Fiesta Week, a partnership between Latin Americans United for Progress (LAUP) and the City of Holland, continues this Thursday, July 18 from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at the Gentex Street Performer Series in Downtown Holland. The entire community is invited to the Splash Pad Plaza adjacent to the Courtyard Marriott Hotel on Thursday to get a sneak peek at some of talented acts that will be appearing at LAUP’s Fiesta on Saturday, July 20 at the Holland Civic Center. The Street Performer Series will also feature an exciting line-up of over 20 performing artists and groups, including musicians, jugglers, balloon twisters, 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.
From 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm on Thursday, a featured selection of acts from LAUP’s Fiesta will make a special Street Performer Series appearance at the Splash Pad Plaza, including the Ballet Folklorio Sol Atzeca youth dance group, Los Salserines salsa dancers, singer Hector Estupian, and more! The Street Performer Series sponsor, Gentex Corporation, will also be here Thursday night with their famous prize wheel, giveaways galore, and information about opportunities on their Spanish-language production line.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Downtown Holland for LAUP Fiesta Week,” said LAUP Executive Director Johnny Rodriguez. “Our collaboration bridges the community to resources, services, and celebrations. By inviting everyone to join us in celebrating Fiesta Week and Latino culture, we fulfill our mission pillar of celebration and foster community engagement.”
LAUP’s mission is to empower Latinos to create a better community for all through advocacy, celebration, and education. LAUP aims to be the center of influence in the local Latino community that builds bridges to opportunities and creates pathways to success for all. They offer a variety of educational programs for youth and adults, offer services to the Spanish-speaking community, and host a number of events throughout the year, including their annual gala, a youth leadership conference, and their popular Fiesta.
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 while the Series is free to attend, 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 Line-Up for July 18
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.
Chris Clayton Loop
Chris Shideler is a solo musician based in Grand Rapids who takes listeners on a journey with his music. He found his passion for live looping years ago, and through hard work and practice, he has been making music ever since. Chris’ favorite part of performing is showing the crowd how he builds songs up and breaks them back down as he plays.
Debbie DeRienzo
Debbie DeRienzo is a singer/songwriter that discovered her love of music at a young age. After joining the military in 1999, she found singing and playing her guitar to be a comfort for her and many others. She has been a worship leader since 2000, playing at various churches around the world and weekly at her home church. In 2018 Debbie began pursuing songwriting and in 2020, she released her first single.
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.
Flow Like Water
Flow Like Water is break dancing crew that performs regularly at festivals and events throughout West Michigan, bringing the crowd to their feet wherever they go. Their high energy and hip-hop beats are only matched by their amazing dance skills. This highly captivating performance crew seeks to connect within the community through the world of dance.
Gavin Frody
Musician Gavin Frody was born and raised in West Michigan and is a cellist and composer with a love for classical music. He is currently majoring in music at Central Michigan University and performers regularly in various venue around Michigan.
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.
Jlotheartist
Musician Jeanette Locher plays the Native flute and the steel tongue drum and enjoys playing music from the heart. She previously has played music just for herself but is excited to make her Street Performing debut at the Gentex Street Performer Series and the Holland Farmers Market this summer!
Juan’s Twist and Splash Balloons
Juan Sanchez is a newly self-taught balloon twister who loves the joy balloons bring to children! He is looking forward to making his debut appearance at the Gentex Street Performer Series this summer.
Lisa Bullis-Dennen
Lisa has been a student and performer of Arab dance for over 20 year and now focuses solely on Egyptian dance styles. Her goal is to present an authentic and emotionally rich experience. Lisa lives part-time in Egypt, immersed in the rich history and culture. Her daily experiences adapting to another way of life show up in her dancing, from the improvisational nature, to connecting with the audience and music.
Living Statue by LKFelder
Linda Felder uses her previous skills of being a live mannequin in clothing stores and her love of theater to become a living statue. Upon a time of overwhelming grief in her life, she was able to find joy in spending her creative energy creating a new character, The Guardian Angel of Animals. This character symbolizes a vigil for the safety and well-being of all pets and a loving escort over the rainbow bridge when the day arrives.
Liv for Henna
16-year-old Alivia Apol has loved all forms of art her entire life and has recently started learning and perfecting her henna art skills! Though she has applied henna tattoos at birthday parties and other events, she is excited to share her talents with Downtown Holland for the first time as a part of the Gentex Street Performer Series!
Mid-Coast Balladeers
Musicians Alexa McCoy, and Julian, Annika, and Kirsten Kuz make up the Mid-Coast Balladeers playing as a family group. They love creating music together at home and at their farm using voice, guitar, ukulele, keyboard, and various hand percussion instruments.
Miriam DeYoung
Singer-songwriter Miriam DeYoung comes from a small beach town in West Michigan. She creates her own unique sound, combining the country music she was raised on with pop and indie folk music. Miriam is currently a junior at Belmont University studying songwriting and music business. She is eager to see where life takes her as she embarks on her own musical journey!
SAB
Saxophone players Evan Talsma, Joshua Bush, and Tristan Patch make up the saxophone trio, SAB. They love to share their music with people and have a good time! They are looking forward to performing in the Series for the first time as a group this summer.
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. 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.
Sunday Scaries Acoustic
Musicians Kaitlyn Jacobs, Paul Van Kempen, Sly Burress, and Jill Zuber make up the Sunday Scaries Acoustic group. Paul plays acoustic guitar while Kaitlyn sings, with Jill on keyboard and Sly on the Cajon.
Thatjugglingirl
Kaylin Meyers began juggling in 2019 to train her muscles to recover from an arm injury, and she has loved it ever since! Since then, she has performed and won awards at the International Jugglers’ Association Festival and has amassed quite a following online. Kaylin currently works for the Great Lakes Circus Center as a juggling instructor, and travels around the country to various juggling festivals!
The Balloon Guy
Jim Perry "The Balloon Guy" has been entertaining children of all ages with his remarkable balloon twisting skills for more than 40 years. He is a graduate of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College and travelled the country for four years with different circuses. He has participated in the Gentex Street Performer Series since 2016.
The Fox Chasers
Musicians Kerry O’Donohue and Noah Jacobs make up the traditional Celtic music duo, The Fox Chasers. They specialize in traditional music of Ireland playing instruments such as the fiddle, guitar, bodhran, tin whistle, and Uilleann pipes. Kerry and Noah are both trained performers who play Irish reels, jigs, polkas, and more all around the Holland area.
The Sound Still
Jessica Herbst and Joseph Ortega are a brother and sister duo who have been playing together since childhood. Joseph plays the piano and guitar and Jessica sings harmony alongside him. They cover popular hits from the 90’s and 2000’s.
Zach Rasmusson Ministries
Zach Rasmusson has been a youth pastor for the past 20 years and has always had a love for music. He has found playing and writing music brings him healing, leading him to love creating. He has played in numerous bands but is excited to make his solo debut in the Gentex Street Performer Series this summer!
