Lowell Township's Inaugural BridgeFest

By Justin Tiemeyer || Contributing writer

08/17/2024

On Saturday, August 10, 2024, the Lowell Charter Township Parks Committee put on its inaugural BridgeFest event at Grand Riverfront Parks. Jennette Stevenson, who sits on the Parks Committee, described the event as "a vibrant hub of activity, offering an array of entertainment, culinary delights, and family-friendly fun!"

"Activity" was certainly the name of the game, as the major pull at North Grand Riverfront Park was a pickleball tournament thrown by Fusion Sports MI, and men's and women's beach and grass volleyball tournaments were the core attractions at South Grand Riverfront Park, courtesy of Lowell's own T.A.G. Beach Volleyball Club.

The festival was also activity-focused in that the day's events took place across Lowell Township's 80-acre North and South Grand Riverfront Park, which meant that, unless you happened to bring a golf cart, bicycle, or other path-drivable vehicle, you were going to get a lot of steps in, enjoying everything that Lowell BridgeFest had to offer.

There were a number of other sports, as well. At 8 am, runners engaged in the BridgeFest 5k, organized by Grant Hengesbach, the same Grant who was responsible for the River Trail Triathlon in June and Run the Riverwalk 5k in July. There was also a disc golf doubles tournament and a learn-to-play clinic, sponsored by the Lowell Ultimate Frisbee club.

Notably absent from BridgeFest was a soccer event, as South Riverfront Park is a favorite location for the wildly popular (even in the U.S. these days!) sport. A couple of attendees took full advantage of the vacant soccer fields, however, using them as a racetrack for RC cars, and those cars were going so fast, it was a wonder they did not take flight.

Just across the newly constructed Splash Pad, which was not in use at the time of BridgeFest and roped off lest attendees trip and fall on what is technically still a construction site, Impact Church hosted six KidZone bounce houses. There were enough bounce houses to showcase what can be done with inflatable technology, from races to mazes to jousting, and the children had a great time there, once the event opened at 11 am.

At noon, Corner Stop opened its shudders to offer free ice cream to all attendees, on Impact Church's dime. In the morning, it was windy and a bit chilly, but the sun decided to come out in full force by noon, and that meant there was a huge line for the free ice cream.

The long, wooden bridge that gave its name to the festival served as a venue for music from 10 am to 5 pm. Bands like RustyPickle, Hawks and Owls, The Cheater B's, and The Easy Idle String Band entertained passersby as they travelled from North to South Grand Riverfront Park and back. The music was much appreciated, but it did pose a logistical challenge; it was possible to either walk from one park to the other or stop and enjoy the music, not both, and bands, like Easy Idle, were best equipped for this with their mobile band leader.

Food options at BridgeFest included Fat Guy's Burgers, Biggby Coffee, and the debut of Bobbie Sue's Roadhouse before the grand opening of their brick-and-mortar location, expected later this month.

This was the first year of the event, so it was not without the occasional hiccup. As mentioned earlier, the morning winds boded poorly for the outdoor sporting event, but the weather eventually complied with the wishes of attendees, more and more, as they day went on. There were also a number of community members discontent with the fact that Lowell Charter Township elected to name its event after another nearby summer celebration, as Saranac has celebrated its own Bridgefest for nearly forty years. Finally, spread as it was over such a large park, even an incredibly well-attended event might have been perceived as sparce.

At the end of the day, it is clear that Lowell BridgeFest has good bones. Focused as it is on outdoor activities, the event could have just as easily been called Lowellympics or something similar, avoiding any further dispute with the Village of Saranac. Furthermore, the township is mere weeks from opening the Splash Pad, albeit briefly and only to verify that everything is working before shutting it down for the off-season, and a Splash Pad will be a powerful pull for future events. BridgeFest 2024 was a decent event to display what might be possible for Grand Riverfront Parks in the future.