This story is part of a series about arts and culture in Washtenaw County. It is made possible by the Ann Arbor Art Center, the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, Destination Ann Arbor, Larry and Lucie Nisson, and the University Musical Society.

Ypsilanti's Frog Island Park will come alive with music, food, and community spirit as Fun Fest returns for its fifth year on Aug. 9, from noon to 9 p.m. The all-day celebration will feature live performances, local vendors, food trucks, and a few surprises along the way.

"I started this thing just sitting at the park and hanging around with friends and thinking about how fun it would be to do a show here," says Fun Fest founder Taylor Greenshields. "At the end of the day, we’re celebrating the park and this stage, and we want to use it to its full potential."

Music is at Fun Fest’s core, and this year's festival will feature seven different artists and bands in a variety of genres including jazz and folk rock. But Greenshields also highlights the fest’s 25 vendors, a face-painting station, and aerial performances between sets by Cassie Catania of Resonant Bodies Healing and Circus Arts. He says continuing to add new features to the fest, like a potential surprise acoustic act for attendees to seek out on the park's "tridge," is his way of ensuring that every audience member "can find something to do and to enjoy."

"The first year was the test run in my mind, where we just wanted to know if it was possible," Greenshields says. "Every year since then, I get down to the fest and I see so much space in the park to grow into in the future if we wanted to."

Taylor GreenshieldsA performance at Fun Fest.
In addition to wanting to put on a fun and positive event where "there’s really something for everyone," Greenshields also emphasizes Fun Fest’s goal of supporting and compensating local acts. He says sponsors like Ypsi Real, Bank of Ann Arbor, Quality Roots dispensary, and local nonprofit The Amplify Project – with whom Greenshields’ company, Fundamental Sound Co., has partnered for the past five years – make it possible to pay every artist in the event’s diverse lineup. 

Greenshields says he hopes the fest has a similar feel to the kinds of events that took place in the park in the '80s through the early 2000s, paying direct homage to the former Frog Island Music Festival presented by WEMU-FM and The Ark. 

"Some of our artists played the Frog Island Music Festival back then, and other names who used to play that show are really big names," Greenshields says. "Just having a little bit of that energy back again is super cool."

The full Fun Fest lineup and ticket information can be found here. The fest will wrap up with an after-party at Ziggy’s.

"It’s kind of wild that I’ve been able to do this. I’m super grateful," Greenshields says. "Getting together around music and hanging out, it’s a really good time."