GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — The Coast Guard City, USA sign on Dewey Hill is up and all the fences, tents and kiosks are being put in place as people flood the streets of Grand Haven for the 101st annual Coast Guard Festival.
It's one of the busiest weeks of the year for Grand Haven businesses as hundreds of thousands of people are expected to make the trip to the lakeshore community this week.
WATCH: About 400K visitors expected for Coast Guard Festival as businesses prepare for busy week
"It's one of our top fives, I'll be honest with you," said Sharon Behm, co-owner of Borr's Shoes & Accessories.
"For us, just having an event that honors the people who are right in our backyard that serve our country, that's the best part about it," said Dave Evanoski, Grand Haven Beach Company owner.
It's been a busy week for businesses and people working the festival as they prepare for their biggest week of the year.
"This week has been really busy, really crazy, but fun crazy. We're just all super excited to get it going," said Tracy Riley, Coast Guard Festival executive director.
Riley says that last year's 100th celebration brought in the most people ever, and they expect something close to the same this year.
"I would say anywhere from 350 to 400,000 people that come to town throughout this ten-day festival," Riley shared.
Behm is celebrating her 26th Coast Guard Festival in the downtown storefront. She told me she's seen a lot of changes to the festival over the years, but says it continues to be one of her busiest weeks.
"The nice part is it kind of ramps up slowly. We get more visitors, and then they keep building and building and building. So, it gives us an opportunity to kind of be like, 'Ok, now we're ready for it,'" said Behm.
Evanoski, whose Grand Haven Beach Company sits next to the Waterfront Stadium, says Grand Haven's shoreline and reputation as Coast Guard City, USA, bring in big business every summer, and says the festival is one of the most exciting weeks of the year.
"Coast Guard Festival is exciting because, like I said, it brings new people; We always ask everyone when they come in, 'Hey, where are you from,' and they tell us from California, Germany, wherever," said Evanoski.
Riley says the city's appreciation for its Coast Guard members helps give Grand Haven the moniker Coast Guard City, USA, and says the city's support is why the festival has such a big impact every year.
"Everybody in Grand Haven says 'hey, we're Coast Guard City,' and that's the way it's been forever. It's just so great to be here in Grand Haven and just have this support," said Riley.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
