratch-made meals from breakfast through dinner seven days a week. Go before everyone figures out it exists.

Pigeon Hill Brewing hosted Cousins Maine Lobster food trucks on Sunday at The Brewer's Lounge and the summer tap list is rotating in. The Shifting Sands and Holy Kolsch were both getting checked in this weekend. The lakeside patio with views of Muskegon Lake and the USS LST 393 is the move on a 77-degree Tuesday afternoon.

Over in Grand Haven, the Kirby House and the waterfront spots along the channel are in full swing. Summer menus are live, patio heaters are being retired, and Tuesday happy hour is looking very appealing this week.

The Lumberjacks went to the Clark Cup Final and made Sioux Falls earn every bit of it. Muskegon dropped the series 3-1, losing Game 4 in double overtime Saturday night at Trinity Health Arena: 4-3, a heartbreaker. Drew Stewart scored the double-overtime winner in Game 3 to force a Game 4 and led a playoff run that included back-to-back comeback wins from 2-1 series deficits against Dubuque and Madison. They weren't supposed to be there. They made it anyway. That's a Lumberjacks season worth being proud of.

Summer sports are spinning up. Keep an eye on Muskegon Risers FC and the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate Baseball League as rosters finalize over the next few weeks. Rec leagues and outdoor tournaments are filling the weekend calendar at Hackley, Marsh Field, and waterfront parks across the county.

Rake Beer Project has been quietly one of the coolest spots on Western Avenue for a few years now and this summer feels like the right time to put them on. Located in the heart of downtown Muskegon, Rake pours a tight rotation of craft beers alongside cider, adult smoothies, and coffee from Overgrown Coffee Co. That means there is a legitimate reason to be there from 9 a.m. onward. The seasonal IPAs rotate fast, and the indoor-outdoor flow makes it an easy first stop on a downtown afternoon.

They are a short walk from the lakeshore bike trail, close to the USS LST 393, and well-positioned for a downtown crawl that ends at whoever is pouring the best pint that night. No pretension, no velvet rope. Just good beer from people who live here.

The USS Silversides is the most decorated American submarine from World War II still in existence. Twelve battle stars. Twenty-three ships sunk. One Presidential Unit Citation. It sits at 1346 Bluff Street in downtown Muskegon, right off the channel, where you can board it, walk through it, and try to comprehend what it meant to be inside it under combat conditions. Most people drive past that stretch of Bluff Street a hundred times a year without stopping. The ones who do stop tend to get quiet.

Saturday night's Lights of Honor ceremony was held right there. Families gathered, a flyover overhead, the engine started, and the sub sat lit against the sky over Muskegon Lake. There are maybe three or four moments each year in this city that remind you exactly where you live. That was one of them.

Summer showed up this weekend and it is not leaving. Make the most of this week. The water is calling and the sun is cooperating.

See you Friday with what's on the water and where to be this weekend.

-The Lakeshore Lowdown

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