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.

Today: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. East northeast wind between 3 and 5 mph. Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. North northwest wind between 3 and 8 mph. Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Light wind becoming south southwest between 13 and 16 mph. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph.

The Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival Softball tournament has always had bloated offensive numbers, a tribute to the slugging athletes the event features. The Batters - a team made up of United States Coast Guard personnel primarily from the Mid-Atlantic region of the country - took the offensive production to new heights this week and capped an undefeated record with a 29-13 victory over the Puddle Pirates on Friday morning in the championship game at Mulligan's Hollow in Grand Haven.