GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — The Coast Guard Festival Committee has asked the Grand Rapids City Council to suspend the downtown social district during the festival.
Executive Director of the Coast Guard Festival Committee Michael Smith appeared before the City Council on May 2 to request the suspension of the social district from July 29 through Aug. 6.
"That was done so people don't confuse what the festival is offering and everything else on the street. We don't want people to start thinking that that extends to the carnival area and there's not that much space anymore between what we're doing on the street and what we're doing on main street," Smith said in regards to the suspension.
Smith noted that the Coast Guard Festival has also requested that a beverage area at Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium be approved for all nights of waterfront entertainment. The beverage area would sell beer, wine, water and soda.
At the time of the meeting, establishments that participate in the social districts had not been notified of the request.
It was stated during the meeting that many businesses in the social district have had a hard time staffing and that many thought that it would be difficult to keep up with beverage sales during the festival.
The City Council will make a decision about the suspension at a later date.
Watch the entire Grand Haven City Council meeting here.
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