BELDING, Mich. — Belding is gearing up for its 118th annual Labor Day Celebration – a holiday weekend, complete with parades, free community events, a carnival, and of course Sunday night fireworks.
"A lot of what we do is tradition. So we have our main parade on Monday, we have a kiddie parade on Saturday, and then we have our Twilight parade on Friday. Those are always staples," said Shelley Gladding, co-chair and organizer for the event.
She went on to explain that Sunday night fireworks draw in huge crowds as community members from across the area roll in.
"The fire department actually sets up the safety zone," Gladding explained as she discussed their plans for safety.
With West Michigan experiencing firework accidents and severe storms this summer, organizers have created a robust system to keep community members safe while enjoying the festivities.
"We close our park, they actually set up the zone with fencing so nobody's in the safety zone. Actually they are right off the river, so they actually make sure that nobody can get behind in the river behind as well, so there are no accidents."
Her daughter, Sydney Gladding who assists in organizing, also explained how the fire departments prepares themselves for emergencies as well.
"The fire department will stage on the other side of the river as well, just in case if they have something that way. They're already split off on both sides with the fireworks going on, they're not trying to manage through getting through town with people and cars and everything everywhere. So they'll split themselves off, that way they can quickly get to either side of town."
Plans have also been set for a variety of scenarios.
"We actually have a plan through the county – Ionia county, with the emergency management, where they have a predetermined, set a plan of action for situations that arise for the weekend. The fire and police are involved in that, and we actually have direct communications with them," said Shelley Gladding.
From carnival bingo on Friday night, to the Saturday car show and Monday's grand Labor Day Parade, organizers say the event will be special for everyone.
"It's also a good opportunity for building as a small community. So a lot of people grow up here, but they end up moving out, and this is a good weekend for them to come back home, and you know, with family they still have here. It's a homecoming weekend and they come celebrate with them, and then old friends they get to meet up with again. It's a good weekend for that," said Shelly as her daughter looks forward to the main Labor Day parade.
"It's free to enter, which is a lot different than most parades, so it's a large crowd we have over usually 100 entries, and that goes for a long time. It goes all the way through town."
The Belding Labor Day Celebration begins at 5 p.m. on Friday September 1, and will wrap up on Labor Day, Monday September 4.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and on your phone.