Although Grand Haven’s multi-venue Walk the Beat fest won’t fire up this August, Saturday’s ‘Keep the Beat Alive’ concert will rock the lakeshore city with popular acts from past events.
Keeping the Beat Alive: Teenage guitarist Jake Kershaw, 2016’s Walk the Beat contest winner, will play Saturday’s concert in Grand Haven. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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An event that’s captured hearts – and enchanted music lovers – in Grand Haven in recent years won’t light up the city’s streets this August, but a new celebration will still “Keep the Beat Alive.”
Returning Winner: Melophobix won the 2017 band competition. (Photo/Stephani Fulks)
With Walk the Beat choosing to forego its unusual, multi-venue band competition and festival in Grand Haven for 2018, the non-profit organization will instead host a “Keep the Beat Alive” concert on Saturday (July 28) featuring several performers who’ve won Walk the Beat events in the past: young blues sensation Jake Kershaw, funk-rock’s Melophobix and prog-rock’s Cosmic Knot.
Oh, and Walk the Beat’s principal organizer over the years, Dave Palmer, will also be part of the lineup, performing as Dave Palmer & His Only Friends.
The event takes place on two stages from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the corner of Fulton Street and N. Beechtree Street on the city’s East Side, coinciding with the first day of the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival and its “soft” opening weekend.
The Concert Lineup
Cosmic Knot follows this up by performing at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mulligan’s Hollow during the Coast Guard Festival as part of the Coast Guard City Century Tour bike race sponsored by Loose Spokes.)
Although the concert is free and open to the public, Walk the Beat will accept donations for the M.E.L.O.D.Y. program at the Ottawa County Juvenile Detention Center – a program which helps give young adults in the detention center an alternative, goal-driven, musical avenue to express themselves and their emotions, opening up new possibilities for them.
“We just want to keep our name out there and keep up support for Walk the Beat in the community,” said Bob Moore, a volunteer with Walk the Beat. “And then, next year, we at Walk the Beat are fully planning on throwing a full, traditional, festival event across the east side of Grand Haven.”
‘FANTASTIC’ LINEUP OF PAST PERFORMERS AND A GREAT CAUSE
Moore first attended Walk the Beat in 2015, falling in love with the unique event that had dozens of regional acts performing at various businesses in Grand Haven, while fans strolled from performance site to performance site and voted for their favorite bands.
Song Contest Winner: Cosmic Knot won best song for 2017. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
He later offered his volunteer services to Palmer and Walk the Beat, and the two worked side-by-side, putting up flyers and posters to helping arrange details with participating vendors and locations.
While the August 2017 festival staged on Grand Haven’s east side was a success, the planning and facilitating of the event – as well as assisting organizers with the inaugural Walk the Beat Festival in a second location in Albion, Mich. – proved too much to manage for Palmer and the limited staff of Walk the Beat. So, the group decided to skip hosting Walk the Beat in 2018.
Moore was shocked when he heard the news and members of the community shared his disbelief. But Palmer had a new idea: stage a single concert event instead, one that would showcase some of Walk the Beat’s most popular past performers. Moore loved that idea and jumped at the chance to help.
Dave Palmer
“I think my experience so far at Walk the Beat has been great,” Moore said of the past festivals which have not only showcased a host of regional musicians but also raised money to help facilitate local music education programs, getting instruments and music lessons into the hands of those who may not be able to enjoy them otherwise.
“I have lived and worked in Lansing for 30 years, and I don’t think the music events over there are anything compared to Walk the Beat. The skill shown by the bands, and the music they put out… it just blows me away. I’m pumped… these guys are all fantastic.”
The event will also offer food, games for children and prizes. Get more information about Saturday’s concert online here. Keep the Beat Alive is hosted by GLASSource and City Auto Body
Check out past coverage of Walk the Beat festivals:
2017 – Melophobix and Cosmic Knot top bands to win Grand Haven’s 2017 Walk the Beat competition
VIDEO: Jake Kershaw, Live at the 2018 Jammies
VIDEO: Cosmic Knot, “Like a Gypsy”
VIDEO: Melophobix, “Seatbelts”
VIDEO: Dave Palmer & His Only Friends, “Pretty Soon”
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