The Allegan County lakeshore is three towns a few miles apart that could not be more different. Saugatuck and Douglas face each other across the Kalamazoo River: galleries, the Saugatuck Center for the Arts, Oval Beach and the Saugatuck Dunes, a long tradition as an arts colony and a welcoming place for LGBTQ+ visitors and residents. Fennville, inland among orchards, vineyards and blueberry fields, is a farm town with a school district where many families speak Spanish at home and a downtown that has been coming back one storefront at a time. The Interurban buses connect them, and so does this page.
Happening this week
Saugatuck Center for the Arts, the Saugatuck-Douglas District Library and Fennville District Library, Fennville Public Schools, the Douglas and Saugatuck downtown associations, and the farm stands, wineries and orchards that set the rhythm of the season. The full week for the whole lakeshore is in the weekly events roundup, with each item marked by town.
Latest decisions
Saugatuck City Council, Douglas City Council, Saugatuck Township board, Fennville City Commission, Manlius and Clyde township boards, the Saugatuck and Fennville school boards, and the Allegan County Board of Commissioners in Allegan. Look-aheads run on Sunday and wrap-ups on Friday under Civic; items tagged Lakeshore Allegan 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.
- Christian Neighbors: utility and rent help, food pantry and thrift shop in Fennville
- Ladders of Hope Food Pantry: food pantry in Fennville
- Homeless Services: help for students and families without stable housing
- Feeding America West Michigan Mobile Food Pantry: mobile distributions across both counties
- OnPoint: mental health and crisis response for Allegan County
- Sylvia's Place: domestic violence shelter and advocacy
- Community Action of Allegan County: utility help, weatherization and food
- Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holland: after-school programs with a Douglas site
- Interurban Transit: door-to-door buses in Saugatuck and Douglas, rides to Holland on Tuesdays
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
Arts organizations, garden clubs, the historical societies in Saugatuck-Douglas and Fennville, church groups and youth sports meet here. Know a group that should be listed? Nominate it and we will verify it and add it.
Checked on October 3, 2026.