Good morning, lakeshore. The art festival lands in downtown Muskegon this weekend, and for once the weather is actually cooperating. Highs in the low 80s, no rain, and Lake Michigan sitting calm enough to enjoy before or after you browse 250 booths in Hackley Park. The Seaway Run takes over Heritage Landing Saturday morning, the lighthouse just opened in Grand Haven, and the Deck has live music every single day. Issue 11 has everything you need to make the most of it.

In this week’s Lowdown:

Let’s get into it.

- Sam Johnson, The Lakeshore Lowdown

It's here. One of the best weekends downtown Muskegon puts on all year kicks off Saturday morning, and if you've never done the Lakeshore Art Festival, this is the year to go.

The short version: Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28, 9 AM to 5 PM, right in the heart of downtown. Free admission. Nearly 250 artists spread across Hackley Park and 8 blocks of Western Ave, 4th Street, and Clay Ave. Fine art in the park, craft vendors on the boulevard, an artisan food market, street performers, and a Children's Lane if you've got kids in tow.

You’re better off skipping your usual spots and eating at the festival. Crazy Good Crepes, gyros and crab cakes from the International Foods booth, May's elephant ears with fresh-squeezed lemonade, and Aloha Hawaiian Shaved Ice are all on site. The food runs on 3rd Street.

One move worth knowing: downtown's Social District overlaps the festival footprint, so you can grab a drink from one of the participating spots and keep walking. Hackley Park is included!

Head to lakeshoreartfestival.org for the full map and artist directory before you go. Parking fills up fast on Saturday morning, so aim for 9 AM if you want breathing room.

This weekend is the one. Both Saturday and Sunday come in clean with plenty of sun, highs around 80 on Saturday and pushing into the low 80s Sunday. Overnight lows drop to the upper 50s, so mornings will be crisp before it warms back up. No rain in sight either day.

Lake Michigan is sitting right around 63°F. Refreshing if you go in, not a shock. Waves are calm and wind is light, so conditions at Pere Marquette and the Grand Haven piers should be comfortable all weekend.

The verdict: This is also the best weekend to get outside before the heat cranks. Monday swings toward 90°F and stays there through the week, so enjoy the low-humidity version while it lasts.

7 Day Glance: A gorgeous art festival weekend gives way to a serious heat wave by early next week. Monday kicks things off near 90, and the rest of the week looks to hold there. Expect more sun than clouds through the stretch, with low rain chances until at least the middle of next week. If you've got outdoor plans beyond Sunday, morning hours will be your best window once that heat settles in.

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

Saturday morning downtown Muskegon belongs to the runners. The Trinity Health Seaway Run kicks off at Heritage Landing with the half marathon at 7 AM, followed by the 10K at 7:45 and the 5K and Community Walk right after. It's a 30-plus-year tradition along the waterfront and one of those events that turns the whole lakeshore into a scene before 9 AM. If you're not racing, go watch anyway.

Over in Grand Haven, the Art Festival's Family Fun Day runs Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM on Washington Ave and 2nd Street with free kids' activities and crafts. Easy stop if you've got little ones and want to let them loose downtown.

Saturday night wraps up right at the waterfront in Grand Haven. The Musical Fountain is going full Jimmy Buffett at 10:10 PM at Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium. Fins up.

Sunday the fountain comes back with New Song Night at 10:10 PM, featuring all-new additions to the 2026 lineup.

The Deck is stacked this weekend. Saturday afternoon Scott opens things up at 2 PM with a percussion showcase on the beach, then KC Johns takes over at 7 PM. Born in Memphis and raised in Mississippi, Johns is a Nashville country/rock touring artist with a sound that sits somewhere between Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crow. Worth getting there early.

Sunday at noon Leaving Lifted rolls in from Detroit playing reggae, ska, dub, and rock originals. They've shared stages with The Wailers, Stick Figure, and Collie Buddz — these guys aren't just background music.

Over on Muskegon Lake, BoDocks has Leaving Lifted again Saturday night 7-10 PM if you missed them at The Deck, and Yacht Rocket closes out the weekend Sunday from 5-8 PM on the water.

Conditions this weekend are about as clean as it gets. Waves sit around 1-2 feet Saturday with light wind, dropping to 1 foot or less Sunday. No advisories, no chop to deal with. Whether you're paddling, sailing, or just floating off Pere Marquette Beach, you picked the right weekend.

Kayakers and paddleboarders should have smooth water both days, especially Sunday morning before any afternoon breeze builds. The channel between Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan is a good run if you want to move between the two without fighting anything.

Grand Haven pier and the South Pier lighthouse walk are always worth it on a clear evening, and with sunset sitting around 9:28 PM both nights, there's plenty of time to get out there after everything else wraps up.

For the anglers: Lake Michigan has been producing lake trout consistently through early summer, and smallmouth bass on the Muskegon River is in good shape through the season. If you've been thinking about booking a charter, the weather window this weekend is hard to beat.

If you're downtown for the art festival and want to eat off the grounds, Zini Dining & Cocktail Lounge is right at 380 W. Western Ave. Kavy Lenon's cocktail bar and tasting room serves craft cocktails built on her Zini lychee and Thai mango vodkas alongside Asian fusion small bites — Thai boat noodles, Chinese dim sum, Japanese soufflé pancakes. It's open Wednesday through Sunday, so this weekend works.

Saturday and Sunday morning before the festival crowds hit, Legends Bar & Grille on Western Ave is running brunch from 9 AM to 3 PM. Solid spot to fuel up before you spend three hours walking the booths.

For something on the water, Muskegon Brewing Co. at Adelaide Pointe brews under the original MBC name with Pigeon Hill handling production. The waterfront patio on Muskegon Lake is the right call on a weekend this nice.

BoDocks is also on Muskegon Lake and has the patio running all weekend. Get there before the Yacht Rocket set Sunday evening and make a night of it.

The Clippers are on the road this weekend, so Marsh Field sits quiet while the Lakeshore Art Festival takes over downtown. They're back home July 7-8, and the summer season is still young. Check muskegonclippers.com for the full schedule and get out to the field before the heat of July hits.

The gyms and practice fields are filling back up. Summer workouts are underway across the lakeshore, and with temps pushing into the 80s this weekend and a heat wave coming next week, coaches and parents should keep an eye on hydration, rest breaks, and heat index before putting athletes through anything intense. Before you know it, August two-a-days will be here and fall sports will be in full swing — football, volleyball, soccer, and cross country don't wait for anyone. Get the work in, but keep it smart.

The Grand Haven Lighthouse Conservancy has been at it for 16 years, and this week they finally got to open the door. The South Pierhead Entrance Lighthouse — the iconic red foghouse at the end of the pier, built in 1875 — opened to visitors Tuesday for the first time. Inside you'll find two floors of interpretive displays, artifacts including a restored rescue rowboat, and a replica Fresnel lens. The project cost around $1.5 million, funded through a combination of donations and grants. Every person who ever walked that pier and wondered what was inside finally gets their answer. It's open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10 AM to 5 PM through Labor Day, weather permitting.

This weekend tens of thousands of people will wander through Hackley Park browsing art, eating elephant ears, and carrying drinks from the Social District. Most won't think twice about the ground they're standing on. Charles H. Hackley — the lumber baron whose name is all over this city — gave that park to Muskegon in 1890, dedicated to Civil War veterans, with an 80-foot soldier's monument at its center and statues of Grant, Lincoln, Sherman, and Farragut at each corner. Sixty-five years later, in 1961, it became the home of Muskegon Art in the Park, the direct ancestor of the festival happening this weekend. A man who made his fortune cutting down trees planted one of the most enduring cultural traditions this city has. That feels right.

This is one of those weekends the lakeshore was built for. Get out there, take someone with you, and spend a little money downtown.

We’ll see you Tuesday.

-The Lakeshore Lowdown
Email: [email protected]