Allendale is a township with a university in it: Grand Valley State University's main campus brings more than twenty thousand students to Lake Michigan Drive each fall and fills the calendar with lectures, performances and games that are open to everyone. Coopersville, ten miles north on I-96, is a small city with a farm museum, a historic railway, Del Shannon Days every August and a downtown that still works as a downtown. Between and around them is northeast Ottawa County: farms, Lamont, Eastmanville and the Grand River.
Happening this week
GVSU's events calendar is the biggest single source for this page, alongside the Allendale Township Library and Coopersville Area District Library, Coopersville Area Public Schools and Allendale Public Schools, and Coopersville's downtown festivals. The full week for the whole lakeshore is in the weekly events roundup, with each item marked by town.
Latest decisions
Allendale Charter Township board, Coopersville City Council, Polkton Charter Township and Wright Township boards, the Allendale and Coopersville school boards, and the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners. Look-aheads run on Sunday and wrap-ups on Friday under Civic; items tagged Allendale & Coopersville are the ones that touch this page.
Support near you
Verified organizations with a door or a route here, from the Community Support Directory. Every listing has hours, eligibility and what to bring.
- Love INC Northeast Ottawa County: food, financial help and household goods through local churches
- Coopersville Cares: food pantry for the Coopersville area
- Love Your Neighbor: food and financial help, from Hudsonville
- Community Mental Health of Ottawa County: mental health and crisis response
- Ottawa County Department of Public Health: WIC, immunizations and public health programs
- Help Me Grow Ottawa: early childhood screening and referrals
- Ottawa County Veterans Services: VA claims help and emergency assistance
- UpLift Transport: rides for people without transportation
In a crisis right now: call or text 988, or dial 2-1-1 any hour. Domestic violence: Resilience, 800-848-5991.
Groups that meet here
GVSU student organizations open to the public, church groups, the farm museum volunteers and service clubs meet here. Know a group that should be listed? Nominate it and we will verify it and add it.
Checked on October 3, 2026.