Hundreds upon hundreds of fans “walked the beat” to view performances by 56 Michigan bands on Saturday, with the city closing down a major street to give it a “true festival” atmosphere.
Street Music: Crowds reveled in outdoor music at unusual locations on Saturday. (Photo/Local Spins)
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Clearly, Saturday marked a major milestone in the 10-year history of Grand Haven’s Walk the Beat music festival and band competition.
Not only did the event — boasting performances by 56 Michigan acts — close down Beechtree Street to vehicle traffic for the first time ever, allowing pedestrians to roam freely from stage to stage, but Saturday’s celebration of regional music drew the biggest crowd that Walk the Beat has ever seen.
As founder and former Walk the Beat organizer David Palmer put it, it all had a “true festival” feel with families and music mavens flooding the usually busy thoroughfare on the city’s East Side.
The Winning Band: Simply in Time (Photo/Jeff Brinn)
It also proved to be a significant milestone for one West Michigan band in particular: Grand Rapids funk/fusion band Simply In Time was declared the winner of this year’s band competition, based on voting by attendees who cheered performances on 28 stages over a four-hour period amid pleasant weather.
The energetic group — which drew a growing crowd of approving fans throughout its set — won a package of recording time at Third Coast Recording Co. as well as a paid performance in the 2025 U.S. Coast Guard Festival Parade.
“That was a great day,” said Steve Boersma, who plays saxophone and percussion for Simply in Time. “How everything went, how the weather turned out — it couldn’t have gone better. There’s nowhere else where local artists can come in, and win something like this. It’s amazing, and we love being a part of those kinds of things.”
Together for about two years — starting from a set at the open-mic night at the Park Theater in Holland — the group has just clicked as a team, Boersma said.
“It’s just one of those bands that comes around once,” he said. “It’s fun. We keep each other on our toes. We’re just lucky to be a part of it. We have a number of songs written – and now, with this win comes the opportunity to work with one of the best recording studios around.”
FESTIVAL STREET CLOSURE UNIVERSALLY APPLAUDED
Another big winner on Saturday? The street closure, which was universally applauded by festivalgoers who appreciated the traffic-free, pedestrian-friendly milieu in addition to the free music and opportunity to win raffles and door prizes.
“Shutting the street down — that was a stroke of genius,” Boersma said. “The event gets better and better every year.”
Freedom to Roam: The closed Beechtree Street on Saturday. (Photo/Local Spins)
Festival attendees also were treated to countless food trucks, a craft market in Bolt Park and various businesses to stop by along the festival route.
The diversity of music displayed on Saturday – from rock to funk to folk to jazz to blues to bluegrass — impressed fans and bands alike.
“As we are setting up, and I am walking over to register us, I pass a bluegrass band, a heavy metal band, and one of the biggest blues bands in the area setting up along the road,” Boersma said.
“And the group after our set was hip hop and rap. Where else can you get all of those acts next to each other? It’s a wide variety, and you’ll hear a ton of stuff. There’s real talent here.”
The event also supports a good cause, raising money for the Repeat the Beat program that provides instruments, music lessons and music scholarships to children in need.
PHOTO GALLERY: Walk the Beat – Grand Haven
Photos by Jeff Brinn, John Sinkevics and Matt Marn
Copyright 2024, Spins on Music LLC
