The four-day Berkley Days festival was closed again this year on its third day, Saturday, following a fight involving several minors.
City officials in a statement Monday said there were no incidents Thursday, Friday or Sunday over the weekend.
However, the statement said no decision about the festival for next year “will be announced at this time.”
Last year, a couple hundred juvenile teens showed up from outside the city and many of them were involved in multiple fights on a Saturday night that closed the event, police said at the time.
Trouble this year broke out about 6:50 p.m. May 11 and involved several unaccompanied minors from outside the city,
Department of Public Safety officials said in a statement.
Police, event staff and carnival personnel reportedly shut down all games and rides for safety reasons and to manage the incident, officials said.
“The safety measures put in place following last year’s event allowed us to manage Saturday’s incident to the best of our ability,” said Berkley DPS Lt. Andrew Hadfield in a statement, “Our action plan was informed by a year’s worth of research and planning, following best practices set by surrounding communities.”
Berkley DPS officers volunteered for unscheduled overtime for the long festival weekend “to follow our plans and keep the event safe for all to enjoy,” Hadfield added.
The crowd was at maximum capacity when the fight started Saturday.
A complete check for injuries was done and one teen was sent to the hospital for treatment of a minor injury, DPS officials said.
As the event closed down, officials said large groups began to exit the fairgrounds near the city Community Center at 2400 Robina and onto nearby streets, according to a city statement.
“Additional juvenile altercations occurred during the dispersal and were quickly contained by officers,” the statement said.
Berkley officers were aided by police from eight nearby communities, including Huntington Woods, Royal Oak, Oak Park, Lathrup Village, Pleasant Ridge, Southfield, Bloomfield Hills, and Bloomfield Township.
The crowds were directed to “control points at 11 Mile and Coolidge Highway to await transportation and avoid disturbances to surrounding neighborhoods,” the statement said.
Public safety officials said two more “juvenile altercations” happened as the crowd dispersed, but were contained by police.
Three more teens from outside the city were arrested on assault and battery related charges, officials said.
Officials said the safety measures set up after last year’s event were “completed quickly and successfully,” which allowed the festival to continue without incident on Sunday.
New rules set before Sunday required all minors be accompanied by an adult over 21, and the festival closed two hours before the regular 6 p.m. closing time.
Matt Koehn, director of Berkley Public Safety expressed appreciation for aid from other police and public safety departments. He noted that in addition to the eight departments that gave Berkley on-site support, public safety officers from Beverly Hills were on standby in the event of police or fire calls while Berkley officers tended to the trouble at the festival.
Mayor Bridget Dean in a statement thanked the community for residents’ “cooperation, support and understanding.”
The Berkley Days hometown event started 98 years ago and carries fond memories for many of the residents who’ve attended it over the years since childhood.
“The vast majority of attendees came out to celebrate the start of summer with this time-honored Berkley tradition” Dean said, “and I’m thankful to our public safety officers from within and outside of Berkley and the Berkley Days volunteer committee for acting quickly to keep everyone safe so the event could continue on Sunday.”