Smooth Jazz and Sweet Boats: What's happening this week in the Blue Water Area

From Sanilac County to St. Clair and points beyond, the Blue Water Area has some fun things to do this weekend.

This Friday & Saturday, August 16th & 17th take a stroll back in time at the Antique Boat and Vintage Show in Port Sanilac. The annual festival features a wide array of antique and classic boats and these beautiful wood vessels are a must-see if you appreciate craftsmanship. Tin Can Tourists will also be setting up their unique campers in the Harbor Park, adjacent to the Port Sanilac Marina.

The sounds of jazz fill the air this Saturday at St. Clair's Palmer Park.

The 4th Annual St. Clair Jazz Festival. Detroit based and world-renowned flutist Alexander Zonjic will be headlining the festival this year. There is no charge for this event which starts at 1PM and runs to 9pm.

Some other events this week include Rockin' The Rivers at Port Huron's Kiefer Park, Dave Bennett’s Rockin’ the 50’s at Lexington's Music in the Park on Friday and the Citadel Stage in Port Huron presents Shakespeare's A Midsommer Nights Dreame.

Looking towards next week Hot Wheels Weekend is happening Marysville, St. Clair County Farm Museum Harvest Festival is in Goodells and and Lexington will be having Maragarita Fest. Find out about them and plenty more at our events page.

Boat The Blue in Port Huron this weekend

When crossing over Port Huron's 7th and 10th street bridges this week, your eyes may spot what looks like quite a few vessels dating from the 1940's and possibly even before.

Be assured, your eyes are not deceiving you as Port Huron is the host city for the Antique & Classic Boat Society's International Boat Show this year.

Dubbed Boat The Blue, this event will bring around 200 classic and vintage boats to the Blue Water Area, for a week full of events for its owners and then caps off with open the public show at Port Huron's River Street Marina this Friday and Saturday.

Among the events for the free show this weekend include a Cruiser Open House on Friday and Saturday from 11am – 2pm. There will free boat rides in a classic boat on Saturday from at that time as well.

Events for children including toy boat painting, face painting, Tootsie the clown, minnow races, knot tying, and much more are available on Saturday from 11am-2am.  Free Parking is located at the St. Clair Community College.  A vendor area featuring boat related art, crafts, parts as well as food and drinks will also be available.

Many of the boats on display this week do have plenty Blue Water Area history connected to them.

At the age of 13, Christopher Columbus Smith built his first boat in the city of Algonac. By 1881, his skiffs had been known across the Great Lakes, so he and his brother Frank went into building boats full time. In 1922, Smith and his family formed the Chris Smith and Son Boat Company, producing fast and economically priced runabouts for the general public. During World War II the company, now known as Chris Craft, the company 12,000 military vessels such as patrol boats, utility launches, and rescue vessels for the United States Navy and Army.

Following World War II, the American economy started to grow immensely. Families had more money to spend on fun things.  Boats were high on a lot of people's lists and the company's vessels, from the finest mahogany, their boats were considered to be the best available.

In 1948, Algonac based boat company Chris Craft promoted their new lines of pleasure boats for that year with this ad geared to those who were looking for to enjoy time out on the water.

Though Chris Craft built custom vessels for superstars such as Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, even their lower-priced boats were known for their high quality by using woods like mahogany and teak as well as having many luxury items most other boats did not come with. Within ten years Chris Craft became virtually synonymous with pleasure boating, offering 159 different models and became the sales leader in many categories of small civilian powerboats.

Photo by Dale Merrill

If you're going to be checking out the boats docked at the marina this week or weekend and posting photos of them on Instagram or Twitter, don't forget to use the hashtags #BoatTheBlue and #DiscoverTheBlue when sharing them. On Instagram, you can also tag them with @boattheblue and @discoverthebluewaterarea.

Find out more about the 2018 Antique and Classic Boat Society International Boat Show: Boat The Blue at their website.

From History and Heritage to Hobos and Hounds: Ten Things Happening This Weekend In The Blue Water Area

Now that Labor Day has passed and school is back in session, many may think that it marks a slow down of things to do and see in the Blue Water Area. That isn't the case though as this upcoming September weekend has plenty happening in our region. Here are ten things to check out for an eastern shores of Lake Huron adventure.

Bach, Baroque and beyond. That's what to expect in Port Huron and Lexington this weekend at the annual Bach Festival. The celebration of the composer starts Thursday in Port Huron with noon and 7 pm performances at SC4's Fine Arts Theater with the Festival String Quartet performing a varied program of music from Bach to light classics.

Friday evening, the fete moves to Lexington where the Trio Phoenix will perform an evening of music for violin, cello and piano including works by Bach, Beethoven, Rameau and Debussy at the Lexington Village Theater. The music continues on Saturday and Sunday with the Festival Orchestra offering two concerts in St. Denis Catholic Church.

To find out more and to get tickets visit the Lexington Bach Festival website.

The music of Bach isn't the only sounds they will be hearing in Lexington this weekend either. The legendary B.J. Thomas, known for the hits such as "Hooked On A Feeling", "Rock-n-Roll Lullaby" and, of course, the #1 smash "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" will be playing two shows at the Lexington Village Theater on Saturday.

If your musical tastes run a bit more on the rockin' side of country music, make plans to be in Port Huron on Friday night when Scott Manery & The Barnburners turn up the heat at McMorran Place.

Also in Port Huron this weekend, the PH&DDR Historical Society celebrate Port Huron’s history as a vital international transport center, the city’s struggle to overcome the economic depression and the courage and resourcefulness of those that rode the rails seeking work and adventure with Hobo Fest on Friday and Saturday.

If seeing how people traveled by water in style is your thing, feast your eyes on the many vintage floating vessels (quite a few of which were built in the Blue Water Area decades ago at Chris Craft and Gar Wood) at the Blue Water Antique and Classic Boat Show. It's happening this Saturday at Port Huron's River Street Marina.

Throughout this upcoming weekend, Marine City is celebrating its sesquicentennial birthday on the grounds of their historic city hall for Heritage Days. Among the things happening at this jubilee include the Michigan 8th Volunteers setting up camp and remind us of our state's role in the Civil War, music ranging from ancient bagpipes to a swing band, a petting zoo, antique cars & tractors, horsedrawn wagon ride through town and more. Check out EBW's feature on Marine City Heritage Days here. 

Also in Marine City this weekend it's the premiere of Oliver! at the Riverbank Theater. This musical interpretation of the Charles Dickens classic. runs through September 30th.

One thing that September means to a lot of people is that it is harvest time. After the crops have been taken care of it is time to relax and then party. For many that means it's POLKA TIME. Especially in Kinde. Located a ten minute drive from Port Austin, the Kinde Polka Fest features ten polka bands over three days and brings people from all around the Michigan's Thumb to come and roll out the barrel of fun.

Harbor Beach is also having a harvest celebration on Saturday too with a Craft Expo 10 am-4 pm the on Murphy Museum lawn, a  pie & dessert contest 10:30 am at their visitors center and sampling of various chili recipes made at local merchants and organizations from 11 am-3 pm.

There's going to be good boys and cool pooches galore this weekend at Goodells County Park this weekend. The St. Clair Kennel Club's annual dog show is always a huge draw with area canine fans and friends and this year will be no different. The show starts Friday and runs through Sunday.

Discover all the Blue has to offer at Bluewater.Org

Lights That Shine Michigan's Eastern Shores

The #lighthouse in #PortSanilac is celebrating its 130 birthday this weekend. For only the 2nd time in its history it will be open for tours this Saturday, Sept. 10th, from 10am til 6pm. #puremichigan #discovertheblue #mittenlove

A photo posted by Discover The Blue (@discoverthebluewaterarea) on Sep 7, 2016 at 5:43am PDT

Before GPS and all the other navigational available at a watercraft's reach these days, lighthouses played an integral role in guiding the way along the coast. While many lighthouses now have private owners, they still operate as beacons along the shores as well as functional historical sites overseen by the US Coast Guard. One of those is the Port Sanilac Lighthouse. The octagonal shaped structure, built in 1886, stands 59 feet tall and has been opened for tours only once. Until this Saturday, September 10th, that is because the public is invited to the Port Sanilac Lighthouse Open House and Tour to celebrate it's 130th birthday from 10am-6pm. This rare opportunity gives visitors a chance the original 1886 classical lighthouse Fresnel Lens that has sat on top of the tower one last time as the the US Coast Guard will be replacing it with a new LED light in the following weeks.

If you'd like to visit more than one lighthouse this weekend, you can also take the boat taxi ride in to take the Harbor Beach lighthouse tour from 10am-1pm on Saturday or climb the 94 steps to the top of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse in Port Huron Friday through Sunday between 11am and 5pm.

Other Blue Water Area events this weekend include The Port Huron Hobo Fest on Friday and Saturday, The Fall Craft Show in St Clair, Algonac's Annual Car Show and the Great Lakes Tattoo Expo at the Blue Water Convention Center in Port Huron.

Find out more about the many things happening around the area at our events page.

Lighting Up The Sky

The calendar says it's officially summer and the Blue Water Area is celebrating it in a couple places with fireworks this Saturday evening.

One of the first festivals of the season in the area is Marysville Days. Sure, the carnival rides, games, food and live entertainment are all part of the fun of the four day event but one of the biggest highlights is watching the fireworks. Families bring blankets and set them down along the banks of the St. Clair River to watch the skies light up in a fantastic display of pyrotechnics.

This Saturday ohh's and ahh's will be heard all along the waterfront as people watch not only the sky fill with many colors but also from seeing them reflect and ripple on the water at Marysville Days Annual Fireworks night.

Following the Blue Water Cruise on Friday evening and the Keith Peterson Memorial Car Show at the Birchwood Mall on Saturday afternoon Fort Gratiot Township, classic cars will park along Keewahdin Rd. in the evening and families will watch the skies light up with many colors at the Fort Gratiot Fireworks at 10:15pm. Find out more happening for Cruise Weekend here.

Classic pieces of transportation and pleasure wont just be on display in Fort Gratiot this weekend. The Village of Lexington revs up with vehicles of the past this Saturday at the A&W Classic Car Show and the Algonac Harbor Club will have many buoyant beauties built of wood at the Annual Antique and Classic Boat Show.

Find out more about these and the many other things happening around the Blue Water Area at our events page.

Port Huron to Host “Boat the Blue” 2018 International Antique and Classic Boat Show

The local chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society (ACBS) is pleased to announce that the city of Port Huron will host the 2018 International Antique and Classic Boat Show.

This event’s theme is “Bring Your Boat Home” and will feature historical watercraft built by Chris Craft, Garwood, Dodge and many more and will give spectators a rare chance to see some of the finest boats ever built up close. Boat The Blue will be a world class event and a great occasion to showcase the Blue Water Area and its love for boating.

Festivities will kick off with events hosted by the Michigan Chapter of the ACBS from Sunday, Sept, 9th through Thursday, Sept 13th, 2018. The show itself will be held on Friday and Saturday, Sept 14th and 15th, 2018.

For further information and the latest updates on the Boat the Blue event visit www.facebook.com/BoatTheBlue