CELINA — Lindsay Simons, of Coldwater, was on the boat with family and friends when they decided to take a detour Sunday to the Celina Lake Festival at Grand Lake.
It turned out to be a perfect break from a day on the water for Simons, her boyfriend, mother, sister, nephews and a niece.
“We were on the boat and decided to pull up and dock and enjoy the festival,” she said. “We like to walk around. Sometimes they do the rides.”
Simons said the lake has made a great comeback since the algae bloom hit hard several years back.
Festival co-chair Kyle Pyle said the comeback has been great at the festival in its 56th year, which can draw up to 40,000 people again. That really was evident with about 500 people enjoying free pontoon boat rides Sunday.
Paul Joseph of the U.S. Freshwater Boat Alliance said volunteers ran five boats Sunday taking people out on a four- to five-mile boat ride. Joseph said the lake and festival is thriving again.
“The water quality here is the best since they had the issue a number of years ago with the algal bloom. There’s folks out there tubing, water skiing, swimming. Folks are enjoying it,” Joseph said.
The organization conducts citizen safety patrols during the summer, he said.
“We call ourselves the block watch of the water,” Joseph said. “These are all volunteers from our organization who come out and use their boats. They pay for their own gas.”
There was a lot of other things to do at the festival from horse rides to games for children, 105 vendors, all kinds of food, and even archery and BB guns to shoot, Pyle said.
Others had a chance to participate in basketball, volleyball and soccer tournaments, Pyle said.
Friday night is typically the biggest night with live music and a 25-minute firework show, Pyle said.
The heat kept some people away during the day but Friday night and Saturday saw big crowds, Pyle said.
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