June 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Michigan Ave will be shut down between Pine and Linden streets for the Big Rapids annual Summerfest.
This year’s Summerfest will feature a combination of vendors, live music, games, food, and even a car show. Summerfest is an annual event hosted by the Downtown Business Association of Big Rapids, aimed at attracting over 4,000 people to downtown for fun and festivities.
Chris Jane, Mecosta County local and coordinator of the Big Rapids Summerfest for the last 5 years, explained the magnitude of this year’s festival.
“We’re expecting the biggest Summerfest we’ve ever had,” Jane said. “We’ve got over 50 arts and crafts vendors, plus foods and desserts.”
Vendors attending the event will include a variety of local artists, small businesses, and even food trucks. The variety of events means fun for both college students and community members of all ages.
This year’s event will feature cars from the Back to the Bricks car show the day before, a traveling car show making a stop in Big Rapids, as well as carnival and yard games, and even a hot dog-eating contest hosted nearby at Pocket Park.
The event will also have live music performances and a cash-prize cornhole tournament, creating a fun and festive environment for community members and students alike to enjoy downtown Big Rapids and the Summerfest festival.
This festival will be a chance for the Big Rapids community to come together to support local businesses while celebrating the start of another summer.
Jane also explained that this event aims to bring more Ferris students downtown.
“I hope that the students will come and check out downtown a little bit more regularly,” Jane stated. “It’s just sort of a fun way for everybody to come together and celebrate that they made it through another school year, and that we’ve got a beautiful Michigan summer ahead of us.
Organizers stated that this event aims to connect the community and will help highlight what makes downtown Big Rapids unique.
“Every one of the downtown businesses has something great to offer,” Jane said.
This festival is free to attend for all and will feature activities throughout the Big Rapids downtown area, allowing attendees to shop local, play games, and enjoy the warm summer weather.
For questions or concerns about the event, please email bi*****************@***il.com