FENNVILLE, Mich. — New downtown improvements in Fennville, including a splash pad, outdoor gathering spaces and a newly built amphitheater, are already drawing residents and visitors to the city’s slate of summer events.
WATCH: Fennville unveils splash pad, amphitheater as part of downtown revitalization effort
The upgrades were showcased during the opening concert of the Fennville City Music Hall Series, where attendees gathered outdoors to hear performances from local and regional musicians.
Sweet Dee and the Wild Honeys were among the first acts to perform on the new stage. The band blends “Americana western swing” with jazz and gypsy jazz influences, musician Dee Sutton said.
“Oh, honored. Absolutely. Fennville has done a fantastic job at making a really cool space," Sutton said. “The fact that they put it somewhere and were thoughtful about making sure that there’s shade, trees for the area, and people can walk to all the restaurants and whatnot. It’s cool."
The city-owned venue is part of a broader downtown redevelopment effort led by the Fennville Downtown Development Authority.
“It’s really been what we call placemaking, and that’s kind of making a space that people want to come to, to be in, in downtown Fennville,” said Micah Machiela, coordinator for the authority. “A place where people can get a meal or a social district drink from one of the restaurants and come enjoy outdoors, or just spend some time in our downtown.”
State grant funding helped support the improvements.
“We have our splash pad, our outdoor fireplace here, and just the open seating area there where people can stop to take a seat or have a bite,” Machiela said.
Longtime musician and Fennville native Andrew Schrock also performed at the amphitheater during the city’s summer kickoff celebration last weekend. Schrock, a member of the Schrock Bros and the Great Lakes Brass, said the venue compares to concert spaces he has seen while performing around the country.
“I’ve played a lot of summer concert series all over the state and the country, and so I’ve seen these other spaces,” Schrock said. “So to be able to have that in our downtown, it was pretty, pretty special.”
Schrock also serves as chair of the Downtown Development Authority and helped oversee the project.
“People should come and check out Downtown Fennville, because we got a lot of cool stuff going on here,” Schrock said. “We have community concerts every Thursday for the next eight Thursdays.”
City leaders say the amphitheater and surrounding improvements are intended to create a stronger sense of community while supporting local businesses through events like the City Music Hall Series and Fourth Friday celebrations.
For Sutton, the experience left a lasting impression on the city itself.
“I was driving into town, and I’m wondering, like, what’s the school district like here, because this place is pretty rad,” Sutton said. “You’re close to the coast, and you’ve got amazing food here, so good community, music lovers, lot of arts and culture, it seems.”
PRIOR COVERAGE: Fennville downtown revival brings new businesses, Wine Trail Inn hotel opening
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