GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Grand Haven's 96th U.S. Coast Guard Festival was supposed to kick off last Friday, spanning 10 days with 38 events, but due to COVID-19 precautions, the event was cancelled for the first time since it started in 1924.
Executive Director, Commander Michael Smith, said the decision was made after hearing from Grand Haven Public Safety, local health officials and the Coast Guard itself, which he said didn't want to put its men and women in a crowded place if it wasn't essential.
"That was sort of the deciding factor, once the people that we're honoring weren't coming. No ships, no people, no facilities, it was easy to say, 'You know what, we can't do it,'" Smith said.
Now Smith and his team are gathering the pieces and looking forward to next year's event which he says will be the largest Coast Guard Festival yet.
"We're honoring women in the Coast Guard...We're having real-life heroes, or "HERoes," coming from across the country," Smith explained.
However, the time, money and energy of 2020's cancellation will not be forgotten, with expected revenue lost to both Smith's team and local businesses.
"One-third of our budget is based on revenue from the carnival, and our budget generally speaking is around half a million dollars," Smith said, adding that while some business fronts will appreciate the "cleaner" look on downtown streets like Washington Avenue, others hit by the pandemic may miss the foot traffic.
Local business woes have also affected the festival's budget, with some asking for the money they spent on marketing in brochures and other materials back.
"They wanted to participate, but now they need the money...and we get that. We sure get that," Smith said. "Some bigger donors, some corporate donors are saying why don't you just hold it and we'll apply it for next year."
The U.S Coast Guard Festival is a nonprofit and doesn't have income coming in this year. However, Smith said the organization have saved income in the community foundation that it will use to continue Coast Guard activities throughout the year.
This year there will still be a virtual national memorial service on Friday. Community members are also encouraged to decorate their porches and windows patriotically to support the men and women of the Coast Guard. For more information on these events, click here.
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