Cool Happenings at the Plymouth Ice Festival

I love attending the Plymouth Ice Fest, and I do mean that I love it. There have been winters when the ice melts almost as fast as it's been carved, and there have been bitterly cold winters, but nothing beats bundling up and heading to Plymouth Michigan to see the many sparkly ice sculpture creations created before my eyes scattered throughout the downtown area! the past couple of years, we have even introduced the kids to the experience - My son thinks it is especially awesome to see the ice carvers cutting away "with chainsaws" at the giant ice blocks!!!

"I loved it!" says Zach Mayrend, "I like when they are carving the ice, and REALLY liked the COOL carved snowmobile!"

The 2015 Plymouth Ice Festival storms into Plymouth, Michigan January 9-11 - Friday 3:00-10:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Created specifically for the love of winter, the revamped Plymouth Ice Festival will feature over 100 ice sculptures, live music and entertainment, interactive family shows, winter-themed tasty treats and a variety of additional events to interest all ages. Several event highlights include the Dueling Chainsaws, ice carving competitions, interactive ice sculptures, a Detroit Redwings slapshot contest, and don't forget the lighting of the spectacular fire and ice towers on Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m. Many of the Downtown Plymouth merchants will also be holding individualized in-store events offering discounts and giveaways. An estimated 100,000 people are slated to attend the three-day event.

The Plymouth Ice Festival has ranked among the top ice festivals in the United States by promoting ice sculpture as an art form through competitions, demonstrations and seminars with standardized judging and exhibitions. To see the complete list of what's happening, be sure to check out the complete Plymouth Ice Festival schedule of events or the Plymouth Ice Fest Facebook Page.

So bundle up your troops and take a 20 minute drive to downtown Plymouth. The quaint downtown area will be alive with amateur and professional ice carvers and families who enjoy the experience. Don't forget to bring some extra cash though for fun midway food or a great cup of hot cocoa!

All photos are property of Tammy Mayrend.

Wayne County Fair in Belleville August 3-8

Ann Arbor area residents are lucky - There is the Washtenaw County Fair PLUS the Wayne County fairgrounds are at our back-door.

This week, August 3-8, the Wayne County Fair will be going on in Belleville with events from he typical 4-H livestock showings to a talent show, carnival rides, all the "fair food" one desires, demolition derby's and so much more!

For families, the best times to visit the fairgrounds are when discounts are in place (of course). For the past several years I have competed in the talent show and have brought the family along, this year thought I will think about taking the kids for Wednesday's carnival day where kids can ride all they want for $10 or possibly we'll attend during Friday night's track event where kids under 5 get in free!
Events Schedule:
Aug. 3-8 - 2009 Wayne County Fair
Aug. 5-8 - Carnival
Aug. 6 - Night of Destruction
Aug. 7 - USA Auto Enduro Run Derby
Aug. 8 - Michigan Supercross Championship Series
The Wayne County Fair
10871 Quirk Road / Belleville, MI 48111
Phone: (734) 697-7002

The fairgrounds are located West of Belleville and North of the I-94 Service Drive.
For a full schedule of events visit the Wayne County Fair website. The website also has a $2 discount coupon good for events on Thurs - Sat night! Look for us there with sticky cotton-candy fingers and smiles on our faces!!!



Creative Commons License / photo credits: WayneCtyFair

Winter Fest Arrives in Belleville

Looking for something fun and festive this holiday season? What about some holiday fireworks? Or ice skating in a downtown area? Then Belleville's Winterfest is right for you!

Produced by the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce, the event features a Jingle Bell 5K and 1K Fun  Run that starts and finishes in Horizon Park, ice skating at 4th Street Square, (some skates will be available for loan too!), ice sculptures along Main Street, musical entertainment on the stage on 4th Street next to the Museum. And at 6:00 p.m., the parade steps off!

The Christmas Parade of Lights travels east on Colombia to Main St., continuing up Main to the Museum where City Officials welcome Santa and hold Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. Following the parade at the museum, children are welcomed to visit Santa at the First United Methodist Church and to watch Fireworks at Horizon Park at 8:00 p.m.!

Festival of Lights in Grass Lake

The Grass Lake Festival of Lights is a free family event on Saturday, December 3 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Weekend Events Round-up: June 3-5

The end of the school year is wrapping up, the Michigan weather is clearing, and families throughout the area are beginning to look for fun activities and free events. This weekend is a little light on Ann Arbor things to do, but there are two great festivals and a sprinkling of events to pass along to you!

Food, fun and great music can be found this weekend at the
Ya’ssoo Greek Festival in Ann Arbor - Kids even get in FREE! 

From Friday through Sunday, families can head over to the Fifth annual Ya’ssoo Greek Festival
at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church (3109 Scio Church Rd., Ann Arbor). Families will find live music, dancing and great food. The festival runs Friday and Saturday 11:00 a.m. - Midnight and Sunday Noon - 6:00 p.m. and costs only $3 after 4:00 p.m. Friday or  after 1:00 p.m. The event is FREE however for children 12 & under and free all day on Sunday!

The Milan Community Fair also continued throughout the weekend with hours from noon - 11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from noon - 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. Discount tickets will be available Sunday for budget-conscious families.  Fireworks will be displayed just after dusk Friday (between 9:30 and 10:00 p.m.) with plenty of rides, food and entertainment available throughout the weekend.

If crafting is in your blood, Tree Town Toys (2611 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor) is hosting a free kids craft project making beautiful, majestic butterflies! On Friday 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. budding butterfly enthusiasts ages 4 and up can join in the free craft folding, twisting and pinching paper to make just the right design to decorate a bedroom or anywhere a bit of color is needed!

On Saturday, get up early and head over to Home Depot to make dad his very own Valet Organizer during the Free Kid's Workshop at Home Depot (3300 Carpenter Rd., Ypsilanti). From 9:00 a.m. - noon, kids can build a cool gift for dad or their favorite grad during the one-a-month free event.

Don't let time get away from you though, as later that morning families can head over to the Lyon Township Kite Festival at James Atchison Memorial Park (58000 Grand River Ave., New Hudson)from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.  During this free event, kite aficionados of all ages are invited to the participate in kite flying or observing many beautiful kites at the festival grounds. Expect to find a  classic car display, moonwalks for kids, an Elvis impersonator, music and kid-friendly entertainment! It's a great way families can enjoy themselves at a community festival for no cost.

If you are in downtown Ann Arbor Saturday, the annual African American Downtown Festival will be celebrating all day from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. to visit the areas black history, and find plenty of free entertainment and great food. 

Wrap up your weekend Sunday by taking the kids back to Tree Town Toys so they may make their Teacher a Picture Frame. For only $3, your child can create a great school year memory when creating their own hand-made picture frame on Sunday from 2:00 - 4:30 p.m. I doubt the teacher would be disappointed to find a little gift card token tucked inside the frame after either...

Families can also enjoy the Taste of Ann Arbor Sunday from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The yearly event features local restaurants selling small portions of food. We've gone to it a couple of times and find it to be a great way to try new foods and even introduce the kids to them!  There is also live entertainment for a full evening out with the family!

Several Fall Celebrations This Weekend

I ran across a couple of events for this weekend, to be specific they are all celebrations of autumn and the end-of-summer harvest season. They all appear to be fun family events and very inexpensive or free.

Webster Fall Festival and Pig Roast

On Saturday September 26, the Webster United Church, in conjunction with the Webster Township Historical Society will be having a fall festival that includes a luncheon, an auction, country store, antique cars, kids pony rides, hayrides, a horseshoe contest, crafts and so much more - All of this for FREE.

The event the swings into the evening with a pig roast from 5:00-7:00 pm with additional children’s activities, crafts and live music. Cost for the pig roast only: Adults $9, children $5.

The Webster United Church is located at 5484 Webster Church Road in Dexter. For more information visit the Webster Fall Festival event website or call 734-426-5115.

Harvest Time in Saline

Another fun Saturday event can be found at the Rentschler Farm in Saline (1265 Michigan Avenue, Saline). From 11:00 am – 4:00 pm families will be able to enjoy guided tours of the farmhouse and barns and many exhibit areas with turn of the century interpreters. There will also be a kid’s petting farm, a merry-go-round, and many more fun activities.

If you’d like to see how turn of the century Saline harvested their fall crops, be sure to stop by!

Cost is a $1 donation for adults, and is free for children. For more information check out the Saline Rentschler Farm webpage or call 734-944-0442.

Clinton Fall Festival

Enjoy a leisurely Sunday drive along US-12, 11 miles past Saline, and you’ll run into the annual Clinton Fall Festival. Stop by anytime from Friday through Sunday and you will find over 200 juried artists and crafters in Clinton, food, plenty of entertainment, Ann Arbor Hands On Museum activities, a softball tournament, lost arts a silent auction and a motorcycle show. There will be plenty to do for the entire family so be sure to check out the entire list of scheduled events! Most events are free too...

For more information visit the Clinton Fall Festival website or call 517-456-7396.

Clinton and Webster Fall Festival photos courtesy of the independant festival websites. Rentschler Farm photo by bgivens.

Enjoy the day at Dexter Daze - this weekend!

I love to wander the many of the local Ann Arbor area festivals and events - This weekend you can expect to see us wandering the streets of Dexter as the Dexter Chamber of Commerce hosts the 37th Annual Dexter Daze community fair. As with most local fairs, there will 100's of local artists, food, and plenty of family-entertainment and fun for all! Don't forget to enjoy the community parade on Saturday at 10:00 AM too!!!

Dexter Days Community Fair
9:00 AM - 11:00 PM Friday August 14
8:00 AM - 11:00 PM Saturday August 15

Dexter's annual summer festival is held each year in the beginning of August showcases our community. Artisans display their arts and crafts in Monument Park while free entertainment is enjoyed by all ages in this two-day event which draws over 30,000 people to the downtown area. The festival has also become an important function for the community and local service clubs, as it allows them to raise funds to finance projects that benefit the area.

Take the 20 minute drive from Ann Arbor to visit the quaint village of Dexter. The weather forcast is looking to be a picture-perfect August day, with sunny skies and temps in the mid-80's - What a great way to spend an end of the summer weekend!

Creative Commons License / photo credits: The Village of Dexter

Maybe I'll Head To Maybee This Weekend...

This weekend in downtown Maybee Michigan is the 33rd Annual Maybee Day Festival featuring entertainment, a classic car show, kids events and petting zoo, (Cake, pie and cookie and chili) cook off contests, and MUCH more. So take a little drive to Maybee and check out the events, it's a short scenic drive south of the Belleville/Ypsilanti area.

Maybee Day Festival
June 13, 2009
9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Parade at 10:00 a.m.

Entertainment includes:
Silver String Dulcimer Society 11:00 - 1:00 P.M
Cottonwood Cloggers 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Raisin River Blue Grass 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Floral City Harmonizers special appearance throughout the day

Other activities and contests:
Lawn Mower Pull Noon to 4:00 p.m.
Carriage Rides
Library Book Sale
Exeter Historical Society Bake Sale
Cake Walk
Crafter booths throughout the downtown streets
Basketball tournament (ages 12 - 15)