The Gentex Street Performer Series will kick off in Downtown Holland this week Thursday,  June 13 from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm! The entire community is invited to experience the sights and sounds as 25 different performing artists and groups from every background perform free for the public all along 8th Street  every Thursday evening through August 15. The Street Performer Series will celebrate 20 years this summer  with an exciting line-up of nearly 100 rotating performers throughout the summer, including musicians,  jugglers, balloon twisters, caricature artists, break dancers, henna tattoo artists, and more. The 2024 Street  Performer Series is proudly sponsored by Gentex Corporation in celebration of their 50th Anniversary, with  support from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council.  

“As we look back at these past 50 years, Gentex has grown from a small fire protection business to a global  technology company serving multiple industries,” said Craig Piersma, Gentex’s vice president of marketing  and corporate communications. “One constant throughout the years has been the support of the local  community. Sponsoring the Street Performer Series is a great way to celebrate our golden anniversary  together while saying ‘thank you’ to Holland and all of West Michigan.” 

The Gentex team will be on hand Thursday night to celebrate the Gentex Street Performer Series kick-off  with their famous prize wheel and fun giveaways for all ages! Stop by their table outside of GDK Park from  6:30 pm – 8:30 pm to try your hand at winning a prize and to find out more about the exciting employment  opportunities available at the company.  

Attendees should note that 8th Street will be closed to thru traffic and parking from Columbia Avenue to River Avenue from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm on Thursday nights to accommodate the crowd. Free public parking  for the event is available in the surface lots on 7th and 9th Streets, in the 7th and 9th Street Parking Decks  and at the Holland Civic Center Place. And don’t forget that the Series is free to attend, but tipping the  performers is customary. 

The Downtown Holland Social District is also open during the Street Performer Series, meaning that patrons  ages 21+ can purchase alcoholic beverages at one of nearly 20 different participating establishment to enjoy  while strolling throughout Downtown Holland during the event. For a list of participating establishments, the  social district regulations, and the district boundaries, please visit www.downtownsocialdistrict.com. 

Street Performer Series Performer Line-Up for June 13 

Allison Ann 

Allison Eding is a worship leader currently attending Western Theological Seminary for her Master of Divinity.  She was raised on classic rock and enjoys arranging her dad’s favorite songs and today’s hits with her own folk music twist. 

Alma’s Splash of Color 

Alma Sanchez has been face painting for the past two years at birthday parties, festivals, and community  events. She is excited to return to the Gentex Street Performer Series and face painting on Thursday nights  this summer! Alma uses FDA approved paints and glitters. 

Andy Callis 

Musician Andy Callis has played accordion for a number of bands in the Lansing area, including The Lash,  Zydecrunch, Heartland Klezmorim, and Atomic Boogaloo. He loves how the accordion can instantly evoke a  time and place, as one hears it passing by on a summer evening in the city. 

Audrey and Mark Dykema 

Audrey Dykema and her dad, Mark Dykema, love singing and making music together! They have played at  several coffee house style events and in the worship band at their church. They love to entertain and look  forward to playing together at the Gentex Street Performer Series for the second time this summer.  

Celtic Kilroy Live Statue 

Matt “Celtic” Kilroy is a human statue and talented musician who specializes in Irish music. He has over 40  years of experience playing eight different instruments, both as a soloist and with a Celtic band. About a  decade ago, he added being a human statue to his repertoire, much to the delight of the crowd! 

Connor Scholten 

Connor Scholten first began yo-yoing as a young child in 1997, and he first performed for the public as part  of the first ever Street Performer Series in 2005. He has since worked full time as a yo-yo designer, coached  the top players in the world, and taught yo-yo to thousands of people online. He is also the 2017 and 2018  National Yo-Yo Contest Winner.  

Dan Mutschler 

Dan Mutschler is a self-taught and talented balloon artist who performs regularly at birthday parties, scouting  events, art fairs, and fundraisers. He has over 18 years of experience twisting balloons and is constantly  learning new designs to share with young and old alike, including popular characters, animals, and more! 

Doodle Face 

Brooke Wolf is excited to make her debut as Doodle Face for this year’s Gentex Street Performer Series!  She offers a variety of fun, glitter tattoos with stencils using high quality cosmetic grade glitter that is safe for  skin, latex free, and of course…fun! 

Doug Marlink 

Doug Marlink is a talented banjo player who first began playing banjo in the mid-1970’s. He performs mostly  bluegrass and some jazz music on the banjo. He is a street performer regular who can often be found performing both on the streets of Downtown Holland and at the Holland Farmers Market. 

Floor Fienz 

Floor Fienz is a break-dancing group that has been performing together for over 10 years in the Gentex  Street Performer Series and at fundraisers, car shows, grand openings, and birthday parties. They keep the  crowd entertained with their explosive dance moves and high energy beats. Floor Fienz is currently  partnering with Escape Ministries to grow a breakdancing class where you can learn their moves, too! 

Henna by Anna

 

Anna Hoskins is a full-time artist who holds both a BFA and MFA in drawing from Kendall College of Art and  Design. While she enjoys working in her studio, she loves to combine her passion for art and meeting people  by drawing henna tattoos at parties and events. She has been participating in the Gentex Street Performer  Series for the last 15 years. 

Henna by Jahara 

Jahara Begum has been a Street Performer in Downtown Holland since the beginning of the Gentex Street  Performer Series. She is a highly skilled and experienced henna artist who uses all natural ingredients that  are safe for the skin. Her designs never fail to impress her fans of all ages! 

Holland Doctors of Jazz 

Led by Jeff Carroll, musicians Dave Benjamin, Tim Denbesten, Nate Hanson, Robert Keeley, and Micah  Vanderhill make up the musical group Holland Doctors of Jazz. These highly experienced and talented musicians have been playing a variety of jazz and big band tunes together for the past several years,  performing at community events, restaurants, and stages throughout West Michigan.  

Isabel Noguera 

Singer-songwriter Isabel Noguera has been street performing since she was ten years old. She’s performed  at many local open mic nights at the Saugatuck Brewing Company and the Guardian Brewing Company and  around the streets of South Haven and Saugatuck. She sings all her own original music and recently published an album.  

Lia Weiss-Gelmi 

Lia Weiss-Gelmi is a 19-year-old student at Central Michigan University who has been playing piano and  singing since the age of three and has been performing at the Gentex Street Performer Series since she was nine. Through practice and performance, music is what she loves to do most. At CMU she is majoring in  commercial music and is the music director of one of CMU’s a cappella groups, On The Rox! 

M. Brooks & Larissa Brooks 

Husband and wife duo M. and Larissa Brooks perform a broad range of music including pop, rock, indie, folk,  and classical. Larissa is a classically trained violinist who has performed with the likes of The Who and Sarah  McLaughlin while M. Brooks is a singer/songwriter with two albums to his name. 

Maddy Grace 

Maddy Kok is a local college student who has been singing for as long as she can remember and has been  performing publicly for the last nine years. She taught herself guitar when she was just 11 years old and  began performing publicly in middle school. She has a passion for sharing her music with audiences at  church, school, and on the streets of Downtown Holland. 

Michigan Moonwalker 

Jake Thompson has been dancing like Michael Jackson since 2016, when he first saw a video of Jackson  performing “Smooth Criminal” live. Jacob has performed at high school talent shows and other special  events and is excited to show off his skills at the Series for the fourth summer in a row.  

Mystic 

Maribel “Mystic” Garza is dancer with a passion for the beautiful art of Middle Eastern belly dancing. Since  taking her first class over 20 years ago, she has worked on perfecting the art as both a solo and group  dancer. She especially loves sharing her art by teaching children at the Gentex Street Performer Series how  to belly dance! 

Nick May is Fire 

Nick May is a spectacular performer with over 12 years of experience performing with fire. He blends dance,  theatrics, and music together to bring his performances to soaring heights of awe-inspiring grace and  professionalism. Nick specializes in breath-taking, extraordinary, and multi-talented fire performances.

 

Shawna & Matt Veenstra 

Shawna and Matt Veenstra are a dad and daughter duo with experience in musical theatre. With Matt’s  additional experience performing pop and rock songs in a cover band, they perform duets and solos together  in those genres. Matt is a band teacher at Holland Christian Schools, and Shawna is currently working  towards a music degree in Music Education with an emphasis on voice at the University of Arizona. 

Steve’s Twisted Balloons 

Steve is a dad to two beautiful daughters and the owner of “Steve’s Twisted Balloons.” He started twisting  balloons for family and friends at birthday parties just over three years ago. He is excited to make his return  to the Gentex Street Performer Series this year! 

Suits & Ties 

Suits and Ties is a saxophone duet comprised of Evan Talsma and Joshua Bush. They have both been  playing the saxophone for over six years and are always looking for ways to bring joy to their audience  through music. They mix the unique sound of the saxophone with popular music from well-known artists,  movies, TV shows and more that people know and love! 

Trenton Herald 

Performing since he was just 12 years old, Trenton Herald has a heart for bringing joy through music to  listeners everywhere. With a simple yet soulful approach, Trenton hopes to put a smile on faces and bring  healing to souls from every walk of life.