PIP PIP Hooray: Parties in the Park kicks off this Friday, May 31 with its own specialty brew from Pigeon Hill, live music & local food vendors

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The 35th annual Parties in the Park kicks off in downtown Muskegon’s Hackley Park this Friday, May 31 with a ribbon cutting ceremony, the unveiling of a Pigeon Hill beer brewed specifically for the summer-long outdoors concert series, music from Sharrie Williams and the Vincent Hayes Band, and local food vendors.

The ribbon cutting will be held Friday, May 31 at 5:15pm on the Hackley Park stage. The event is free and open to the public.

As part of Friday’s celebration, Pigeon Hill Brewing Company will debut a brew it made for Parties in the Park, named “PIP PIP Hooray.” The Parties in the Park Board of Directors worked with Pigeon Hill to feature the specialty beer, and they asked the public to help name the brew. Esther Ricco submitted the winning name, which plays off of the Parties in the Park acronym, PIP.

“Being big supporters of the community, our downtown and Parties in the Park, we were excited to be able to brew a beer that will be featured at Parties in the Park this summer,” Michael Brower, one of Pigeon Hill’s owners, said in a press release.

PIP PIP Hooray is Pigeon Hill’s take on a summer ale that draws inspiration from classic German beer and  “is the easy drinking summer beer we all deserve,” according to the same release.

Parties in the Park is free and open to the public and will take place from 5pm to 9pm on Fridays throughout the summer. A happy hour will be offered from 5-6pm during each event, when party goers can drink PIP PIP Hooray, in addition to other local craft beers, spritzers, wine, and more, for $1 off.

Friday’s music will come from Sharrie Williams, a Saginaw native who’s known as the “princess of rockin’ gospel blues.”

“Having lived the blues, I sing to inspire people, not to let the blues get the best of you,”  Williams writes on her Facebook page.

Williams has performed across the country and world and JAZZed Magazine named her the 2014 World Artist of the Year.

A renowned blues and blues-rock singer, Vincent Hayes too will perform Friday. Described by Blues Blast Magazine as a “smart guy with a fresh approach to songwriting,” Hayes’ “solos and vocals are impassioned and burn with the heat of a mean who has walked through fire.” Hayes has shared the stage with a veritable “who’s who” of roots and blues music, including Joe Bonamassa, former Bob Marley guitarist Donald Kinsey; Martin Sexton; Joanne Shaw Taylor, Mac Arnold of the Muddy Waters Band; Larry McCray, and many others.

The 2019 lineup for the 35th anniversary season includes:  

At each concert, food from local vendors will be available. The lineup of vendors will rotate at the parties throughout the summer and includes:

• Hey Sugar Cotton Candy Co. (Gourmet cotton candy)
• Abeshi Ghanaian Cuisine (Ghanaian/West African cuisine)
• Aloha Hawaiian Shave Ice (20 flavors of shaved ice)
• Rolling Stone Wood Fired Pizza Co (Wood fired pizza)
• Special Edibles (Street tacos)
• Infused / Just Klassics Deli (Unique Americana)
• Ice Box Brand Ice Cream Bars (Gourmet ice cream bars)
• JP’S HOTDOGS (Vienna beef hot dogs, Chicago style, chili dogs)
• Porknstein (Barbeque and specialty sandwiches)
• Wanda’s frozen yogurt and mini donuts (Frozen yogurt and locally-made sorbet)
• Bernie O’s Pizza (Pizza)
• A & E BBQ (Barbecue)
• Ruth Ann’s Ice Cream (Ice cream)
• Papa J’s Chili Dogs (Hot dogs)
• Fatty Lumpkins (Deli sandwiches)
• Rosita’s Tacos (Tacos)

For more information about Parties in the Park, visit its website and Facebook page.