Grace Urbach, 11, squinted with focus as she aimed the stream of her water gun into the grinning hippo's mouth. With a pop, her balloon burst before her competitors' balloons - earning her a small stuffed pink dog. "I think it's amazing,' the Baltimore, Md., girl said of the Coast Guard Festival Carnival. "I think it's very well set up. It's definitely kid-appropriate.'

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources closed the beach at Holland State Park two hours early Wednesday night because of dangerous rip current conditions in Lake Michigan. DNR officers instructed people to get out of the water and leave the beach area about 7:30 p.m., according to WZZM-TV. The beach normally closes around 9:30 p.m. A Coast Guard spokesman said emergency crews had rescued at least 20 people out of the lake by 7:30 p.m. Wednesday because of rip currents. At least 15 people had to be transported to area hospitals for treatment.

Voters in Grand Haven Township approved a fire/rescue millage renewal on Tuesday. The three-year, 1.5-mill tax was passed 741-256. Of the 997 total votes, 811 were made with absentee ballots, Township Clerk Sue Buitenhuis said. The millage renewal means a home with a taxable value of $100,000 will see an increase of about 66 cents, according to Township Manager Bill Cargo. The millage is expected to raise $882,960 in the first year of the Township Fire/Rescue Department's operational budget, Cargo said.

The 50th anniversary of "Runaway' - the No. 1 hit by Del Shannon - will be celebrated at this year's Summerfest and Del Shannon Car Show in Shannon's hometown of Coopersville. The festival is Aug. 8-13. Del Shannon, known to locals as Charles Westover, was a significant rock'n'roll singer and songwriter, and producer to many well-known artists - such as Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne. The Beatles were once Shannon's opening act. Westover died in 1990 at the age of 55.

Members of the United States Coast Guard are very good at what they do, and it's a good thing, according to Rear Adm. David Parks. "It's great that we're busy saving lives and enforcing treaties, because we're not going to have careers as professional golfers,' Parks joked after completing his round at the Coasties Golf Tournament at Grand Haven Golf Club.

The threat of rain might have postponed the evening's Coast Guard Festival events, but it didn't dampen the crowd at Kids Day earlier Tuesday. An overcast sky loomed over the throngs of people at Mulligan's Hollow - but the only water droplets that fell during the four-hour event were the ones shooting down from the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety aerial fire truck in the parking lot of the local YMCA.