If you spend the better part of your summer in Michigan and find you’re bored, sorry … It’s your own fault. Entertainment abounds! I am not talking about the dozens of concerts going on or the myriad beaches and beautiful lakes to play in, either.
Just hop online and search “Michigan festivals.” The first page that comes up, depending on your search engine, will be the official Pure Michigan “Fairs & Festivals” page on michigan.org. From there, you will find a list, 31 pages long, of all the festivals scheduled to take place between now and November. Thirty-one pages!
How can there possibly be that many fairs and festivals in one state? I don’t really have an answer to that question, but I am guessing it’s because just about every small town has something special they want to celebrate. Sure, the list includes the usual suspects – cherries, beer, art, music and craft shows, but there is so much more.
Did you know Michigan has a strawberry fest? It is in the tiny village of Leonard in Addison Township, northern Oakland County. Scheduled for July 20, this strawberry-palooza supports a good cause, too – the Addison Township Firefighters. I bet you will even be able to scare up a piece of strawberry pie there. If you can’t wait until July, there is also a Strawberry Festival in St. Isidore (Macomb County) on June 21-23. I didn’t even know there was a St. Isidore in Michigan.
if you find yourself bored this summer, get off your duff and head to a festival or fair!
On the next day, July 21, when you are still coming down from your strawberry buzz, you can take in Detroit’s Festival of Books. I wonder if there is a Book Queen. You really can’t have a festival without a queen, you know.
If pickles are your thing, the festival gods have smiled on you! The 4th Annual Berrien Springs Pickle Festival is on July 4. Who really needs fireworks when there is a Pickle Fling? The event organizers promise a dill-lightful time. (Their words, not mine.)
You don’t have to travel far to get festive, either. On June 8-9, art enthusiasts will be flocking to the Flint Art Fair held Downtown on the Cultural Center Campus. Food trucks and live entertainment … let’s go!
What little girl didn’t dream of one day being crowned Asparagus Queen? And, yes, what I am trying to say is there is an Asparagus Festival, too. It’s happening on June 8 in Hart in Oceana County.
Like cheese? Pinconning should be your destination on June 21-22 for the CheeseTown Festival and Races. Not only is there a maci & cheese cookoff, but a cornhole tournament and a parade, too.
If fishflies are your thing, first of all, I am not judging you. Apparently, a lot of people are into them. The 59th Annual Bay-Rama Fishfly Festival is June 19-23. Those little insects might be annoying, but they have inspired six decades of good times, including a cardboard boat race.
The point I am trying to make is this: there is always something fun to do here in the Mitten, something unique to celebrate. So, if you find yourself bored this summer, get off your duff and head to a festival or fair! These communities go all out to bring you a good time and supporting them is good for all of us.
