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.

Welcoming The Warm Months With Lakeside Park's New Splash Pad

Port Huron's Lakeside Park looks a little different this year.  With help from the city, grants and donated funds the park is in the process of a $500,000 facelift. One of the major new things people will notice is the brand new splash pad.

Yesterday, city officials held the ribbon cutting for the splash pad. In this video, Mayor Pauline Repp discusses where the park, which is home to the city's most popular public beach, has been and some of the great things that are planned for its future.

Photo by Dale Merrill

The splash pad itself pays tribute to the Blue Water Area with structures that resemble the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse and the Blue Water Bridge.

Photo by Dale Merrill

New benches, shower stations and landscaping are some of other projects that are also happening at the ADA compliant park.

Photo by Dale Merrill

City of Port Huron, Fort Gratiot and Port Huron Township residents can buy annual parking passes for $5. Residents from other parts of the county can pay $35 for a year or $5 per day. For Out-of-county residents it's a $10 daily entrance per vehicle. These passes are available at the park's entrance booth.

The Art Of Chris Kro

When most people talk about how rock-n-roll has influenced them it's usually how it has affected the music they are making.

Though Blue Water Area based artist Chris Kro is a musician (he plays bass and sings in the band Dirty Copper),the records he grew up cranking loud as a youngster not only inspired him in that way but also the way album covers looked help shape his head into the design perspective it has. Earlier this week Chris gave us a little insight into his work.

Combining the rough-hewed and the comfortably frayed with vivid colors and street level aesthetics, his work is a feast for the eyes for fans for classic rock album cover and poster design but with a modern age twist.

Photo by Dale Merrill

The designs Chris has done have been seen not only promoting concerts appearances for Wille Nelson, rock legends CCR's John Fogerty and The Beach Boys Brian Wilson but also on works for biker fuzz rockers the Lords Of Altamont, Americana favorites Jason Isbell and Billy Joe Shaver and the DVD box design for Funkadelic.

Photo by Dale Merrill

Posters and album covers are just a few of the formats Chris works in as he's also designed the MC5 and Thirteenth Floor Elevators skateboard decks for pro skater Corey Duffel.

Photo by Dale Merrill

Fans of locally made craft beer may be familiar with his work and not even realize it as Chris has been mastermind behind many of the images that celebrate the brews being made at Port Huron's Thumbcoast Brewery.

The Art Of Chris Kro runs through May 30th at Studio 1219 in downtown Port Huron.

While we're on the topic of checking out some art in the Blue Water area, the first Art Hop of 2016 is happening next Friday from 6-9pm in Downtown Port Huron. Also on Saturday, May 28th, the Thumb Arts Guild will be having it's annual Spring exhibit at the Port Austin Gymnasium.

 To find out more about these happenings along with many more-check out our events page.

President of Blue Water Area CVB receives top honor "CVB Star of the Year" at Pure Michigan Governor's Conference on Tourism

Marci Fogal, President of Blue Water Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) attended the Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Lansing on Sunday, April 17th thru Tuesday, April 19th where she was presented the CVB Star of the Year award.  Fogal was chosen out of 65 Michigan CVBs for her striving efforts to promote the Blue Water Region as a tourist destination. 

Fogal was thrilled about the award saying, “It is just as exciting for our eastern shores of Michigan to be recognized as a great vacation spot for families and people seeking a fun retreat.”  She went on to say that her staff and Board greatly add to the force behind her endeavors.   

Each year the Stars of the Industry Awards are presented at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism to those individuals outstanding in their field of lodging and tourism.  Fogal attended the awards ceremony supported by her staff and several Board members.   

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