Set Sail For A Blue Water Adventure: What's Happening July 15-21 in Michigan's ThumbCoast

Festival time is in full swing in the Blue Water Area and this week, the celebrations are plenty.

Photo courtesy of the St. Clair County 4-H's Facebook page

Happening now and running through Saturday, July 20th, The St. Clair County 4-H Fair is going on in Goodells. 

The fair offers not only carnival rides and snack along with the many other things 4-H activities youth are involved in. Throughout the week attendees can also take in a Monster Truck show, visiting the petting farm, tour the Farm Museum and much more. See the full schedule here.

Port Huron's biggest event of the summer returns this week too. Featuring live music, food, boats and more, Blue Water Fest is an area tradition and this year provides the fun for the entire family.

Things kick off Wednesday, July 17th with the International Rotary Day Parade at 6:30pm. The parade route starts at Huron and Glenwood Avenue, runs through downtown Port Huron and ends at Oak Street.

Photo by Dale Merrill

Thursday, July 18th and Friday, July 19th will feature live music, beer tents, vendors, food, a carnival and more!

Thursday is Family Night. Among the things happening that evening is Operation Transformation's Outreach from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. by the 10th St. Bridge. It will include live pony rides, a petting zoo, Detroit Tiger mascot PAWS, grilled food & drinks and a whole lot more!

Family Night caps off with fireworks over the St. Clair River!

During Blue Water Fest Q Country 107 and WHLX "The Hills" presents a two-day country concert event with Boats and Boots!

Thursday night it's Lonestar and on Friday Reckless Kelly takes the big stage. You can get tickets for these two shows here.

Along with Lonestar and Reckless Kelly, there will be stages featuring local and regional musical artists playing throughout the weekend too.

Saturday morning is the Bell's Beer Bayview Port Huron to Mackinac Race. See the boats head out to the course throughout the morning along Black River and the St. Clair River and heading north to Lake Huron.

Photo by Dale Merrill

Get full details on the race at the Bayview Yacht Club page.

In Harbor Beach this Saturday experience exciting cart derby race in the same vein as the American Soapbox Derby Association at the Downhill Cart Derby.

Looking towards the rest of July:

• Baloney is the name of the game at the Yale Bologna Festival July 26th -28th. 
• The water is going to rumble and rock July 26th-28th at the St. Clair Riverfest and River Classic Offshore Powerboat Race.
• Many classic rides will fill the downtown Port Huron streets on Saturday, July 27th for the Mainstreet Memories Car Show.
• Take a blast to camping's past at Tin Can Tourist's Vintage Camper Show in Port Austin on July 27th.

Find out detail about these events and much more when you Discover The Blue at BlueWater.org

Parties At The Beach: What's happening this week in the Blue Water Area

Michigan's ThumbCoast has two big beach parties happening this week. Both of them serve up a unique kind of fun that only the eastern shores of Michigan can offer.

Photo by Dale Merrill

Now in its 7th year, The Blue Water SandFest is Michigan's first and only Master sand sculpting and Advanced Amateur competition/festival. For 3 days the grounds of the Fort Gratiot Light Station will see extraordinary sculptures crafted from sand and water that will dazzle and impress visitors to the site.

Voted one of the 10 Best festivals of its sort by USA Today, the Blue Water Sand Fest is much more than just checking out the impressive works of art. There will be an eclectic array of live music throughout the weekend, hands-on sculpting lessons, tours of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse and much more.

The Blue Water Sandfest is July 12th through the 14th.

A city with Beach in its very name can't have a summer pass without having a beach party, right? From July 11th through the 14th, Harbor Beach does just that with their annual Maritime Festival. 

Among the things happening at the Martime Festival this year include a ton of live music, beach bocce and volleyball tournaments, frog jumping and hot dog eating contests, fireworks on Saturday night and jet ski races.

Other things happening this weekend in the Blue Water Area include the Port Sanilac Garden Club's Extraordinary Walk through Farms, Fields & Flowers and Led Zeppelin tribute act ZOSO at the Lexington Village Theater.

Looking towards next week, the St. Clair County 4-H Fair at Goodells County Park starts on July 15th and Port Huron's Blue Water Fest kicks off on July 17th with the Rotary Parade.

Find out all the happenings at our events page.

The County Fair to Cart Racing: What's happening this week in the Blue Water Area

Each July, when the stables and stalls at Goodells County Park are teeming with movement of not only humans but horses, cows and many other creatures, it can only mean one thing. It's time for the St. Clair County 4-H Fair.

Named one of the best family fairs in the state of Michigan, the fair opened today and runs through Saturday the 21st. Along with the usual fare such as a carnival, fried treats and livestock shows and auctions, the St Clair County 4-H Fair also has entertainment throughout the park each and every day.

Admission to the fair is $7 per person.  Children 8 and under are always free and no charge for parking. There's also an option of a daily admission for $20 at the gate.  Each daily admission admits one car and all occupants on the date purchased.

Every summer Harbor Beach's Trescott St. has many people on it heading down to the water. One Saturday each July though there's transportation a little more unusual than a normal making way to the shore.

Based on the same type of set up one would see at an American Soapbox Derby Association competition, it's time for the annual Harbor Beach Cart Derby on Saturday, July 21st.

This community event, co-sponsored by the City of Harbor Beach and The American Legion, is open to ages 8 years old an up with four division competing throughout the day.

The first green flag drops at 9 in the morning with the over 18 group and races continue through to around 2 in the afternoon. Come on down, cheer them on and make summertime fun memories for the young and young at heart.

See photos and more from last year's derby at the Harbor Beach and American Legion Cart Derby Facebook page.

This Saturday, the Sanilac County Historic Village and Museum in Port Sanilac celebrates folkies to Flower Power with the Singin' the Sixties Festival. All across the village's grounds, there will be music and discussion of the decade that changed history forever.

Looking towards next weekend, Riverfest and River Classic Offshore Powerboat Race roars into St. Clair, the Mainstreet Memories car show is in Port Huron, vintage and classic campers show off at Port Austin's Port Cresent St. Park, Port Sanilac has its annual summer festival, Harsens Island is having its Roots Music Festival and the city of Yale throws a party of bologna.

Discover the Blue when you check out all the happenings at our events page.