Published on July 26, 2009.

The third annual Westside Summer Fest was filled with sound.

Whether it was the squeak of basketball shoes on hot asphalt, the pulsing beat of local artists or the energetic cadence of poetry, Summer Fest was filled with the sights and sounds of a neighborhood coming together despite economic hardships that hit its area harder than most, said Jessica Yorko, manager of the Westside Commercial Association.

Laura Woltanski, vendor coordinator, said the goal of the festival was to unite and rally the community around rebuilding the west side Lansing business district.

The area, defined as the business district on Saginaw Street between Stanley Street and Grand Avenue, is in need of revitalization and attracting new businesses. That is the goal of the Westside Commercial Association and Summer Fest, Yorko said.

“It’s important for people to have an opportunity to feel connected to their community,” Woltanski said.

Ruth Borgelt, a volunteer for the Lansing-area Peace Education Center, said she saw Summer Fest as an opportunity to educate the public about the center and its work in the community.

“It’s a good community outreach effort — a way to reach certain groups who we wouldn’t normally see,” she said.

The variety of entertainment, children’s activities, information and vendors created a festival atmosphere with something in which everyone could get involved.

Nikki Schippel, program assistant for the Westside Commercial Association, was responsible for running the 3-on-3 basketball tournament registration and the children’s container gardening.

“It’s really empowering for the kids to grow something edible,” Schippel said. “Growing up in an urban setting can cause a detachment from nature.”

Schippel said the mint the children planted was donated from the garden of a resident of the neighborhood. In addition to providing a perfect excuse for the kids to play in the dirt, Schippel said mint was a perfect plant for first-time gardeners because it grows like a weed and is a pretty fail-proof option for gardening.

The 3-on-3 basketball tournament generated a lot of interest among the younger men of the community, said tournament official Olando Threatt.

Threatt works for the YMCA of Lansing and thought officiating the tournament was a good way to get the players out of the house and into the community to meet one another. Threatt said officiating a three-on-three tournament is difficult because the competition gets heated as teams advance closer to the finals. At the end of the day, the competition is really about the community and fun for the players.

“It’s just for bragging rights,” he said. “I told them if they won the tournament, they would get their money back.”

The registration fee for the 3-on-3 tournament was free.

Ky Quock of East Lansing chose to come to Summer Fest because of the free live music so close to his home. Although he was there primarily to see Summer of Sol, he said there was nothing better than live music on a summer afternoon. Supporting local businesses and artists made Summer Fest the place to be on Saturday, he said.

“(Summer Fest) brought the people out on this beautiful, sunny summer afternoon,” he said. “On an ordinary day, this is just a boring stretch of road between two highways.”