Good morning, lakeshore. Somewhere in a lot of Grand Haven closets there's a pile of canvas totes from Light Night, a different color for almost every year. Saturday those bags turn into a loyalty card. Grand Haven Main Street's Tote Club Days lets you carry an official Light Night tote into participating Downtown and Centertown shops for discounts, small gifts or special offers. Not every store is playing along, so ask at the counter before you check out.

In today's Lowdown:

Let's get into it.

- Sam Johnson, The Lakeshore Lowdown

SPLIT DECISION

Tuesday's votes are in, and Muskegon and Ottawa counties split on parks.

Muskegon County voters turned down the new 0.5-mill Parks and Trails millage. It would have raised about $3.6 million in its first year, with up to 30% set aside for local parks in the county's cities, villages and townships. It also would have ended daily entrance fees and seasonal parking passes at county parks, so those stay put. Before the vote, county community development director Bob Lukens told FOX 17 the county would "go back to the drawing board" on funding if it failed.

In Ottawa County, voters approved the 0.2-mill parks increase with about 55% of the vote. Added to the renewal voters passed in August, the county parks rate becomes 0.53 mills starting in 2027.

Grand Haven schools got their yes too. Voters approved the $98.55 million Grand Haven Area Public Schools bond, after turning down the district's bond plans twice in 2023. It pays for renovations at Ferry, Peach Plains and Rosy Mound elementaries, plus new buses, playgrounds, instruments and tech, with construction likely starting in 2028. Voters also filled four school board seats: Bisonet, Eickholt, Emmerich and Herrygers.

📍 Muskegon and Ottawa counties
🗓️ Results are unofficial until the county canvass
🎟️ Ottawa's increase: no more than $40 a year on a $400,000 home, per the county

Coats on, it's a busy one. More ideas on our This Weekend page.

🎈 = family-friendly

Friday
🎈🩰 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – United European Ballet, The Frauenthal, 7 PM, $55-$95. Tickets
🏈 District final – Mona Shores at Caledonia, 7 PM. See Local Sports.

Saturday
🎈⚓ USS Silversides reopens – Tours are back at the submarine museum, 1346 Bluff St.
🎄 Mona Shores Holiday Arts & Crafts Show – Mona Shores High School, 9 AM to 3 PM. 180+ handmade booths, $1 at the door, free parking.
🥕 Muskegon Farmers Market – 242 W Western Ave, 8 AM to 2 PM.
🛍️ Tote Club Days – Downtown and Centertown Grand Haven, all day. Bring your Light Night tote.
🥃 Muskegon Bourbon Fest – Muskegon Museum of History & Science, 430 W Clay Ave. 100+ bourbons, food trucks and live music. Sessions at 1, 4 and 7 PM. Tickets
🏈 Norse and Bulldogs on the road – Both kick off at 1 PM. See Local Sports.

Sunday
🎈🎁 Holiday Treasures Flea Market – Muskegon Farmers Market, 242 W Western Ave, 10 AM to 3 PM. Free.

Coming up
🧠 Trivia with the Muskegon Museum of Art – The Brewer's Lounge at Pigeon Hill, Mon, Nov 9, 7 PM. Free.
🏒 Lumberjacks back home – vs. Cedar Rapids, Fri-Sat, Nov 13-14, Trinity Health Arena.
🎻 Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto – West Michigan Symphony, The Frauenthal, Fri, Nov 13.
🎈🎬 Where the Wild Things Are – Free Family Movie Day, The Frauenthal, Sun, Nov 15.

📚 Pints and Pages – Books On Tap, the monthly book club run with Hackley Library and Muskegon Area District Library, meets Tuesday, Nov 10 at 6 PM at The Brewer's Lounge at Pigeon Hill. Free.

🐱 Monday Brain Food – Trivia Cat runs Mondays at 7 PM at Grand Armory Brewing. Nov 9 is general trivia, and Nov 16 is movie trivia.

👕 New Threads – Grand Armory also has a new merch collab with Marushka. Worth a look if you're starting your gift list.

🎄 Three Weeks Out – The first tree lightings are right after Thanksgiving. Every one on both sides of the lakeshore is in the Lowdown holiday guide.

Three county teams are still playing football in November, and all three are on the road for district titles. Mona Shores (9-1) heads to Caledonia without its workhorse running back, who was ejected in last week's 49-42 escape and has to sit this one out.

District finals:

Win and it's a regional final next weekend.

Around the county

⚽ Title Shot – Western Michigan Christian rolled past Kalamazoo Christian 5-0 in Wednesday's D4 state semifinal. That's four trips to the state final in five seasons. The Warriors play for the title Saturday at 10 AM at Grand Ledge High School.

🏐 District Champs x2 – Grand Haven swept Coopersville 3-0 Thursday for the D1 district title, and Western Michigan Christian beat Ravenna 3-1 for the D3 crown. Both move on to regionals next week.

🏒 Iowa Swing – The Lumberjacks play two at Dubuque this weekend, Friday at 7 PM and Saturday at 8:05 PM.

Friday 45 🌡️ 40 | ☁️ | 30% | 💨 NW 10-15 kt
Saturday 48 🌡️ 41 | ☁️ | 15% | 💨 N 5-15 kt
Sunday 56 🌡️ 43 | 🌤️ | 5% | 💨 S 10-15 kt

🌊 Waves 2 to 4 ft Friday, 1 to 3 ft Saturday and Sunday | 💧 Water upper 40s

The verdict: Friday is the coldest day of the bunch, so pack the stadium blanket for Caledonia. Saturday stays dry for the Silversides line and Bourbon Fest. Sunday climbs into the mid-50s, which makes it the pick for a pier walk after the flea market.

Rake has two $5 triple bills. In Grand Haven, Grand Armory starts early and Kirby House takes the late shift. Bookmark the Live Music Guide for the rest of the month.

Friday, Nov 6
Grand Armory Brewing | Platypus | 6:30 PM
Rake Beer Project | Prim, Hannah Rose Graves, Slim Buddha | 7 PM, $5
Kirby House | Nate Holley | 9 PM-12:30 AM

Saturday, Nov 7
Grand Armory Brewing | Sweet Lou + The Savages | 6:30 PM
Rake Beer Project | The Monkbirds, JH Patton & The Good Companions, Silveroot | 7 PM, $5
Kirby House | The Cheap Dates | 9 PM-12:30 AM

COLD OPEN

Tucked into the dunes at Muskegon State Park is one of only four luge tracks in the United States, and it was built for beginners. The 850-foot run curls through six turns under the white pines. It's natural ice, so nothing is refrigerated, and the crew waits on real cold to build it by hand. The track dates to 1984, and Mark Grimmette got his start on it before going to five Winter Olympics. A few more weekends like this one and the luge is back in business.

The Lowdown is free, and it's staying that way. No paywall, ever.

Behind every issue is a lot of digging through event pages and Facebook posts, plus more coffee than we'd like to admit. All so everything happening around the lakeshore lands in one spot, twice a week.

If that's become part of your Tuesday and Friday, you can now become a Friend of the Lakeshore. Chip in any amount, and give $5 or more for a Lowdown sticker in the mail, plus a shoutout here if you want one.

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Thanks for reading. If you dig an old Light Night tote out of the closet this weekend, carry it proud. See you Tuesday.

The Lakeshore Lowdown