Let the fireworks begin! Parades, marching bands, cherries and berries, hot-air balloons, yachts, sailboats and bucking horses-these are just some of the exhilarating fun celebrations planned for the month of July in Michigan.
June 25-July 5
Muskegon, Muskegon Summer Celebration--National recording artists make waves along the Muskegon Lake shore where they perform for 11 nights in a row. Patrons shop at over 200 crafts booths and see the wares of nearly as many fine arts exhibitors. Other sizzling summer fun: a 90-unit parade, kids' activity tent, fireworks and the crowd-favorite Plumb's Community Picnic, where every food item costs a quarter.
July 1-5
Battle Creek, Battle Creek's Field of Flight Air Show & Balloon Festival--Sixty-five hot-air balloons float up, up and away in the early mornings and evenings, and light up at night for the tethered Balloon Illume at W. K. Kellogg Airport. A full-throttle air show zooms overhead, featuring military demo and jet teams and civilian stunt fliers. Other activities include stage entertainment, carnival rides, fireworks and a classic car show.
July 1-5
Manistee, Manistee National Forest Festival--Can't see the forest for the trees? Then take a bus tour through Manistee National Forest, a guided trail hike through the woods or a canoe tour of the Big Manistee River. A 100-unit parade marches by on July 4 and fireworks burst over Lake Michigan. This event also offers a fish boil and juried crafts sale.
July 3-4
Ludington, Freedom Festival--Line up downtown on July 4th to watch the nearly 2-hour-long parade. The famous Scottville Clown Band brings up the rear and performs a big-band concert afterwards. The fest ends with a bang when fireworks explode over Lake Michigan. A children's and pet parade gets the fun started on July 3.
July 4-11
Traverse City, National Cherry Festival--Pick from a bumper crop of cherry delights in the "Cherry Capital of the World:" orchard tours, big-name concerts, pie-eating contests, the Cherries Grand Buffet and more than 150 other events. Also at Michigan's largest family festival, an air show over West Grand Traverse Bay stars the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and two parades march by, including the 3-hour-long Cherry Royale Parade.
July 14-18
Gaylord, Alpenfest--Indulge in coffee and donuts at the block-long "World's Largest Coffee Break," and listen to the Music on the Lawn, performed by the parade bands following Saturday's 1½-hour-long grand parade. Other Swiss bliss: alpenhorn playing, yodeling, costume parade, Swiss stone-throwing and the ceremonial Burning of the Boogg (a giant snowman). Also, shop at 75 crafts booths, graze at the ethnic food alley and enjoy free nightly concerts.
July 15-18
Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor Art Fairs--Four award-winning, independently juried art fairs held simultaneously throughout the streets of Ann Arbor transform the city into one massive outdoor art gallery. The four-day extravaganza draws 1,200 artists from across the country and a half-million visitors to the four shows.
July 16-19
St. Joseph, Venetian Festival on the St. Joseph River--At this summer splash, big-name concerts, a lighted boat parade, a fireworks sky concert over Lake Michigan, and 50 vendors at the Taste for Southwest Michigan make waves along the St. Joseph River. Work up an appetite at the river run, marathon swim in Lake Michigan, big band dance, sand sculpting and beach volleyball.
July 19-25
Charlevoix, Charlevoix Venetian Festival--At this loaded lineup of free events, northern Michigan's largest fireworks display explodes from a barge, followed by the grand finale fireworks show that accompanies the Grand Electrical Boat Parade on Round Lake. National and regional music acts perform at nightly concerts and athletes test their skills in golf, tennis and a half-dozen other sports at the Venetian Games.
July 21-25
Fremont, National Baby Food Festival--Pacify yourself in the "Baby Food Capital of the World" with a 100-unit grand parade, headline entertainment, 5K and 10K runs, crafts fair and carnival rides. Can't get enough of smashed peas? Then enter the adult baby-food-eating contest, or cook up a dish for the baby-food cook-off (recipes using baby food). Also in the hometown of Gerber Products Company, tots creep for the finish in the baby crawl and wee ones toddle to the Kids' Zone.
July 25
Port Huron and Mackinac Island, Port Huron to Mackinac Race--Some 250 sailboats navigate 252 nautical miles on Lake Huron to the finish at Mackinac Island. Watch the colorful start on the Black River banks or aboard a cruise boat, then hurry to Mackinac Island to greet the fleet when it arrives. You can admire the yachts when they dock in downtown Port Huron or anchored at Mackinac Island after the race.
July 25-26
Grayling to Oscoda, Au Sable River International Canoe Marathon--When the starting gun fires on July 25, more than 60 two-person teams from throughout North America grab their canoes and run two blocks to the river in Grayling. They paddle all night in this grueling 14-hour, 120-mile canoe race to Oscoda, the longest nonstop canoe race in North America and the richest (more than $50,000 in cash and prizes). Spectators hustle from bridge to bridge to follow the canoeists across the northeast Lower Peninsula.
July 27-August 2
Grand Blanc, Buick Open--At Michigan's only annual PGA tournament, join the gallery at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club to watch top golfers compete.
July 31-August 2
Harbor Springs and Petoskey, Little Traverse Yacht Club Regatta--Eighty sailboats set sail in Harbor Springs and race in Little Traverse Bay at one of the nation's oldest regattas. Landlubbers can watch the colorful action from the shore in Petoskey State Park or from the downtown waterfronts in Petoskey and Harbor Springs.
July 31-August 27
Iron River, Upper Peninsula Championship Rodeo--Get your buck's worth watching bronco and bull riding, calf and team roping, steer wrestling and barrel racing at this 42nd annual pro rodeo (one performance Friday and two on Saturday). The hour-long Wild West Parade trots through town on Saturday. Also, rustle some grub at the chuckwagon breakfast and scoot your boots to the street dance.