Hatching a New Plan

Fennville Goose Fest flies in new direction 

Forty years ago folks began flocking to Fennville in October to celebrate the geese that fly overhead every spring and fall. Fennville’s Goose Festival took flight in 1985 as the small Allegan County town tried to convince Amtrak it deserved a stop on the train’s Chicago-Grand Rapids route.

Traffic with festival-goers from Chicago never surged as hoped, and Amtrak axed the stop but the Goose Festival flew on racking up enthusiastic fans.

Now, decades of honking good times later, festival fatigue is setting in.

Long-time volunteers have new commitments and are stepping back after giving “10 to 12 years of their lives to the festival,” City Manager Katie Beemer said. With few new volunteers, festival fans feared Fennville’s goose (festival) was cooked. 

But tentative plans were hatched to roll goose activities into September’s Fourth Friday event this year. Beemer says she’s “85 percent sure” the “Gosling Festival” will fly. It’s slated for Sept. 26. with extended hours until 8 p.m. — and food trucks.

A carnival — a festival favorite for years — will happen the second week in October. With the carnival’s usual downtown site under construction, it’s moving to the school campus.

Beemer called the scaled back event a “pause” allowing officials to “reimagine” its signature festival.  “We are not saying the goose festival is cancelled permanently,” she said.

Thousands visit the festival each year. “That’s a lot of stress on our small town,” she said. “And  vacant parcels used for the festival are now being developed.”

Still Beemer and others are hopeful a new generation of goose leaders will emerge. “The city would welcome any help,” she said. Check the festival website for latebreaking details before heading to Fennville next month. Or the trek could morph into a wild goose chase. fennvillegoosefestival.com