Step outside and take in a deep breath. You can smell fall in the air, right? September is a special time in Michigan.
Here are 10 things to do in Michigan next month.
Michigan State Fair
The Fifth Third Bank Michigan State Fair bills itself as “Michigan’s No. 1 Family Event,” with five days of activities to get little ones up close with Michigan farm animals and livestock. Activities include the State Fair Parade, a farmer’s market, racing pigs, a circus, midway rides, an equestrian pavilion and more.
The fair runs from Sept. 1 through 5 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. Fair admission starts at $8 for adults, $6 for children 11 and under and free for children under 2 with a paid adult with additional charges for circus performances and rides.
For information, go to www.michiganstatefairllc.com.
Go green, go blue!
It’s football season, finally! The Shoreline Cruise on the S.S. Badger is celebrating college football season with its annual Ludington Labor Day “Go Green — Go Blue” Shoreline Cruise. The cruise – which happens Sept. 4 along the shoreline of Ludington — encourages passengers to celebrate their college spirit on board. The trip includes a Badger Party Buffet and a cash bar. Kids are welcome.
Adult tickets run $39, kids are $20 and kids under 5 are free. For information, head to www.ssbadger.com.
Arts, Beats & Eats
Labor Day weekend brings a plethora of events to downtown Royal Oak during the annual Ford Arts, Beats & Eats festival. This year’s festival will run from Sept. 2 through 5 and offers hundreds of musical acts, a lineup of Detroit food, a juried fine art show and more.
This year's live music will come from Buckcherry, Our Lady Peace, Gavin DeGraw, Three Dog Night, Laith Al-Saadi, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and others.
The event regularly draws more than 350,000 people over the course of four days and raises money for local charities.
For full details, head to www.artsbeatseats.com.
Mackinac Bridge Walk
You don’t have to be Usain Bolt to participate in the five-mile Mackinac Bridge Walk. This year’s event will start bright and early at 7 a.m. Sept. 5, but participants may begin walking between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m.
The walk begins in St. Ignace, at the north end of the Mackinac Bridge in the Upper Peninsula, and wraps up in Mackinaw City at the south end of the bridge in the Lower Peninsula.
While there is no fee to register or participate in the walk, bus transportation from Mackinaw City to St. Ignace is $5 per person, and infants are free. For details, visit http://www.mackinacbridge.org/annual-bridge-walk-7/.
Detroit Jazz Festival
Jazz music will fill the air at the annual Detroit Jazz Festival, which calls itself the world’s largest free jazz festival. This year’s lineup includes artists such as George Benson, Ron Carter, the Roy Hargrove Quintet, the Soul Rebels and Marcus Roberts and the Modern Jazz Generation.
The jazziness runs from Sept. 2 through 5 in downtown Detroit.
For the full lineup and information, visit www.detroitjazzfest.com.
Charlotte Frontier Days
Charlotte Frontier Days is packed with family-friendly activates that take you back to the days of the pioneers. Geton your country boots on for the range of events, including the Frontier Days Rodeo, arts and crafts, the saloon, a cornhole tournament, live music and camping. The event runs from Sept. 8 through 11 throughout Charlotte. Use the hashtag #WeekendCowboy if you’re posting about the event.
While there is no fee to get into the fairgrounds or craft shows, there is a charge for tickets for the saloon ($6) and rodeo (pricing depends on the seat). For information, head to www.charlottefrontierdays.org.
Marshall Historic Home Tour
The Marshall Historic Home Tour is back for year 53, and this year’s event will highlight 23 sites, six private residences among them, on Sept. 10 and 11. The six homes are within walking distance of the Honolulu House Museum in Marshall.
The tour homes include an 1838 Greek Revival structure extensively renovated, an 1853 Gothic Revival home listed on the Historic American Buildings Survey, an 1856 Octagon house, the Trinity Episcopal Church, five historic Calhoun County Fairgrounds buildings, an 1850s home updated to Queen Anne-style in 1891, an 1899 modified Queen Anne and a dual apartment suite sitting atop a downtown business.
A new feature on this tour will be Marshall’s two-building historic power plant that has produced electricity since the 1890s.
Advance tickets are $17 until Midnight September 5 and $20 after that date. For information and tickets, head to www.marshallhometour.org.
Grand Haven Salmon Festival
If you’re a pescatarian (like me), then salmon may be one of your go-tos. The Grand Haven Salmon Festival celebrates the flavorful fish and gives a nod to Michigan’s waterways as a natural resource. Activities include a fishing contest, the Sons of the American Legion Fish Boil, a Salmon Run 5k and 10k, an art fair, kids’ activities, Michigan wine and beer tasting and a gourmet salmon cook-off. Sounds delish.
The fishy event runs from Sept. 16 through 18 in downtown Grand Haven.
For details, head to www.ghsalmonfest.com.
ArtPrize returns
ArtPrize has become one of the biggest, most breathtaking art events in the region. The eighth annual international art competition will run from Sept. 18 through Oct. 9 at nearly 200 venues throughout Grand Rapids. More than 400,000 people attend ArtPrize each year, and artists from across the globe compete for $500,000 in prizes.
Sound cool? We think so. For information, visit www.artprize.org.
American Sewing Expo
The 23rd annual American Sewing Expo takes over the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi Sept. 23 through 25 with fashion sewing, costume-making, quilting, fiber arts and more.
Among the weekend’s guests will be “Threads” contributing editor and author Kenneth King; cosplay designer and author Kristie Good; “Simplicity Patterns” costume pattern designer Andrea Schewe and fashion sewing expert from PBS “It’s Sew Easy” Angela Wolf.
Sewing-appropriate events will include the "Innovation Generation Fashion Show Competition," a scavenger hunt and costume-making tips among others.
For information, visit www.AmericanSewingExpo.com.
