Imagining Muskegon

Muskegon. You must get to the beach. Now. And you don't want to miss these events...

Come on in...

Well, Muskegon, I have a confession for you - well, actually, two confessions: 1. I haven't been writing too much lately because I've been spending my free time outdoors, most of it at the beach, and 2. I realized I had only been swimming a few times up until this week.

Number 2 is a tragedy, Muskegon. There truly is nothing better than a summer day at a West Michigan beach, and Pere Marquette is the best of the best. Muskegon State Park ain't bad, either. Or Hoffmaster. Or any of 'em around here. For four years, I sorely missed Lake Michigan and the gorgeous shoreline throughout the summer - and I didn't even grow up here. I remember, the first summer I got here, going to the beach every single day, even if I only had an hour before it got dark. My roommate, also from another place, and I would leave parties to go swimming at the beach, then come back...

We just could not understand people here who didn't bother to get to the beach at least a few times a week. Then we met people who hadn't been there yet well into July ... and then August. This was dumbfounding. So, you can imagine my shock at realizing July was getting ready to wrap up and I hadn't been swimming more than a few times - and I hadn't even made it to the beach every day, or every other day sometimes...

Muskegon, I'm here to implore you: Spend more time at the beach. Treasure it. Build sandcastles (still on my list). Play volleyball. Wrestle the waves. Throw a Frisbee. Walk out on the pier. Or just lay out on your towel, soaking up the sun, listening to the breeze, and watching kids of all ages play. Just get down there. Feel the inspiration of this awe-inspiring place. Go as the sun starts its journey into the horizon and you'll be completely in awe...

Don't let August happen without getting to the beach, Muskegon. You'll regret it. Trust me. Take it from someone who's gone without for several years, or take it from someone who grew up playing sand volleyball in front of the bowling alley and swimming in the community pool (both fun enough, but nothing like here, and both not free): It's a one-of-a-kind experience you shouldn't take for granted...

Saturday night at dusk, you can watch the classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off right on Pere Marquette beach, put on by Movies on the Beach Muskegon. For free (with donations appreciated). This was an awesome experience last month, and it'll be bigger and better, literally - with a bigger screen and better sound - this time around.

If you'd rather watch a movie on a boat, you can do that here in Muskegon, too. Friday night, the LST's "Movies on Deck" program will feature Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest. Also at dusk. Also free with donations appreciated. Both events offer the chance to catch a magnificent sunset before enjoying the fruits of Tinseltown. If you're not a movie person, you can enjoy one of the patios of the restaurants around town, or build a bonfire, or check out the farmer's market, or ... go to the beach.

See ya in the waves or on the sand.

--Imaginer