Picnics and Parades: 100 Years of the Coast Guard Festival
The Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival is a nationally renowned event attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The fact that the Coast Guard has a festival of this size and importance is unsurprising. The Coast Guard is, after all, a vital part of the United States military that saves lives at sea and enforces the law in U.S. waters. But, how did the most popular Coast Guard Festival come to be in Grand Haven, Michigan?
August 4, 2024 marked 100 years since the first Coast Guard Festival was (almost) held in Grand Haven. It started as a small picnic for 'Coasties' and their families to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the Coast Guard in 1790. From those humble beginnings, it has become a massive festival encompassing several days and a multitude of events. This exhibition explored the history of the Festival and how it came to be the event it is today. Highlighted topics included the early years of the picnic, the transition from picnic to festival, the effects of WWII and the sinking of the USCGC 'Escanaba', the Festival’s postwar growth, and the importance of memorialization to the Festival.
