Communities across the region are hosting Labor Day events and celebrations this holiday weekend. Festivities include:
ESCANABA
Escanaba’s festivities begin at noon on Labor Day Monday, September 2. The parade starts at 11 a.m. at Escanaba Marketplace, travels down Ludington Street and ends at the Municipal Dock.
Festivities begin at 1 p.m. at the Escanaba Municipal Dock and feature a day of activities. The event is free and open to the public.
For children there will be a petting zoo, an obstacle course and a bouncy castle.
For adults there is a Bloody Mary bar and a beer tent.
There will be live music performances throughout the day from Grand Design (from 1pm), Wingin It (from 3pm) and We Ain’t Saints (from 5pm).
The golf ball throw takes place at 18:30
All proceeds go to the Delta County Trades & Labor Charity/Scholarship Fund.
UP STEAM & GAS ENGINE ASSOCIATION FAIR
Beginning Friday, August 30, the UP Steam and Gas Engine Association’s 49th Annual Show will be held at the Antique Village at the UP State Fairgrounds in Escanaba. The show will run Friday, August 30 through Monday, September 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday. The show will showcase quality John Deere agricultural equipment.
Admission is $6 per day and $10 on weekends. Children under 12 are free.
In addition to the show, guests can also visit other attractions such as the Agricultural Museum, Antique Village, Antique Autos Show and the indoor/outdoor flea market. A complimentary tractor wagon is available during show times.
There are also a limited number of golf carts available for rent.
Pets are allowed, but must be supervised at all times. Animals on the exhibition grounds must be kept on a 2-meter leash and are not allowed in the dining areas.
Alcohol and cannabis are not permitted in the exhibition areas during exhibition hours.
ROCK
The Rock Lions Club will host its 79th annual Labor Day celebration on Saturday, August 31st. There will be a parade starting at 11 a.m. For more information about the parade, contact Becca at 906-356-9040.
There are a variety of activities to choose from, including a bouncy castle, tractor pulling for children, cowpie bingo and a bean bag tournament.
There is also a flea market if you want to go treasure hunting.
Guests can even purchase tickets and win an LS tractor model MT235E.
Food and drinks are also provided.
No take-away items are permitted.
Visitors can also listen to live music from the Pink Violin Band.
For more information about the Rock Lions Club, visit Facebook at www.facebook.com/rocklionsclub
Cedar River: A day full of adventure
The Cedar River Bridge Walk takes place on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend – August 31st.
New to this year’s BridgeWalk is the Tommy Bolen Memorial Joke Contest, which offers gift certificates to the Halfway Bar & Grill valued at $50 for 1st place, $30 for 2nd place and $20 for 3rd place.
Thomas Henry Bolen is posthumously honored as this year’s Cedar River BridgeWalk King.
Bolen grew up on a family farm north of the Cedar River and later worked for decades as a lumberjack in the area. He also worked for a time as a commercial fisherman on the Milwaukee River. He was unofficially known as the “Mayor of the Cedar River.”
The Cedar River Bridge Walk festivities begin around 10:00 a.m. CDT with music by Josh and Joey Friesland at the Township Hall adjacent to the Cedar River Harbor.
The opening ceremony begins at 10:45 a.m. with a speech by Sheriff Mike Holmes at City Hall.
The walk begins at 11 a.m. and heads across the Cedar River to the Halfway Bar & Grill, where Alamo Jack will perform in the back yard.
Also starting at 11am there will be Chicken Sh*t Bingo.
There will also be 50/50 raffles throughout the day.
At 1:30 p.m. Bolen will be honored with a memorial joke competition on the music stage.
Following the competition, guests will hear music by Lady Cannon at 2 p.m.
The Cedar River BridgeWalk2024 is a fundraiser for the Cedarville Township Volunteer Fire Department, Cedar River Chapel, and Sportsmen With Heart and is hosted/sponsored by Halfway Bar & Grill.
NAHMA
The Nahma Labor Day Celebration will be held on Sunday, September 1, at Nahma Township Park. The celebration will begin with a parade at 11 a.m. Participants should line up at the golf course for the parade.
Activities include a car show, craft tables, raffles, kids games, a bouncy castle, a kids escape room, log sawing and nail hammering contests, a cake walk, a horseshoe contest, a cornhole contest, face painting and more.
Live music begins at 11:30am with performances by Three Wheel Drive, followed by Stonewall.
Food, beer and refreshments are provided.
MANISTICS
Manistique celebrates Labor Day on Friday and Saturday with a cruise, street festival and car show hosted by Team Chevrolet.
The cruise begins at 7pm on Friday. Participants must line up at Lakeshore BP at 6:30pm. After the cruise, you can rejoin the crowd downtown to hear live music from Blacklist and dance in the street.
The car show starts on Saturday at 10 a.m. and lasts until 4 p.m.
New this year is a bicycle auction organized by Manistique Public Safety from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Guests are treated to Beats by Pete and Elks Chicken BBQ.
There will also be a maker’s market, a bouncy castle, 50/50 raffles, a car blow-up and much more.
Returning this year is Rhino Dyno. This is an opportunity to test your car’s performance on a state-of-the-art dyno. The cost of the dyno is $50 for two runs. Unlimited runs are $100. If unlimited runs are purchased, the car must be moved to the back of the queue after the first two runs.
