Hundreds of people filled downtown Big Rapids as it held its 58th Annual Labor Day Festival on Monday, September 7th.
From 10 AM to 2 PM, South Michigan Avenue was shut down from Linden Street to East Bellevue Street, and it was filled with vendors, food, live music, a car show, and more. The Band of Locals hosted the event, which featured activities for all ages.
This event brought community members and college students together in downtown Big Rapids to celebrate Labor Day with an assortment of vendors and food, as well as an Elvis tribute. Vendors included 100 local artists and crafters selling a variety of handmade goods, artwork, and other unique items. The festival’s car show had 128 entries, showcasing a variety of vehicles along South Michigan Avenue.
The fair also featured live entertainment throughout the day. Raised on Radio, a rock tribute band, performed from 10 AM to noon, followed by the Elvis tribute artist Jake Slater. Warren Malone also appeared as a busker between performances.
Lisa David, President of Band of Locals, spoke with us about the most rewarding part of this year’s event: “I think I can speak for all of us on the Band of Locals board when I say this: The moment the crowds started pouring in from all the side streets and filling Michigan Avenue, both in the car show and down along the craft booths, invoked such a great feeling,” David enthusiastically asserted.
Another part of the festival was the Kids Zone, which Ferris sponsored for its second consecutive year. The Kids Zone featured inflatables, games of cornhole, face painting, and other activities for young children to enjoy.
Terri Cook– Executive Assistant for the President of Ferris State– said Ferris agreed to sponsor this as part of its involvement with the Labor Day festival. Cook said Ferris employees worked with David to organize the area for the Kids Zone.
For local businesses, the festival was an excellent opportunity to get their services and products in front of a large crowd.
“Knowing how hard they all work on their businesses and products, it means the world to know that we are putting that large of a crowd in front of them to connect and sell to,” David said.
The festival also gave attendees– like Jadyn Gengler, a junior psychology major whose first year it was attending the celebration– a chance to get together with other members of the community.
“I loved seeing the community coming together to enjoy the things they love to do and catch up with people they haven’t seen in a while. It was a very welcoming and friendly environment,” Gengler commented. Gengler also said her favorite part of the whole experience was the live music. “As I walked by the band performing, I couldn’t help but stop and listen to what they were singing- it was mesmerizing,” she told the Torch.
David explained how this festival serves a larger purpose by providing the people of Big Rapids with a free opportunity to have a fun time while participating in local activities.
“It’s a free, fun day for all ages to get out and actively be part of the ‘community.’ They can check out all the awesome cars the owners are so proud of, enjoy live entertainment, maybe do some shopping and grab a meal, visit a play area that’s fun for the littles,” David explained. “And, ultimately, people can come together to celebrate a day in the life of their local community.”
The festival also helps provide a boost to businesses that are already downtown, according to David. The large number of people attending the festival gives downtown an increase in foot traffic and allowes theme to benefit from the large number of people coming to the event.
“The festival gives our downtown and other local businesses a burst of income. We’re very thankful for all the businesses along Michigan Ave who were open,” David said. “Watching the community attend the event we’ve worked so hard on was heart-warming and very rewarding,”
The festival brought people of all ages into downtown Big Rapids to celebrate their community. For David, seeing the community come together made all the hard work of organizing worth it. All in all, the Big Rapids Labor Day Festival gave members of the community a chance to come together, appreciate downtown, and — most importantly– enjoy each other and the final day of the holiday weekend.