Join our 17th annual celebration of Michigan made food and craft beverages happening Saturday, May 25, 2024.
Enjoy live entertainment from The Drew Hale Band and The RockShow while sampling an enormous selection of Michigan’s finest microbrews, meads, hard ciders, wine, liquor and gourmet brats from northwest Michigan markets.
Admission
VIP Admission begins at 3pm, General Admission from 4-8pm. Ages 3 and under are free.
VIP Admission – Limit of 500 guests!
$75 per person. Includes early festival access at 3pm, which means shorter lines during VIP hour, choice of seating, and an extra hour with The Drew Hale Band! Plus, you’ll receive one 8oz beer glass, 20 food and beverage tickets and one exclusive voucher for a Brewer’s Special Reserve beer – only available during our 3pm-4pm VIP hour (or while supplies last). Ages 3 and under are free.
We are back for another amazing asparagus filled day! Lots of incredible local asparagus eats, great music, and fun activities to come! Including the Kick-Yer Assparagus 5k Fun Run/Walk! Link below to sign up!
Noon-6pm: Asparagus Eats with food vendors, local breweries and live music!
FOOD VENDORS: Mel & Fell, Arts Tavern, Plevas, Shipwreck Cafe and more!
DRINK VENDORS: Right Brain Brewery, Lake Ann Brewery and St. Ambrose Cellars!
LIVE MUSIC: 5th Gear Band!
1-2pm: Empire Area Museum Open House
2-4pm: “Miss Asparagus on Stilts!”
3-4pm: Children’s Magic Show with Gordon Russ
2pm: Ode to Asparagus Poetry Contest
Glen Lake Community Library on Front Street invites you to help celebrate the Empire Asparagus Festival with their Ode to Asparagus. Poets young and old are encouraged to submit their asparagus-inspired poems. All styles are welcome, be it sonnet, haiku, or even limericks!
June 29 – July 6, 2024 in beautiful Traverse City, Michigan!
The Grand Traverse region, known for its world-record tart cherry harvest, bursts with visitors eager to savor the flavor of cherries tucked into everything imaginable. Each day Festival goers find cherry delights along with parades, family and kids events and entertainment. In all, there are more than 150 events along the shores of Lake Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay.
The Festival has been named in USA Todays top ten festivals for several years running.
Free Family Fun!
The National Cherry Festival has over 150 events and activities and 85% are free for all! Kids of all ages can enjoy events like cherry pie eating, parades, pet show and more!
We want to thank our growers, partners, vendors, sponsors, volunteers, and community leaders for their commitment to the National Cherry Festival. There is a lot of good happening throughout the Traverse City area and we are proud to be a part of this unique community that holds the title Cherry Capital of the World. We can’t wait to see you June 29 to July 6, 2024!
We’re celebrating our independence in good old fashioned red, white and blue style.
Monday, July 1
Family Crafts – Held at the Park at Water’s Edge. Reservations are not required for all craft activities.
Sand Art: 10am – 11:30am
Glitter Tattoos: 12pm – 1:30pm
Build-a-Buddy Workshop: 2:30pm – 4pm
Tuesday, July 2
Family Crafts – Held at the Park at Water’s Edge. Reservations are not required for all craft activities.
Painting Studio: 10am – 11:30am
Glitter Tattoos: 12pm – 1:30pm
Build-a-Buddy Workshop: 2:30pm – 4pm
Wednesday, July 3
Family Golf Scramble – 9am: Gather your family and friends for a nine-hole golf scramble on Betsie Valley. Sign up by June 29!
Family Crafts – Held at the Park at Water’s Edge. Reservations are not required for all craft activities.
Sand Art: 10am – 11:30am
Glitter Tattoos: 12pm – 1:30pm
Build-a-Buddy Workshop: 2:30pm – 4pm
Chairlift Rides – Held from 4pm – 8pm on the Buck Quad Chairlift
Bike & Golf Cart Parade
Held at 5:15pm. Our theme is Red, White, Blue, and Americana Fun! Free to participate. Guests must use their own personal bikes or golf carts for the parade.
Registration available from June 24 – July 2, 2024 at the Mountain Adventure Zone or call us at 231-378-2071 . Each participant will receive a number to display on their bike or golf cart. Entries are subject to review. Registrants must be lined up at 5pm at the Mountain Adventure Zone for judging. Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 golf carts and top 3 bikes!
Golf Cart Prizes
First Place: Four unlimited Action Pack Passes
Second Place: Four unlimited Alpine Slide passes
Third Place: Four single Alpine Slide tickets
Bike Prizes
First Place: One unlimited Action Pack Pass
Second Place: One unlimited Alpine Slide pass
Third Place: One single Alpine Slide ticket
Barr Park Party with Music, Carnival Games & Activities
Held from 5:30pm – 9pm. Enjoy music and dancing plus carnival games, lawn games, treats and more!
DJ – We’ll be playing your favorite tunes from 5:30 – 9:30pm in Barr Park, centrally located between the Lodge, Inn and Peak Fitness Center. Come party with us!
Carnival Games – A variety of carnival games will be available to play. Tickets will be required to play the games. Tickets are $1 each and can be purchased in Barr Park at the event, or purchased in advance from the Park at Water’s Edge or Mountain Adventure Zone on July 3.
Independence Day Sand Art Bottles – 5 tickets. Create your own patriotic work of art!
Fourth of July Glitter Tattoos – 10 tickets. Get star spangled with our themed glitter tattoos!
We’ll also have glow and light up items available for purchase. Pricing will vary.
Outdoor Movie in Barr Park: 9:30pm – 11pm, featuring The Sandlot. Free to attend!
Thursday, July 4
Family Crafts – Held at the Park at Water’s Edge. Reservations are not required for all craft activities.
Fourth of July 5k Fun Run: Held at 9am. Continue your Independence Day celebration by participating in our Fourth of July 5K Fun Run! A commemorative medal will be provided to all participants upon 5k completion. Details »
Family Golf Scramble – 9am: Gather your family and friends for a nine-hole golf scramble on Betsie Valley. Sign up by June 29!
Family Crafts – Held at the Park at Water’s Edge. Reservations are not required for all craft activities.
Painting Studio: 10am – 11:30am
Glitter Tattoos: 12pm – 1:30pm
Build-a-Buddy Workshop: 2:30pm – 4pm
Guided Bike Ride –Held at 4pm.Take a 90 minute guided ride along our on-site mountain bike trail system. Minimum age to participate is 12 years old. The ride pace is moderate. Reservations required, call the Mountain Adventure Zone, 231-378-2071.
Cost with Rental: $50 Cost without Rental: $30
Saturday, July 6
Family Crafts – Held at the Park at Water’s Edge. Reservations are not required for all craft activities.
Sand Art: 10am – 11:30am
Glitter Tattoos: 12pm – 1:30pm
Build-a-Buddy Workshop: 2:30pm – 4pm
Chairlift Rides – Held from 6pm – 8pm on the Buck Quad Chairlift
Family Photo Scavenger Hunt – Receive a list of clues ranging from 5 to 20 points each. Each team must have 4 – 8 people, and team members must be in the photos for them to count. Additional points are up for grabs for teams dressed in coordinating outfits or costumes. Each team must use their own smart phone or camera for this activity. Medals will be awarded to the top 3 teams with the top overall team winning ice cream vouchers from Crystal Scoops!
We’ll begin taking reservations on June 24, 2024. Reservations are required for this activity. Call the Mountain Adventure Zone at 231-378-2071.
Time: 7pm – 8pm Where: Scavenger Hunt begins and ends at the Mountain Adventure Zone Cost: $10 per team
Sunday, July 7
Family Crafts – Held at the Park at Water’s Edge. Reservations are not required for all craft activities.
This annual art fair takes place next to the beautiful Suttons Bay Marina Park on the first weekend of August (August 3 & 4, 2024, Sat. 10am – 5pm, Sun. 10am – 4pm). One hundred artists along with community groups, a community library book sale, food vendors and a children’s area make this the perfect place to spend an art-filled weekend at the beach.
A committee of volunteers oversees the selection of visiting artists and the distribution of funds generated by the event. Thousands of dollars have been contributed to local arts-related education projects. These include music and dance performances, artist in residence programs and scholarships for local art students. Starting last year Crooked Tree Arts Center has begun the process of managing the art fair. Over the next two years the transition will be completed. Artists and visitors will likely not notice the transition has taken place.
Come to Suttons Bay in August, participate – as an artist, as a shopper or as a volunteer. Join in the fun!
Step back in time at the Port Oneida Fair and experience life as it was in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Imagine the life of Euro-American immigrants as you help bale hay or watch a broom-maker at work. Learn about spinning, basket weaving, soap making, butter making, candle dipping, and fur trapping. Listen as park rangers and local historians share the area’s history. Watch as teams of oxen haul hay and artists and craftsmen demonstrate their skills.
The fair is held at six of the historic farmsteads in Port Oneida. Each farm has a variety of artists, crafts, food, and activities for visitors. Click on the farm names below to see what’s happening at each farm. A shuttle bus runs between the farms on a regular schedule during the fair, so you can park your car and easily get around to the different venues.
The Port Oneida Fair is presented by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in partnership with Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear. To learn more about how you can help support the park, visit www.phsb.org.
June 29 – July 6, 2024 in beautiful Traverse City, Michigan!
