“Christmas in July” will be theme for this weekend’s Venetian Festival on the Kalamazoo Lake and River waterfront.
Fun starts this Friday night, July 25, with a dance party in Saugatuck’s Coghlin Park, continues Saturday afternoon with a dinghy poker run and first-time Douglas Duck Dash, and extends into evening with a lighted boat parade and fireworks just after sunset.
The Saugatuck-Douglas Rotary Club, which will once again organize this year’s fun, invites every to join in. Proceeds will help enhance the ecological vitality of local waterways. On tap:
Lansing-based ‘80s tribute band Starfarm will highlight Friday’s festivities stepping onto Coghlin Park’s waterfront stage to play dance tunes at 7 p.m. and continuing till around 10:30. The half-acre park is at 60 Griffith St., downtown Saugatuck, on the corner of Culver Street.
By all means, come early. This age-21+ event opens at 5 p.m. and will feature local food vendors, beer, wine and lots of neon. Costumes are encouraged — whether it’s leg warmers, Santa hats or both.
Tickets are $18 in advance — to order, visit saugatuckventianfest.com — or $20 at the gate.
Saturday fun starts with the annual Dinghy Poker Run on Kalamazoo Lake/River starting from Coghlin Park docks at noon and running till 3 p.m.
Participants, many armed with water cannons and/or other needed provisions, will cruise the waterway collecting poker cards at participating docks. Those who return with the best hands will win prizes. Captains can register at the aforesaid website.
Douglas’s Beery Field will host a Duck Dash from 1 to 4 p.m. Adopt a rubber duck (or several) and cheer them on as they race through the downtown park. Prizes for the fastest finishers. You can adopt a duck on the event website.
Dusk will bring a boat parade of creatively-lit and decorated vessels cruising the river. Best viewing will be from Saugatuck’s Wicks Park. Register your boat at the event website.
Fireworks — shot over the harbor and viewable from many waterfront parks — will follow as darkness falls.
Venetian Fest is more than just a celebration. All proceeds will support Rotary’s 501c3 mission to protect the local environment.
“The club’s evemt management,” said president-elect Ashley Siebelink, “takes many months of planning and loads of volunteers.
“We take on the effort every year specifically to improve and preserve the ecological vitality of our local waterways — the Kalamazoo River, our Harbor, and Lake Michigan,” she continued.
“Every ticket sold and duck adopted helps make a difference.”
Rotary — partnering with the Outdoor Discovery Center, local governments and stakeholders — agreed early this summer to provide funds and expertise towards priorities of the Kalamazoo River Greenway Project.
The club’s contribution came directly from net proceeds from last year’s festival. Rotary also committed $20,000 more in 2024 to help Saugatuck and Douglas control invasive Eurasian water milfoil from Wade’s Bayou and the harbor.
“This strategic alliance to enhance and protect the river’s lower watershed will engage us for many years and bring direct benefits to our local communities,” said current club president Wayne Titus.
The ODC Network, a 501c3 nonprofit nature-based education and conservation organization, was commissioned in January 2018 by what is now Michigan’s Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) department to develop a master plan for a Lower Kalamazoo River Greenway (KRG).
The goal is to implement a greenway corridor along the river in Allegan County addressing environmental restoration, recreation, conservation and education.
The plan was developed with input from the local municipalities and community groups, and approved as resolutions from Saugatuck, Douglas and Saugatuck Township in 2019-2020.
“We’re excited to be a part of these renewed efforts now,” said ODC Greenway Manager Dan Callam. “These partners showed so much enthusiasm during the creation of the master plan, but unfortunately the pandemic slowed its momentum.
“Feeling the energy for the Greenway ramping back up brings everyone that much closer to having more water and hiking trails, high-quality green spaces, and accessible outdoor education,” Callam said.
The Kalamazoo River in the county is part of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund designation for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) contamination, restricting use of the river and planning future activities in some situations.
While cleanup efforts will likely go on for years, the Greenway’s development will allow communities to promote safe use of the river while enhancing connectivity between them with more safe water access points.
The KRG plan targets for remediation additional issues facing the river corridor beyond the PCB levels, including removing and managing excess sedimentation, reducing high phosphorus levels, and controlling invasive species.
“We’re ‘all-in’” says Douglas Mayor Cathy North. “Our relationships over the years with these two responsible and credible partners — the ODC Network and the Rotary Club — have always been positive. The KRG promises to take that to a much higher level.”
For Venetian Fest sponsorship opportunities, volunteer sign-up or more information, contact Siebelink at ashley@saugatuck.com or (269) 857‑1701.
