Two years ago, Lilley Cares described the money from its Spring Lake Sparkle fundraiser as covering the season itself: keeping up the holiday lights, renting equipment and making the events safe and enjoyable for the people who came. This year the fundraising points outward. Lilley Cares, the Michigan nonprofit behind Sparkle, has set a $10,000 goal for The Salvation Army to support families in Spring Lake, Ferrysburg and Grand Haven.
The footprint changed too. The organizers' 2026 announcement says the season is "reimagined around the Epicurean Village courtyard," which it calls "a more intimate, community-centered gathering space." Taken together, these two changes make Sparkle's sixth season a smaller and more local event than before. Most of it happens at one address on Savidge Street, and the money goes to families in the Tri-Cities.
A $10,000 goal, and a Salvation Army team at every event
The partnership began during last year's Sparkle season. For 2026, Lilley Cares says Major Penny Mungai and The Salvation Army Grand Haven team will be part of the whole season, with a presence at every Sparkle fundraiser and event. At each one, the team will talk about the everyday needs local families face and how the season's fundraising will help them directly.
This changes what you're paying for when you buy a ticket. The $59 for Celebrity Bartender Night and the $5 for Pancakes With Santa now count toward a set goal for families in your own area. Sparkle started in 2020 as a grassroots effort, and the 2025 season was its fifth. The Salvation Army's work in the area is described at its Grand Haven page.
The season, by address
Two venues host almost the whole public calendar. Evening events in the courtyard are held at Epicurean Village, 110 W. Savidge St. Family events with food are held at the Spring Lake Community Center, 15549 Cleveland St. Here is the season from publication day on:
| Date | Event | Where | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Trick-or-Treat at Epicurean Village | 110 W. Savidge St. | 4–6 p.m. | No price listed |
| Thu., Nov. 5 | Celebrity Bartender Night | Attwood's Kitchen and Drink, 110 W. Savidge St. | 5–7 p.m. | $59 |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Sparkle Kickoff | Epicurean Village Courtyard | 6–8 p.m. | Free |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Gingerbread House Decorating | Spring Lake Community Center | 5–7 p.m. | Free, RSVP requested |
| Dec. 3–19, Thu.–Sat. | Santa in the Workshop | Epicurean Village Courtyard | 5–8 p.m. | No price listed |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Pancakes With Santa, breakfast | Spring Lake Community Center | 9–11 a.m. | $5 |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Pancakes With Santa, dinner | Spring Lake Community Center | 5–7 p.m. | $5 |
| Thu., Dec. 17 | Spring Lake Choir Performance | Epicurean Village | 5–6 p.m. | No price listed |
The Santa in the Workshop series comes from the Grand Haven Area CVB listing. The other dates come from the organizer's event pages at springlakesparkle.com.
The schedule lines up with ordinary weeknight routines. Santa in the Workshop runs three evenings a week for three weeks, so families can stop by on a Thursday after school or a Saturday after errands. The dinner version of Pancakes With Santa is on a Thursday evening, which gives households that can't make a Saturday morning a second chance.
Celebrity Bartender Night is the first ticket that counts
Celebrity Bartender Night, on Thursday, Nov. 5 from 5 to 7 p.m., is the first fundraiser left on the calendar. It's held at Attwood's Kitchen and Drink in the Epicurean Village building, and the $59 ticket includes two drink tickets and hors d'oeuvres.
Attwood's is still fairly new on Savidge Street. MLive reported that Jennifer Harris Keaney opened it with business partners Andrew Harris and James Curtis. According to MLive's coverage of Rafter's Rooftop, the seasonal restaurant upstairs, Attwood's opened in February 2025 and Rafter's followed in June 2025. Epicurean Village's own site also lists Hair Haus, Grand Finale Bistro and Haven Home Loans as partners at the development.
That's why the courtyard plan works. When MLive covered the start of construction in 2019, the building was planned with two restaurants, three retail spaces, office space and 12 apartments. A holiday season based there has food, drink and foot traffic built in, all around one shared open space.
How the kickoff changed
Comparing last year's kickoff with this year's shows the new format clearly. The 2025 program sent Santa from Temple Lounge at 6 p.m. on a parade through the Village to the Epicurean Courtyard. Santa lit the village at 6:35, and live performances in the courtyard followed.
The 2026 kickoff on Saturday, Nov. 28 runs the route the other way around:
- Santa arrives at the Epicurean Village courtyard by fire truck.
- The lights are switched on in a ceremony there, with caroling, music and cocoa.
- The evening then moves to Temple Lounge for an after-event gathering.
The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m., and the Grand Haven Area CVB lists it as free. The organizers call it the season's centerpiece, and The Salvation Army team will be there along with the Gingerbread House event and Pancakes With Santa. The 2026 kickoff description doesn't mention a parade, so plan to come straight to the courtyard instead of lining Savidge Street.
Getting there on foot this winter
Since nearly everything happens at one downtown address, many households will walk to Sparkle. One familiar route won't be open. MLive reported that a portion of the North Bank Trail between 148th Avenue and 144th Avenue collapsed in May. The land bridge under the path gave way on Mother's Day, May 10, and the trail is expected to stay closed through spring 2027, according to the Grand Haven Tribune. The Tribune reports that Spring Lake Township awarded the final phase of the repair to Schmidt Bros. Excavating for $257,680. Paving and final restoration are expected to begin when asphalt plants open in early April.
On the river side of downtown, Tanglefoot Park is a good place to stop on the way to the courtyard. The Grand Haven Tribune covered the ribbon cutting for the park's finished splash-pad improvements. These include a new shade sail and a memorial plaque, and they were dedicated to former Spring Lake Village Manager Christine "Chris" Burns. The splash pad will be dry in December. The park also has an outdoor fireplace, a pavilion, docks and a fishing pier, according to the Village of Spring Lake.
What to put on the calendar now
There are three ways to take part, two of them before the lights go on:
- Oct. 31: Bring the kids to Trick-or-Treat at Epicurean Village from 4 to 6 p.m.
- Nov. 5: Buy a $59 ticket to Celebrity Bartender Night at Attwood's. This is the last fundraiser before the kickoff.
- Early December: RSVP for the free Gingerbread House Decorating on Dec. 3, since the organizer says space is limited.
For fundraiser updates during the season, Lilley Cares points people to the Sparkle Spring Lake page on Facebook.
At Andrea Crossman Group, we love the seasons when Spring Lake gathers around Savidge Street, and we hope to see you in the Epicurean Village courtyard on Nov. 28. If you have a holiday tradition, a local business or a lakeside walk you think belongs in our next Spring Lake guide, let us know. Discover Lakeshore Living.
