Find Yo-Yos And More At The Downtown Holland Street Performer Series

Holland, MI – The popular Downtown Holland Street Performer Series returns this week Thursday, July 27 from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm with award winning yo-yo player, Connor Scholten! The entire community is invited to experience the sights and sounds as 30 different performing artists and groups from every background perform free for the public in Downtown Holland every Thursday evening through August 17. The Street Performer Series features over 80 rotating performers throughout the summer, including musicians, jugglers, balloon twisters, caricature artists, break dancers, henna tattoo artists, and more. The 2023 Street Performer Series is proudly sponsored by Gentex Corporation.

While strolling down 8^th Street on Thursday night, make sure you stop by Community Foundation to see the talented yo-yo player and Holland native, Connor Scholten, performing modern freestyle yo-yo tricks all night long! When Scholten was young, he recalls watching coverage of the 1997 National Yo-Yo Contest on television, and just had to try it out for himself! He soon found a yo-yo trick book in a Scholastic Book Order magazine, mastered his craft, and 20 years later went on to win that same competition he watched as a boy, claiming his first National Title at the 2017 National Yo-Yo Contest. He now works full time in the yo-yo industry designing yo-yos, coaching the top players in the world, and teaching the art of yo-yo playing online.

Scholten has proudly been a part of the Street Performer Series since it began in 2005, saying the Series will always hold a special place with him. “There are many things I enjoy about this Series, but I think what I like most is having the opportunity to put on a show in my hometown” Says Scholten. “I feel at home whenever I am performing here.” Scholten encourages you to learn to yo-yo, too! Find tutorials led by Scholten himself and other professionals on YouTube under the channel ‘Yo Tricks’.

Attendees should note that 8th Street will be closed to thru traffic and parking from Columbia Avenue to Pine Avenue from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm on Thursday nights to accommodate the expanded number of street performer locations for the 2023 event. Free public parking for the event is available in the surface lots on 7th and 9th Streets, in the 7th and 9th Street Parking Decks and at the Holland Civic Center Place. And don’t forget that the Series is free to attend, but tipping the performers is customary.

The Downtown Holland Social District is also open during the Street Performer Series, meaning that patrons ages 21+ can purchase alcoholic beverages at one of 14 different participating establishment to enjoy while strolling throughout Downtown Holland during the event. For a list of participating establishments, the social district regulations, and the district boundaries, please visit www.downtownsocialdistrict.com.

Street Performer Series Performer Line-Up for July 27

Air-Brush Tattoos by Elizabeth

Elizabeth Geurink is a high school teacher by day, who started an airbrush tattoo business to combine her love for being creative with her love of interacting with people!  She can airbrush a wide variety of colorful designs on the skin, which is always popular with kids at festivals and events!

Anthony Lubenow

Anthony has been drumming professionally for over 15 years, recording, touring, and playing gigs. He first started drumming in middle school and has performed across the United States as a member of blues, rock, and country bands. He has also performed as an opening act for a number of well-known national and international musicians, including Sugar Ray, Billy Strings, and Guitar Shorty.

Aria Paradigm

Musicians Amanda and Pauline Bernes, Tess Clark, Gavin Frody, Calvin Garvey, and Alma Perez make up the band Aria Paradigm. This fun and interactive group will entertain audiences on the violin, guitar, bass, and cello this summer.

Art by Adrianna

Adrianna Ruark is a military veteran and has been a professional artist for over 15 years, specializing in hyperrealism. She often does live painting at her church and in cafes and aspires to be a certified Art Therapist.  She is excited to be a part of the Street Performer Series for the first time ever this summer.

Ben Bard

Ben Bard is a solo performer who has been playing stringed instruments for as long as he can remember. He has fallen in love with the music of North Africa, Turkey, the Levant, Persia, the Balkans, and Central Asia, and as a result, he has been learning the Turkish saz, Arab oud, and most recently Afghan Kabuli rubab. He enjoys sharing the beauty of this instrument and music, as well as the gifts of the Afghan culture, with the community.

Caricatures by Britta
Britta Lindemulder has loved to draw since she was a child. She graduated from GVSU with a degree in Illustration and learned how to draw caricatures while working at Michigan’s Adventure. A tattoo artist by day, Britta has been drawing caricatures at the Street Performer Series since 2012.

Connor Scholten

Connor Scholten first began yo-yoing as a young child in 1997, and he first performed for the public as part of the first ever Street Performer series in 2005. He has since worked full time as a yo-yo designer, coached the top players in the world, and taught yo-yo to thousands of people online. He is also the 2017 National Yo-Yo Contest winner. 

Dan Mutschler
Dan Mutschler is a self-taught and talented balloon artist who performs regularly at birthday parties, scouting events, art fairs and more.  He has over 17 years of experience twisting balloons and is constantly learning new designs to share with young and old alike, including popular characters, animals, and more!

Debbie DeRienzo

Debbie DeRienzo is a singer/songwriter that discovered her love of music at a young age. After joining the military in 1999, she found singing and playing her guitar to be a comfort for her and many others. She has been a worship leader since 2000, playing at various churches around the world and weekly at her home church. In 2018 Debbie began pursuing songwriting and in 2020, she released her first single.

De Leon Acoustic

Larry and Victoria De Leon are a father-daughter acoustic duo who have been singing together since Victoria was just 10 years old. They are a bi-lingual Mexican American duo that blends a touch of classic Americana country music with modern day pop classics in both English and Spanish. The natural blend of their harmonies is unmistakable and enchanting.

Doug Marlink
Doug Marlink is a talented banjo player who first began playing banjo in the mid-1970’s. He performs mostly bluegrass and some jazz music on the banjo. He is a street performer regular who can often be found performing both on the streets of Downtown Holland and at the Holland Farmers Market.

Fabian Elizardo

At just 14 years old, guitarist Fabian has found his passion in music. His inspiration comes from anything rock and roll or heavy metal, though he has recently added Spanish style guitar to his repertoire.  With a wide variety of musical tastes, he loves to learn new riffs to share with his audiences. Fabian hopes to one day teach music or turn his love of music into a career as a professional musician.

Floor Fienz

Floor Fienz is a break-dancing group that has been performing together for over 10 years in the Street Performer Series and at fundraisers, car shows, grand openings, parades, and birthday parties. As performing artists, they like to keep the crowd entertained with their explosive dance moves and high energy beats.

Great Zeus’ Beard

Albert Gemmen and Jamison Worst are born and raised West Michigan musicians who have been performing together for over 10 years in coffee shops and at the Street Performer Series. They see music as a way to unwind after a busy day or as a way to enjoy some down time on the front porch. When people are passing by and offer them a smile, they know our work has been accomplished.

Henna by Anna

Anna Schierbeek is a full-time artist who holds both a BFA and MFA in drawing from Kendall College of Art and Design. While she enjoys working in her studio, she loves to combine her passion for art and meeting people together by drawing henna tattoos, at parties and events, including the Street Performer Series for the last 14 years.

Henna by Jahara
Jahanara Begum has been a Street Performer in Downtown Holland since the beginning of the Street Performer Series. She is a highly skilled and experienced henna artist who uses all natural ingredients that are safe for the skin. Her designs never fail to impress her fans of all ages!

Incredimusic

Christopher Trainor has been performing for over 30 years including leading classes and jam sessions. His mission is to make music education entertaining and enjoyable, whether you’re learning to play the recorder, piano, or guitar! Whether he’s teaching lessons or performing on the streets of Downtown Holland, he wants to make music fun!

Jordan Crum

Jordan is a solo singer-songwriter who recently moved to Holland. He has been performing for over 10 years in church settings, open mics, and small venues.  As a frequent visitor to Downtown Holland, he is excited to make his Street Performer Series debut this summer!

Lia Weiss-Gelmi

Lia Weiss-Gelmi is an 18-year-old student at Central Michigan University who has been playing piano and singing since the age of three, and performing at the Street Performer Series since she was nine. Through practice and performance, music is what she loves to do most. At CMU she is majoring in commercial music and is the music director of one of CMU’s a cappella groups, On The Rox! She can’t imagine her life without Thursday night performances.

Maddy Grace

Maddy Kok is a local college student who has been singing for as long as she can remember and has been performing publicly for the last eight years. She taught herself guitar when she was just 11 years old and began performing publicly in middle school.  She has a passion for sharing her music with audiences at church, school, and on the streets of Downtown Holland.

Mark Stubbs

Mark Stubbs is a Michigan-based singer-songwriter and guitarist who brings a smooth, distinct vocal to everyone’s favorite hits spanning from the 60’s to today. With a blend of folk, funk, R&B, bluegrass, and rock, Stubbs has songs for all audiences to enjoy.

Nick May is Fire

Nick May is a spectacular performer with over 12 years of experience performing with fire. He blends dance, theatrics, and music together to bring his performances to soaring heights of awe-inspiring grace and professionalism. Nick specializes in breath-taking, extraordinary, and multi-talented fire performances.

Noah Helmus

Noah Helmus is a Holland native who has had a passion for music all of his life. He picked up the guitar at age 10 and has been singing for as long as he can remember. A graduate of Holland High School and Hope College, he grew up performing in musicals, choir productions, and student led acoustic performances. Now he performs in his free time, while also working as an Autism Clinical Specialist.

Scatterbrain

Dani and Lainey Canan, Shayna Gibson and Charis Snyder are just a few college girls from Zeeland who love making music together and performing for the public! They are excited to be a part of the Street Performer Series for a second year in a row together as a group.

Shawna & Matt Veenstra

Shawna and Matt Veenstra are a dad and daughter duo with experience in musical theatre. With Matt’s additional experience performing pop and rock songs in a cover band, they perform duets and solos together in those genres. Matt is a band teacher at Holland Christian Elementary and Middle Schools, and Shawna is currently working towards a music degree in Music Education with an emphasis on voice.

Steph Gillett

Steph Gillett is a singer and guitarist who has been a part of the Street Performers Series for the past eight years. She started singing for churches when she was around 10 years old, and started booking weddings when she was around 16. She loves to cover everything from Tom Petty to Blink 182, with a lot of Taylor Swift mixed in, much to the delight of her youngest fans!

Steve’s Twisted Balloons

Steve is a dad to two beautiful daughters and the owner of “Steve’s Twisted Balloons.” He started twisting balloons for family and friends at birthday parties just over two years ago.  He is excited to make his return to the Street Performer Series this year!

The Growing Roots

The Growing Roots is Scott and Lisa Barry, a husband-and-wife duo from Grand Rapids that sings original Christian music influenced by many styles, including rock, folk, blues, Americana, and worship. Parents of nine, they've been singing together for most of their 21 years of marriage and have developed a style that is uniquely theirs.

The New Brigade

The New Brigade is the latest Irish musical creation from brothers Connor and Brendan O'Donohue. The duo has playing Irish music together for over six years and have performed on stages big and small all across the state. They play an energetic traditional Irish set and their vibrant vocals accompanied with a mix of violin, guitar, accordion, and mandolin keep the crowds clapping, dancing, and singing along.

Toast & Jam

Jonas Edge and Avery Barry have been performing together as a duet and individually for 10 years each on the streets of Downtown Holland, at the Holland Farmers Market, and at the Park Theater’s Open Mic Nights.  While they are both are multi-instrumentalists, Avery’s biggest passion is singing.

About Gentex Corporation:

Gentex Corporation is a supplier of automatic-dimming rearview mirrors and electronics to the automotive industry, dimmable aircraft windows for aviation markets, and fire protection products to the fire protection market. The company was founded in Zeeland in 1974 and is Ottawa County’s largest employer.

About Downtown Holland:
Located in the heart of the City of Holland, just minutes from the shores of Lake Michigan and adjacent to the campus of Hope College, Downtown Holland is a premier shopping, dining, and special events destination like none other! Downtown Holland offers over 100 locally owned boutiques, shops, and galleries, along with breweries, cafes, and restaurants for every taste. Downtown Holland is also home to unique cultural attractions, an award-winning farmers market and beautiful parks. We can’t wait to welcome you! For more information and the latest Downtown Holland news and updates, visit us at www.downtownholland.com, follow Downtown Holland on Facebook and Instagram, subscribe to our monthly newsletter, or call 616.796.1210.