Hot Cars, Classic Rock and Cool Art : What's Happening This Weekend in the Blue Water Area

School's out and the sun is shining. Time to get out, explore and discover. This weekend, there's plenty to see and do when you Discover The Blue.

Car enthusiasts from all around the area are getting revved up to be in Fort Gratiot as it is time for Blue Water Cruise Weekend. Festivities start Thursday with a carnival at the Birchwood Mall. On Friday evening many sets of wheels will be showing off their shine along 24th Avenue in Fort Gratiot and north Port Huron's main drag.

The show of chrome and high-gloss continues into Saturday the 29nd with the Keith Peterson Memorial Car Show at the Birchwood Mall during the day and fireworks in the evening.  To see the full schedule of events, check out the Blue Water Cruise Weekend website.

Now in its 48th year, the St Clair Art Fair is one of the oldest art fairs on this side of the state. This weekend there will be over 120 artists located throughout the Riverview Plaza and Palmer Park along the St. Clair River. Find out more about the artists participating here.

Starting this Saturday and then on each one through August 4th, you can catch the boat taxi and take the one mile ride out to tour the Harbor Beach lighthouse.

This Saturday, The Sanilac Consortium for the Arts and Sanilac County Historic Village & Museum will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock with the grooviest festival in the Thumb. Singing The 60's will feature local musicians celebrating the songs of Woodstock and the 1960’s in four performance areas. There will also be a vintage car show, arts & crafts vendors, a hippie drum circle, children's area, craft beer and great eats. 

Looking towards the Independence Day weekend, Algonac hosts their annual Pickerel Festival. For fireworks, Port Austin and St. Clair will have them on July 4th, Lexington and Algonac on the 5th and Port Sanilac on the 6th.

Find out all the things that are happening in Michigan's ThumbCoast at our events page.

From Art On The River to the Early Settlers Along The Lake: What's Happening This Weekend in the Blue Water Area

All along Michigan's eastern shores, there's plenty going plenty to see and do this coming weekend. Let's take a look at some of the events happening in the Blue Water Area.

Art On The River, a three day art and music festival, has become a tradition for the second weekend of June in Port Huron. This family friendly event, which is chock full of art workshops, music and food, kicks off this Friday evening at Kiefer park with a dance party and beer tent.

The headliner for Art On The River this is year is Derek St. Holmes. Most well known as the rhythm guitarist and voice on Ted Nugent's early solo hits such as "Stranglehold" and "Hey Baby", Derek St. Holmes has also worked with Aerosmith's Brad Whitford and the Michael Schenker Band. Derek takes the stage on Saturday evening.

On Saturday, June, 8th see hot rods, custom and muscle cars at Rumble In The Park at Marysville Park.  The next day, the park will host stock and unmodified rides that are at least twenty five years old for The Past and Its Wheels. This show is well known for having quite a few Wills Sainte Claire cars. Wills built approximately 12,000 cars between 1921 and '26 in a Marysville factory. There are only 75 remaining in the entire world.

In Port Sanilac this weekend the Native, Voyageurs & Settlers Days are at the Sanilac County Museum & Historical Village are happening. At this event, families can learn about and experience the rich history connected with the voyageurs, early settlers, American Indians, and military of the Great Lakes Fur Trade period. This reenactment of the life-styles and skills of this era will include demonstrations and displays of traditional crafts and skills, trade goods and artifacts, campfire cooking, military life, weaponry, and much more! It runs from 10am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Looking ahead into June events include, Marysville' Summerfest kicks off on 13th, Harbor Beach holds its annual Truck Show on the 15th, Porch Fest is happening in Port Austin on the 22nd, the Blue Water Cruise weekend in Fort Gratiot starts on the 27th and runs through the 30th and the St. Clair Art Fair is the 29th and 30th. 

Find out more about these and many more happening when you Discover The Blue at our events page.

Rev It Up!: 2019 Blue Water Area Car Shows

So, you've got the motor running and heading out to the highway. Why not rev it up and head to one of the many classic car shows happening in the Blue Water Area this summer.

The season of shows kicks off in June with two cars in one weekend at Marysville City Park. On Saturday, June 8th, Rumble In The Park will feature hot rods, custom and muscle cars.

The next day the Past and its Wheels show will feature not only many un-modified and in stock condition rides but also quite a few Wills Sainte Claire cars. Wills built approximately 12,000 cars between 1921 and '26 at a factory in Marysville. There are only about 75 Wills Sainte Claire automobiles remaining in the entire world.

If you're a fan of bigger machines, check out the Harbor Beach Truck Show on Saturday, June 15th. The downtown streets of this ThumbCoast community are closed off and then lined with over 75 trucks ranging from semis to pickups and tankers to trailers. Along with the trucks of all sizes, there will be food, beverages, vendors and live music.

From trucks used for work to equipment for working in the field. Take a trip back to see how farming was done in earlier times at the Lexington Antique Tractor Show. Taking place behind Lexington’s A&W restaurant, tractors will stand shiny and tall for viewing for vintage farm equipment enthusiasts. It's happening on Saturday, June 15th.

The last weekend of June is a huge weekend for classic car enthusiasts from Michigan's ThumbCoast and beyond. Running from June 27th through the 30th, the Blue Water Cruise Weekend kicks off with a carnival at Birchwood Mall. 

On Friday, the 28th, the wheels will be in motion as the cars cruise 24th Avenue and Pine Grove. 

Get a closer look at many of the cars from the cruise on Saturday at the Keith Peterson Memorial Car Show. That evening, check out the fireworks display along 24th Ave.

The streets of Downtown Port Huron will be glimmering with high gloss and chrome on Saturday, July 27th. The Mainstreet Memories Car Show is a community-based, non-judged event that brings auto aficionados from all over the area to check the many sweet street machines.

What goes with summer and classic cars? Vintage campers of course. Saturday, July 27th is the day for the 11th annual Vintage Camper Show in Port Austin. Coordinated by the Tin Can Tourists, America's oldest trailer and motor coach club, this show brings antique trailers, some of them dating back to the 1930s to Port Crescent State Park. This year there will be over 100 trailers to celebrate our Michigan State Parks' 100th anniversary.

Wrapping up car show season in the Blue Water Area for the summer is The Rumble On The River. Held on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, this is a one day show that coincides with Algonac's annual art fair. It's one of many great ways to cap off summer adventures for both art lovers and car lovers in the Blue Water Area.

To find out more about these things to do and the plenty of others when you discover the blue, check out our events page here. 

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.