Celebrate Clean Water in Kalamazoo

Michiganders are gathering in Kalamazoo to celebrate clean water and a healthy Kalamazoo River and watershed.

That scene may seem far away, with the recent Enbridge oil spill near Marshall. Organizers of a first annual Water Festival in Kalamazoo on Saturday, Aug. 14, are moving ahead, however. 

The festival was planned before the oil spill. A Kanoe the Kazoo paddle trip had to be canceled. But there will be activities, bands, poetry, and displays from organizations and businesses working to foster a sustainable Great Lakes economy. 

"Water Festival organizers, sponsors, participants, and artists are committed to cleaning up old pollution and preventing new pollution," the organizers say on a web site. 

Proceeds will be set aside for the second-annual festival and Kalamazoo River Watershed Council programs.

There's more coverage of the event on Mlive, including a video from one of the bands.