A free concert series coming to downtown Muskegon this summer aims to bring the community together through music.
The 11 concerts will take place on consecutive Saturdays from June through
August. The concerts will feature a different musical genre each week.
The inaugural series is being organized by the Lakeshore Legacy Project, which is promoting Muskegon and the Lakeshore as the place to be this summer.
“They have been great partners in helping this thing really get moving,” says organizer Terry Puffer. He anticipates the concerts will draw 1,000 to 2,000 people each weekend, and “likely much more, as they overlap many other events going on in Muskegon at the same time. We have also partnered with several other non-profits as well as other events to pair with ours perfectly to create a much larger turnout for everyone.”
All events will be held at Hot Rod Harley Davidson property, at 149 Shoreline Drive, in downtown Muskegon.
In addition to live music, the events will provide family-friendly activities including yard games, face painters, magicians, clowns, and food trucks. Adults can enjoy craft brews of all kinds and craft cocktails while playing giant beer pong, large jenga, and cornhole games.
Providing experiences for all
The mission of Lakeshore Legacy Project is to mitigate the income inequality divide
in West Michigan through immersive and community-building events, striving to
offer people of all ages the chance to experience life-enriching events for free.
Puffer, now a successful real estate agent, says he committed to making the event free because he grew up poor.
“I wasn’t able to experience these types of events when I was a kid,” he says. “I don't think I even went to a concert until I was almost 20 years old. I just want to give back to the community, to help it grow, and support the youth.”
The VanDyke Mortgage Summer Concert Series activities will begin at noon each
Saturday and run until 10:15 p.m. The concerts will be on the main stage at Hot
Rod Harley-Davidson. They will be presented by VanDyk Mortgage, West Michigan K-9, Terry Puffer-Five Star Real Estate, Rad Dad’s, Forrest Tax & Accounting, The Leonard Building, Journey Construction, and Rake Beer Project.
Saturday, June 4: Reggae
Noon-1 p.m.: Hurricane
1:30-3:30 p.m.: Indika Reggae Band
4-5 p.m.: The Jetts
5:30-7:30 p.m.: The Ries Brothers
8-10:15 p.m.: The Bumpin’ Uglies
Saturday, June 11: Classic Rock
Noon-12:30 p.m.: Extension Cord
1-2 p.m.: Group Therapy
2:30-3:30 p.m.: Big Cadillac
4-5 p.m.: Rocket Queen
5:30-7:30 p.m.: Crazy Babies
8-10:15 p.m.: Shallow Side
Saturday, June 18: Country/Blues
Noon to 1:30 p.m.: Steeple Hill
2-3 p.m.: Chad Flores
3:30-4:30 p.m.: Kari Holmes
5-6 p.m.: Big Daddy Fox
6:30-7:30 p.m.: Nate Dill
8-10:15 p.m.: Jake Kershaw
Saturday, June 25: Motown/Jazz/R&B
Noon to 2:30 p.m.: West Side Soul Surfers
3-5 p.m.: The Skeletones
5:30-7:30 p.m.: Airtight
8-10:15 p.m.: Hollywood Swinging – Cool and the Gang
Friday, July 1: Electronic Dance Music
Noon-1 p.m.: DJ Jodi Dro
1:30-2:30 p.m.: DJ Jason G
3-4 p.m.: Shleepy Boi
4:30-5:30 p.m.: DJ Pumba
6-7:30 p.m.: Team Jet Pack
8-10:15 p.m.: Kalendar
Saturday, July 2:, EDM
Noon-1 p.m.: DJ Saxony
1:30-2:30 p.m.: DJ Prim
3-4 p.m.: Some Black Cat
4:30-5:30 p.m.: Farrero
6-7 p.m.: Pandora
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Flats Stanlie
9-10:15 p.m.: Faren
Saturday, July 9: Funk Jam Bands
Noon to 2 p.m.: Common Molly
2:30-3:30 p.m.: The Last Straw Motel
4-5 p.m.: Spike the Media
5:30-7:30 p.m.: Desmond Jones
8-10:15 p.m.: Flexadecibel
Saturday, July 16: Acoustic/Indie
Noon to 1 p.m.: Emily and Mark Joyce
1:30-3:30 p.m.: Bri Baron
4-5 p.m.: Found Innocents
5:30-7:30 p.m.: Kanin Elizabeth
8-10:15 p.m.: Will Evans
Saturday, July 23: ‘80s-’90s Pop
Noon to 12:30 p.m.: Sophie Sillman
1-2:30 p.m.: Hitlist
3-5 p.m.: ID10T5
5:30-7:30 p.m.: Upcoast Kin
8-10:15 p.m.: Fool House
Saturday, July 30: Rock/Rap Rock
Noon to 1 p.m.: Above the Flames
1:30-3:30 p.m.: Colt Snufer and the Deadhorseman
4-5:45 p.m.: Chocolate Starfish & the Hotdog Flavored Water – Limp Bizkit Tribute
6:15-7 p.m.: Renegades of Funk – Rage Against the Machine Tribute
7:30-8:15 p.m.: Steal this Band – System Of A Down Tribute
9-10:15 p.m.: Avalon Black
Saturday, Aug. 6, Urban Arts-Artists, Spoken Word, DJs
Noon to 2 p.m.: DJ Q89 and DJ Kay Kakes
2-3 p.m.: DJ E Hill and Mikke Clanton; Kaizen Kabir (transition poetry)
3-4 p.m.: DJ Tone, Z-BO and Rockstar Kashcal; Gemini Da Poet (transition poetry)
4-5 p.m.: DJ Big Dawg Blast and Young Ra; Kaizen Kabir
5-6 p.m.: DJ Andrew Rodriguez; Prolific Da Poet (transition poetry)
6-7 p.m. DJ Nelly Nel, Ruben Martinez and Huff the Goat; Gemini Da Poet
7-8 p.m.: DJ Jodi Dro, Reggie Brown and Nique Got-It
8-9 p.m.: DJ Bet, DJ O Cuts and DJ Nano 2 Hype
9-10 p.m.: DJ Yung and Mr 1204
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