Claudia Hayes-Hagar, a long-time art educator who was a part-time lecturer at Hope College in art and education for 14 years, died on Sunday, August 8, at age 59 following a battle with cancer. She joined the Hope faculty in 1997, teaching courses in art and education with an emphasis on elementary art instruction in addition to teaching in the West Ottawa Public Schools.

Despite rain on Tuesday and during the morning on Saturday, organizers of the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival said this year's event was a success. "Everything went as planned with the exception of the weather, but you can't control that,' Mike Smith, Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival executive director, said. Smith said the threat of rain and thunderstorms caused them to cancel some of the opening night events on Tuesday, but they were able to be rescheduled.

A summer full of hard work in the weight room and perfecting skills on the field during 7-on-7 passing camps will finally be rewarded today, as prep football teams across the state of Michigan open up their seasons with their first official practice. Over the next three days the Grand Haven Tribune sports staff will feature an early glimpse of area football teams at Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Fruitport - three programs that are coming off shared conference championships and playoff berths a year ago.

The annual Coast Guard Festival Grand Parade and fireworks show will create several street closings in Grand Haven on Saturday. The parade participants will be staging in the residential area near Lakeshore Middle School, 900 S. Cutler St., beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday. All streets within a two-block radius will be closed to accommodate the staging area. No traffic will be allowed west of Eighth Street, on Washington and Franklin avenues, and on Clinton and Pennoyer streets.

The fifth annual Michigan Pirate Festival will be centered at Loutit District Library next week. The festival features a loud blast on the first day as black powder specialist Tony Osterberg fires a time-period cannon and small arms in Grand Haven's Central Park at 6 p.m. Monday. This demonstration will be repeated at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Additionally, the pirate sail in will take place on Friday at 6 p.m. near Waterfront Stadium. The Michigan Pirate Festival in Central Park event begins, Saturday, August 13, 10 a.m. and lasts until 7 p.m.

Tim Mangan has come from "the land down under' to serve up the gospel at a Northwest Ottawa County church. Senior Pastor Jeff Hackert is "transitioning' out of the lead role at Resurrection Life Church, 12900 U.S. 31 in Grand Haven Township, to make way for Mangan. Mangan officially becomes the church's senior pastor on Aug. 13. While Mangan and Hackert say they see eye-to-eye on Christian values and the goal of the nondenominational church, 27-year-old Mangan's accent is unmistakably Australian.