Editorial: It’s Lakefest week end in Belleville

This is the third year that Lakefest has been celebrated in Belleville and this year the lake really is the focus of the most eye-catching of all the action.
Although Lakefest is sponsored by the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Belleville Yacht Club, a men’s club in Van Buren Township, has stepped to the forefront and put together hydroplane boat races for Saturday and Sunday on the lake between Horizon Park and Fireworks Island/Hillside Cemetery.
The club members and families worked hard to clean up the lakeside, are setting up bleachers in the park for the public to view the races free of charge, and gathered a large number of sponsors to help pay for it. They set up a sample boat on display in BYC leader Scott Jones’ shopping center near the Belleville Bridge to keep the races in everyone’s mind.
The city council killed the Strawberry Festival a few years back, mainly because people were being paid to put it on, and instead backed the Lakefest which is mainly run by volunteers and to earn money for non-profit groups. Some council members have ties to the BYC and the council has given the festival and the BYC everything they’ve asked for, including closing the cemetery for most of two days.
Lakefest is aimed at a different crowd and activities start with a pub crawl where you can walk around and drink over most of downtown. The homey beer tent at St. Anthony’s used to be the place to hang out at Strawberry Fest. This small town is changing fast. Enjoy the slicker Lakefest.