March 17th is St. Patrick's Day. It's a time for those who are Irish (or simply Irish at heart) to wear their best green and celebrate. With the things going on to commemorate the holiday in the Blue Water Area, celebrating is definitely on the agenda.
The party in Port Huron starts the Saturday before, March 14th. In the morning you can raise your spirits and your heartbeat with the Y’s Leprechaun Loop in Port Huron at 9am.
Photo by Dale Merrill
Also on the 14th at noon, the streets of Port Huron will be filled with the Celtic spirit when the St. Patrick's Parade starts at Pine Grove Park and then winds through downtown.
Two things we all must remember this time of the year. That is to not pout or cry. Why? Because Santa Claus is coming to town.
As we all know before he makes his rounds dropping off gifts to good little boy and girls on Christmas eve, he likes to check in to places before that to make sure everyone is behaving. Thanks to some connections we have at the North Pole, we're able to let you know when and where some of those stops will be in the Blue Water Area.
St. Nick's first stop will be in St. Clair on Friday, November 22th at 6pm. After riding his sleigh down S. Riverside Street in the parade, he'll be given the key to the city and then the tree at Palmer Park will be lit.
His next visit will be the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, November 26th when he stops in to help ring in the excitement of the season during Marine City’s Lighted Santa Parade!
Saint Nick gives his reindeer a night off on Wednesday, December 4th and arrives on the back of a decorated in lights antique tractor for Algonac's Santa Parade and Tree Lighting.
The jolly man in the red suit has a bit of a tight schedule on that Saturday because he's also part of Harbor Beach's Annual Lighted Christmas Parade which starts at 5:30 on Trescott St.
On Saturday, December 14th, you may not see reindeer in Lexington but you will see a lot of four-legged creatures into the spirit of the season at the Lexington Old Fashioned Christmas Horse Parade. It starts at 2pm.
To find out about all the things happening around the Blue Water Area during the holiday season check out our events page.
One of the sounds that was characteristic of the shoreline of the Blue Water Area for centuries was that of steam-powered freighters sounding their whistles.
In the 19th and early 20th century when steamships were the royalty of Great Lakes trade, Ship captains would tune their steam whistles to create a unique sound so that their ship could be identified before it could be seen. The whistle’s unique sound allowed another ship captain to identify the ship in bad weather and let people on shore know which ship was docking.
As the stream driven vessels gave way to petroleum powered engines, the steam whistle also found itself being replaced with horns and sirens to signal their positions and other notifications to fellow boats and people along the shore. With modern technology such as GPS doing the work these days, even those sounds have become heard less save for foggy conditions, to alert wayward boats that may be in the fishing channels or as a greeting to other ships they may pass.
This Saturday in St. Clair you can hear the sounds of those bygone days at Whistles On The Water. Powered by a giant custom-made steam generator, a plethora of steam whistles will be sounded as well as the history of each whistle given and what different series of toots and blasts meant a message being sent out. One of the crowd favorites whistles includes a whistle that was originally on The Boblo boat SS Columbia. It also really cool when a passing freighter sounds their horn back to those on shore checking out the event.
Along with the many whistles that will be sounded off by the professional collectors, the general public can have a chance to blow off steam along Palmer Park's boardwalk with a variety of smaller whistles too.
Here we are at the end of August already. I know many of us are asking "Where did summer go?" Don't fret though, as there's always something happening in the Blue Water Area. Especially for Labor Day weekend which is this weekend. Check out some of the things going on.
Now in its 16th year, it is safe to say that ThumbFest has become a tradition in Lexington, Michigan. The event highlights great local and regional musicians playing music, teaching workshops, and sitting in on jams. Bring your instrument (and maybe your lawn chair) and join in all the great music!
What started as a backyard party at a home in Fort Gratiot Township has now grown into a celebration at St. Clair County’s largest public park. The annual BlueChiliGrass Festival is at Goodells County Park on Sunday and Monday and will feature continuous music on 2 stages and a chili cook-off.
Before heading to BlueChiliGrass on Monday, why not Trek The Trestle? This five mile Labor Day event has been held annually since 2007. The walk starts at 9 am at the at the Avoca Road Trailhead in Downtown Avoca and crosses the 640ft. Mill Creek trestle, the longest bridge of its kind in the state of Michigan. The Trestle Trek is one of the Labor Day Community Walks that are held throughout the state in conjunction with the Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Walk. Community Walks help provide a similar experience to residents unable to participate in the annual walk across the Mighty Mac.
When you dip a chip do you like it mild? Or perhaps spicy is your thing.No matter your flavor preference this Saturday's Salsa Tasting in Harbor Beach has something to tantalize your taste buds from 11 in the morning to 2 pm.
If browsing some art is your thing, the Blue Water Area has a couple shows that are just the thing for Labor Day weekend too.
Port Austin's Art In The Park will have many original artworks to look at and for sale for sale this Saturday and Sunday. A wide array of mediums including everything from watercolor, oil, acrylic and photography to decorative ironwork, stained and fused glass, gourd art and much more will be on display.
From one end of the Blue Water Area to the other the city of Algonac is holding its Annual Art Fair this Saturday and Sunday too. With the St. Clair River serving as a picturesque backdrop, the fair was started in 1972 and has continued ever since. With around 100 artists as well as entertainment for all ages this fair is a fine way to spend the day in the river flats region of the Blue Water Area.
Just a quick ferry ride over from Algonac is Harsens Island. This weekend they'll be having days filled with family fun! The Harsens Island Lions Club Turkey Shoot includes parades, food and beer tent, live music, dancing, 50/50 drawings and daily raffles along with kids, teens and young adults games and activities. Find out more by visiting the Harsens Island Lions Club on Facebook.
Discover all the happenings around the Blue this month at our events page.
August is winding down and September is just around the corner. While many are getting into back to school mode, that doesn't mean there still isn't a bit of summer left to enjoy. This weekend, the Blue Water Area has a lot of fun to take part in.
Led by guitarist, singer and songwriter Jamie James, the Kingbees made their mark on the charts with a song that helped usher in the rockabilly revival (and giving it a bit of new wave flash) with "My Mistake" and "Shake Bop" in the early 80s.
Following that, the band then appeared on American Bandstand and in the film The Idolmaker. The band split in the mid 80s but reformed a few years ago and have been playing shows regularly since. This Saturday, they'll be heading lining Hot Wheels Weekend in Marysville.
Hot Wheels Weekend kicks off on Friday evening with a classic car cruise at 6:00 pm on Friday and then a showing of the 2004 remake film of the classic TV show "Starsky and Hutch." On Saturday, things kick off at noon. Along with many classic cars on display, there will be from The Volcanos, The Lords Of The Highway and more. Butch Patrick aka Eddie Munster and Paul Micheal Glaser, star of the original Starsky and Hutch television show will be on hand to meet with fans and sign autographs. Find out more about Hot Wheels Weekend at their Facebook page.
On the 4th weekend of August every year the St. Clair County Farm Museum gives you a taste of Yesteryear. It is a celebration of American heritage and a salute to our forefathers and women that made America great. At the Harvest Days, which runs from Friday through Sunday, this weekend antique tractors, equipment, hit and miss engines, homesteading and fashions from the era will be on display and the history of daily life will be relived.
Looking for your lost shaker salt? You may find it in Lexington this weekend as it is MargaritaFest time in the village. It great time to get tropical on Michigan's ThumbCoast.
