Despite being bombarded with rainstorms and baked by high temperatures, hundreds of people visited downtown Dowagiac last weekend during the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce’s Summer in the City Festival.

The 30th rendition of the event offered plenty of attractions that visitors have come to expect from the July celebration, including the Taste of Dowagiac, which gave people the opportunity to sample dishes from the institutions that comprise the area’s culinary landscape; the BMX stunt demonstrations by AGA Nation, which showcase a skillset not typically seen on the small town streets of Dowagiac; and the performance by the Pokagon Band’s Drum and Dance Troop, which gives visitors the opportunity to witness first-hand the culture and heritage of our community’s first residents.

The sidewalk sales were also back for this year’s event, with dozens of local businesses, organizations and other entities lining booths on Front Street showing off the goods and services they provide the community.

The chamber wasn’t content with simply reheating and serving what has already worked in the past, though.

This year, organizers introduced the first-ever Dowagiac Amazing Race. Twelve teams, comprised of people from throughout the community, raced to be the first to complete a series of challenges located throughout the area, which included everything from kayaking on the Mill Pond to making tobacco pouches at the Pokagon Band governmental offices.

This year also marked the first time that the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services held their annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser in conjunction with the festival. The move from the high school to downtown brought several new faces to the event and a lot more visibility to the event and the support organization itself, organizers said.

We applaud the chamber for their efforts to continue to evolve the 30-year-old summer festival. For something that’s been around for so many years, its easy to keep falling back on what works; however, organizers have shown they are willing to spend the extra time and effort to come with great new events for visitors, and to continue to reach out to other local entities to help improve the festival.

With the extra visitors Summer in the City and other chamber events bring into Dowagiac, everyone benefits from their continued growth and success.

Congratulations to another great festival. We’re already looking forward to what you have up your sleeves for next year.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.