Waterfront sounds: Free festival to feature alternative music at Pine Grove Park

Families looking to catch a variety of sounds in alternative music with waterfront views will get the chance when the Lake Bonisteel Music Association returns to Pine Grove Park on Saturday in Port Huron.

Slated from noon to 8 p.m. at the city's park, LBMA Fest is free and set to feature several groups, including some local talent, as well as kids’ crafts, local vendors, and what the association has dubbed an instrument petting zoo.

LBMA, also behind the longer-established BlueChiliGrass Festival at Goodells County Park, is a small volunteer-based organization.

President Josh Raynard said LBMA Fest was originally a product of COVID-19 as the group looked for a way to emerge from the pandemic.

“We have it geared (so that) pretty much anybody in the community can enjoy it,” he said. “As far as the music itself goes, we range anywhere (in variety) from Ben Traverse is a sing-along, sea-shanty-kind of stuff to some of the acts are more eclectic and experimental electronic music. Daniel the Lion, he plays electric guitar ran through looper pedals and that’s completely just instrumental music. So, a real kind of calm and chill. And beyond the music, we’re definitely geared toward the whole family being able to get out there.”

Other groups slated to perform include Porn Cursive, Mercury Salad, Kate Hinote Trio, the Eclectic, and Yeddie.

Raynard said attendees were encouraged to bring a lawn or lounge chair to sit and relax, listening to the music. He said they hoped it’d be a good time for anyone passing through.

“If parents want to go play at the play set, they’ll be able to still hear the music, and we’re going to have artists and vendors out there with handmade crafts,” Raynard said. “We’ll have some food vendors out there for people to get a snack.”

What's an instrument petting zoo?

Raynard said that’s a question they get a lot.

“Everybody wants to know all the time. So, that’s something geared toward kids, as well,” he said. “Unfortunately, a lot of times, the arts are cut through school programs and that sort of thing. We have a fund that we call the Gary Sargent Memorial Fund, and the funds that we put into that, we use for the instrument petting zoo, for part of it.

“And what we did is purchase a brand-new acoustic guitar, a couple of ukuleles, some bongos, a cajon, djembes, which are hand drums, and a couple other toys. So, we’re going to have those laid out under a tent. We have some local musicians, who will give the kids some instruction on how to play those for a time at the festival.”

Among the only time-sensitive pieces to the fest, Raynard said kids will be given a free raffle ticket for a chance to win and take an instrument home with them.

The drawing will take place before the last band takes the stage, he said, sometime between 6 and 7 p.m.

“The kids and their parents need to be present to be able to take those instruments home,” Raynard added.

For more information on the LBMA and Saturday’s event, visit the association on Facebook.

Those interested in supporting the association can do so via PayPal at LakeBonisteel@gmail.com, Venmo @lakebonisteel, or via check to the Lake Bonisteel Music Association at P.O. Box 595662, Fort Gratiot, MI 48059.

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.