Summer in the City draws crowds to downtown

Published 9:43 am Monday, July 24, 2017

By Ted Yoakum

The sound of country music, the smell of barbecue and the sight of laughing children and smiling parents could be experienced downtown this weekend during the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce’s 32nd annual Summer in the City festival.

The summertime gala took place Thursday through Sunday, and attracted hundreds of visitors, both locally and from the region, to the city’s central business district. On the schedule this weekend was an array of new and returning attractions, including a pair of free concerts, headlined by former American Idol contender Jared Knox Thursday night and by country singer-songwriter Kari Lynch Friday.

The momentum of the first two days carried over into Saturday. In addition to watching performances by the MKSOD and Miss Michele and Co. dance teams, visitors had a chance to sample dishes from eight downtown restaurants during the fifth annual Taste of Dowagiac.

There was plenty for children to do this year as well. In addition to Friday’s Princess Party & Parade, where children had a chance to dress up and meet with the Miss Dowagiac Court, the chamber lined up some new activities for youth this weekend, including a rock climbing wall and a Dixie Twister carnival ride.

However, one of the most popular draws for children was a returning attraction: the Dowagiac Police Department’s dunk tank. For $2, children were given three balls to throw at the target, which, if their aim was right, would plunge the officer sitting atop the tank into a nice cool bath.

If all their throws were unsuccessful, the officers running the booth would look the other way and let the child knock their unlucky comrade into the tank anyway.

This was the fourth year that the department has hosted the dunk tank, said Director of Public Safety Steve Grinnewald. The officers used the activity to raise money for their annual Shop With a Cop program, which they host in conjunction with the Dowagiac VFW every December.

On Friday, the attraction generated more than $200, a figure that Grinnewald hoped to match by the end of Saturday.

“This gives the public a chance to see us [the department] in a fun light,” he said. “Plus, when the weather is hot and humid like it is today, we don’t really mind getting soaked. It’s a win for everyone.”

In spite of the children’s activities, the heart of the festival was still the sidewalk sales. Around 50 booths, set up by local businesses, churches, nonprofits and more, lined Front Street Friday and Saturday to showcase their wares and services to the public.

Among those were members of Dowagiac’s Seventh-Day Adventist Church. In addition to offering visitors a chance to play some Bible trivia, the members also shared information about the church’s diabetes education program, and were raffling off a book about the disease as well.

According to Melody Wallace, the faith community nurse with the church, Summer in the City gives her and members a chance to connect with a different audience than the ones they typically see every Sunday.

“I’ve gotten a chance to connect with people I never see very often,” Wallace said. “A lot of the people who stopped by came away saying they learned something new.”

Located nearby were several spaces occupied by Dowagiac’s O’Larry Collins. The local artist was selling a number of different items, including clothing, records and artwork from his Front Street studio, Art enah Suit, as well as flowers from Creekside Greenhouse, which he owns with his wife, Mildred.

Collins said he was enjoying a busy weekend during the festival, which he has participated in as vendor for the past 30 years.

“Being a local business owner, I want to participate as much as I can in the community,” he said, about what keeps him coming back.

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