The Rotary Club of Saugatuck-Douglas is the new organizer of Saugatuck’s perennial Venetian Festival, at least for 2023, following a unanimous vote on January 13 by its board of directors to assume “provisional” leadership of the event. The decision comes after the event’s previous organizer, the Cow Hill Yacht Club, relinquished control of the festival in a letter to the Saugatuck City Council, citing increased complexity and costs and expressing hope the event could transition to “another charitable organization with the resources to organize and manage it in the future.”
The Rotary Club board decided unanimously to accept one year’s provisional leadership of the event, according to an internal Rotary Club communication to its membership: “While it is our intention to organize the event indefinitely, in 2023 we also wish to evaluate the return on investment from the festival and work with you (members) and various partners around town to optimize the event for the future, if possible.”
The Saugatuck Venetian Festival has been a mid-summer mainstay in Saugatuck for decades. Its most recent iteration involves multiple events typically held over two days scheduled the last weekend in July. Friday night of the event has featured a band concert, cash bar, and fireworks. Saturday’s waterborne activities include a traveling “Dinghy Poker” match with prizes awarded for best poker hands collected by small boats at various stops on Lake Kalamazoo, culminating that evening with an illuminated large boat parade along the river.
The Rotary Club is a Douglas-based 501c(3) charitable organization and manages other local events, including the annual Mt. Baldhead Challenge. Billed by Rotary as the “Ultimate Multi-Terrain Race,” that event welcomes 500 mostly out-of-town trail runners every September who compete across the area’s waterways, dune trails, and up Mt. Baldhead’s 302 stairs. The Club directs its annual fundraising to three mission priorities: enhancing youth education and leadership opportunities; preserving the fragile ecosystems of the local environment; and promoting a healthy local economy for all.
Dr. Mark Smaller, President of the local Rotary, commented, “The board stepped up to continue Venetian Fest because it represents what we felt was both an obligation for the community and an opportunity for Rotary.”
In the letter to the Rotary Club’s members explaining the board’s decision, Smaller wrote, “We have decided to dedicate the annual net proceeds of the festival to our environmental imperative, with a special focus on the health of our waterways—the river, harbor, and lake. This emphasis is a natural linkage with a summer festival celebrating our communal life along those waterways” and is a key to a healthy local economy, as well.
Rotary Club Members Garnet Lewis and Cathy North have been named Co-Chairs of the committee to organize the Venetian Festival in 2023. Both are currently serving as leaders on the city councils of The City of Saugatuck and The City of the Village of Douglas, respectively.
Co-Chairs Lewis and North will assemble a team to schedule vendors and suppliers; to work with municipal agencies; to encourage investment from event sponsors; and to coordinate volunteers.
“We are excited to carry on the tradition of Venetian Fest,” says North, “especially with its new focus on the environmental health of our waterways.” Lewis adds, “We won’t be changing much with this year’s event, in order to evaluate how much effort it will take to pull off successfully. But we will be looking to innovate in certain ways that are consistent with efficiency and environmental responsibility.”
Smaller also thanked the previous organizers. “A big shout out and congratulations to the folks at Cow Hill Yacht Club. Their documentation of the steps needed to organize the event has given us a playbook for success.”
The Saugatuck Venetian Fest 2023 is scheduled for July 28 and 29. The crowd-pleasing 1980s cover band “Star Farm” has been booked to perform again on Friday night of the festival.
Those interested in volunteering or sponsoring the event are encouraged to contact the Rotary Club at letstalk@saugatuckdouglasrotary.org