Boat club launches weekly family event series at Pier Park

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — Grosse Pointe Farms residents and their guests have a new way to spend their Thursday evenings this summer.

The Grosse Pointe Farms Boat Club is presenting live music and activities Thursday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. at Pier Park through a series called Sails & Sounds. The next Sails & Sounds takes place June 22, and the series resumes on Thursdays in August. There’s no Sails & Sounds June 29 because that’s Regatta weekend. Sails & Sounds coincides with the GPFBC’s weekly sailing races — which are suspended in July as sailors take part in larger regional sailing contests — and it was organized to underscore the fact that despite its name, the boat club isn’t just for boaters.

“It’s not a yacht club — it’s a community social club,” said GPFBC Commodore Maryann Houmani. “You don’t need a boat to be involved.”

In fact, Houmani herself doesn’t have a boat.

“It’s been a fun experience,” Houmani said of joining the GPFBC. “I’ve met so many great residents in the community that I would have never met (otherwise). I’ve made so many wonderful, lifetime friends through this boat club.”

She said the club’s mission is “to give back to the community we live in.”

Farms City Manager Shane Reeside said the GPFBC is a real asset to the city.

“The boat club has become much more active in recent years,” Reeside said. “It’s generated a lot more excitement. They’re hosting new events. It’s a fun group.”

Each Sails & Sounds event has different activities and a different theme, along with music. Information about each week’s Sails & Sounds can be found on the club’s Facebook page, facebook.com/GrossePointeFarmsBoatClub.

The concerts take place at the gazebo, which now has lighting and electricity since a new one was constructed in 2021.

“They’ve really leveraged the beauty and amenities of Pier Park and the summer season,” Reeside said of the GPFBC.

Sails & Sounds events are free and there’s no requirement to join the boat club — although Houmani said they hope some residents will decide to become members.

For more information, visit the club’s Facebook page or its website, gpfbc.com.