The Upper Peninsula State Fair started on Monday in Escanaba and runs through Sunday, August 18th with midway rides & games, free entertainment and of course the time honored fair tradition of animal & produce beauty pageants. One especially great attraction is their Miracle of Life exhibit where children of all ages can see the live births of calves, lambs, piglets and watch chicks, ducks, and quail eggs hatch. I heartily applaud the Fair for helping people get a better idea of where their food comes from!!
John caught these snoozing pigs on Monday. See a bunch more from this year & years past in his UP Fair gallery on Flickr.
I’m still recovering from the MASSIVE event that was the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit which hosted over 3/4 of a million people. There will be more posts, but I thought this post that Jamon Jordan of Black Scroll Network History & Tours shared on Facebook gives some great perspective on some of the massive events the Motor City has hosted over the years:
I’m sure everyone is aware that the crowds at the NFL Draft in Detroit are so large that no one else is being allowed into the 3 entry points. About 275,000 people are right here at, in or near Campus Martius, and Cadillac Square plus another 100,000 people in other venues downtown – Greektown, Hart Plaza, Grand Circus Park.
But Detroit has hosted large crowds before. Take a look at some of the large crowds – 100,000 or above – in Detroit’s history:
June 23, 1963 – Detroit Walk to Freedom – 125,000-250,000 people marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. & Rev. CL Franklin and heard Dr. King’s “Dream” 2 months before Washington DC.
August 19 – September 5, 1966 – Michigan State Fair – 1.2 Million people (our record attendance) The Temptations was one of the acts performing that year on Woodward between 7 & 8 Mile.
June 6, 1997 – Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup Victory Parade – 1.4 Million people came down to celebrate with the Wings. And they threw an octopus on the streets too.
July 21, 2001 – 300th Birthday of Detroit/Free Stevie Wonder concert – 500,000-1 Million people listened to Stevie Wonder at Hart Plaza and watched the fireworks.
May 24-27, 2002 – Detroit Electronic Music Festival – 1.7 Million people. The Techno Festival surpassed a million people each of it’s 1st 3 years – 2000, 2001 & 2002 (2002 DEMF is pictured).
Holland’s annual Tulip Time Festival starts this Saturday and runs May 7-15, 2022. Tulip Time is the oldest tulip festival in North America that started in in 1929 when the City of Holland planted its first crop of 100,000 tulips, and it has continued to grow with national entertainment acts and events & activities for all ages.
The annual Grand Rapids Art Prize is once again underway, running through this Sunday, October 3rd. The event was started back in 2009 & has become one of the nation’s leading public art competitions. This year nearly 900 entries are available to view & vote on. Here’s hoping you get a chance to visit!!
Daniel took this photo the other day – see more on his Flickr!
In these uncertain & chaotic times, it can really lift your spirit to share the joy of music and art This week the Kalamazoo Bach Festival has you covered with live, online events tonight & Thursday night:
The Bach Festival Society was founded in 1946 by Henry Overley, Professor of Music at Kalamazoo College, who wanted to bring “town and gown” together to experience the joy of making music and to create something sublime — in particular, to recreate the choral and instrumental music of J. S. Bach and his contemporaries.
Since 1947, the Festival has grown and expanded, due to the active involvement of the community: now year-long, it includes “Bach-to-School” educational programs, Bach Legacy Lectures, a “Bach-Around-the-Block” organ crawl, a Young Artist Competition and Concert, a High School Choral Festival, master classes for young singers, and performances with the Kalamazoo Symphony,
June 2 will feature Dede Alder and her magical marimba and beautiful voice with song and stories in collaboration with the Kalamazoo Public Library. On June 4, live-streaming from our Facebook page, Jordan Hamilton will spread his love and message with his cello and thought provoking vocals. Join us at 7 pm on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday for these amazing programs brought to you buy some very talented local artists!
EDITOR’S NOTE: Both Dede & Jordan are friends and they are INCREDIBLE! More about the Bach Festival on their website & check out the details on their Facebook event!
Those who know me or are longtime Michigan in Pictures fans know that April Fools Day is something near & dear to my heart (click that link for some of the best). It’s one of the many comforting things that are sliding away and I hope that all of you find new comforts & new ways of thinking about happiness.
PS: Shoutout to the folks who’ve tossed me a couple of dollars for Michigan in Pictures as well as all of you who are reading & sharing my posts. Feel free to email me a link to your Instagram or other photo page if you want me to check out your own photos for sharing and STAY SAFE!!
Hey folks, let me tell you about a cool thing that I’m involved with, the second annual Crosshatch Skill Swap at Earthwork Farm on Saturday, June 3rd. It’s a full day of hands-on workshops, followed by a dinner and live music. It takes place at Earthwork Farm near Lake City and offers 16 workshops in four areas:
The Green World – wayfinding & orienteering, seed saving, beekeeping, and an herb walk
Real Home Ec – farmer cheese, Kombucha, making mead, and bread baking
Tinkering – bike repair, tailoring, spoon carving, and a topic to be named later
Art – songwriting, singing harmony, using natural dies, and screenprinting
After the dinner, there are FOUR musical treats. The first is a waltz hour featuring amazing string players with knowledgeable waltzers to help you learn a bonus skill – waltzing followed by a concert in the barn host Seth Bernard, Gifts or Creatures, and Heavy Color. Camping is included if you so desire, and there’s a video below with my friend Brad outlining the day. Click for tickets and more information!
My favorite event of the year appears to have snuck up on me! The 2017 Marche du Nain Rouge takes place in Detroit this Sunday (March 26th) at noon at the corner of Cass and Canfield (parade departs at 1 PM). The organizers have some hints about what’s in store for one of Michigan’s quirkiest parades:
The start of the 8th annual Marche du Nain Rouge on Sunday, March 26, 2017, promises to be the most epic parade launch yet. Will the Nain Rouge’s dastardly plan for squelching city pride involve an overly complicated scheme with oversized props and ridiculous costumes? Come find out!
The annual parade through Midtown shows of Detroit pride in the face of the city’s oldest nemesis, the scheming doomsayer, the Nain Rouge. More than 6,000 people are expected to attend this year’s parade, featuring costumes, marching bands, dancers, tricked out cars, and more.
Caribbean Mardi Gras Productions will return with all of its feathers, sparkles and dancers, ready to accompany their Pans of Joy steel drum band. And our friends at Gabriel Brass Band will return to lead the Marche with their authentic New Orleans second-line sound.
In addition to whatever madness the Nain has concocted, the cockroach car from the past couple years will return, bringing with it several other Art Cars, including a new “Bubblemobile” out of Southwest Detroit, and Scrubby Bubble, which has represented Detroit at the Annual Burning Man Festival in Nevada. Also, we’re asking cosplayers to come out for the parade and a costume contest at the afterparty. (at the Detroit Masonic Temple)
Wilkinson Visual writes that this photo shows David Hixenbaugh scrapping up dairyland on a blustery day out on the lakeshore. Great climbing, very unique features formed by the wind making for an exciting top out!
The annual Michigan Ice Fest runs today through Sunday (Feb 15-19, 2017) in Munising. It’s an annual celebration of the sport of ice climbing that brings together some of the world’s best climbers and experts for climbing exhibitions, seminars, guided climbs, get togethers and much more! Click the link above for all the details.
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