Happy August!

Hard to believe we are already into August, and it is also hard to believe we are about to mutter these next words: Labor Day. Wasn't Memorial Day just last weekend? My how summer flies here in West Michigan. However, as the summer starts drawing to a close, we have to plan for one final shabang, right?  Since Labor Day is the unofficial end to summer, why not celebrate it in style? West Michigan offers a variety of ways to take in the last rays of summer, from triathlons to pot lucks and everything in between, and it is our duty to let you know everything that is happening. So, without further adieu, here are our top picks!

54th Labor Day Bridge Walk

September 2 • 7 am - 11 am
Mackinaw Area Visitors Bureau
Mackinaw City & Mackinac Bridge
800-666-0160
www.MackinawCity.com
Join thousands of pedestrians as they participate in a long standing tradition, the Labor Day Bridge Walk. This is the only day of the year that walking the "Mighty Mac" is allowed.
The Mackinac Bridge Authority, the St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Mackinaw Area Chamber of Commerce would like to make your BRIDGE WALK as pleasant as possible and offer the following information:
NO Fees or Registration
There is NO FEE or registration to participate in the walk. Bus transportation from Mackinaw City to St. Ignace is available at $5 per person (infants are free).

 Royal Craft Show

September 3 - 4
Castle Farms
Charlevoix
231-237-0884
www.CastleFarms.com
Looking for the perfect chance for one last chance of guaranteed family fun before the new school year begins? Visit Castle Farms of Charlevoix, where self-guided tours are offered daily 10 am - 4 pm. Young and old alike thrill to tour the unique historic buildings, take a leisurely stroll through our magnificent gardens, visit the gnomes and fairies in the Enchanted Forest, or try their skill at a game of Giant Chess or Croquet. Royal family memorabilia, plus extensive castle, wedding, and antique toy collections are a must-see for avid enthusiasts.
Castle Farms is proud to host the annual Royal Craft Show in beautiful Charlevoix, Michigan on Labor Day Weekend. The grounds and buildings of Castle Farms will be the host to one of Michigan's most prestigious craft shows where thousands of visitors will attend this event. This craft show will feature only the finest arts and crafts that can be found and will be held in one of the most affluent areas in the state.
The Royal Craft Show hours are Saturday, 10 am - 5pm, and Sunday, 10 am - 4 pm. Free parking with a $3.00 per person admission fee. Children under 12 are admitted free. Food is available at a nominal charge. Pets are not allowed.

Muskegon Cars for Cancer

September 1-2
Muskegon County Convention & Visitor bureau
Muskegon
www.Visitmuskegon.org
9th Annual Car & Bike Show September 1&2, 2013. To kick off event there will be an entertainment tent 5:00pm -11:00pm on Sunday September 1 with a "cruise" at 6:30pm. Monday September 2 begins with a pancake breakfast from 7:30am -10:00am. Lunch will be from 11:00am - 2:00pm. There will be kids games, poker walk, and door prizes to name a few things happening at the Lakeshore's Biggest Car Show! This is located at Mercy Health Partners Lakes Village just off US-31 @ Pontaluna Rd. exit.

Muskegon Labor Day Community Walk and Fun Run

September 3
Muskegon County Convention & Visitor bureau
Muskegon
www.Visitmuskegon.org
Join 1 in 21 Healthy Muskegon County and the Cities of Muskegon and North Muskegon for a community walk that celebrates the beauty of our environment and promotes the health of our community!  The route follows the Lakeshore Trail to the nature preserve in North Muskegon, then turns back to Fisherman's Landing for a 4 mile walk.  New this year, is the 5K Fun Run, a scenic route along the Lakeshore Recreational Trail, looping through Edison landing and Terrace Point, then back to Fisherman's Landing.  Check-in and Onsite Registration begin at 8:00am.  The 5K begins at 8:30am and the Walk starts at 9"00am.  Online registration will be available starting June 1 at www.shorelinecity.com . . 

Labor Day Weekend in Newaygo

Newaygo's Logging Festival

August 30 - September 1 Newaygo Area Chamber of Commerce
231-652-3068
www.newaygonaturally.com
Look forward to three full days of family fun in Newaygo on Labor Day weekend, highlighted by the Logging Festival in Brooks Park. For shoppers, Newaygo merchants will feature sidewalk sales while over 75 arts and craft vendors will have their products on display from Friday through Sunday. The Farm Market will be open from 2 to 7 pm on Friday.
Start the weekend with the Fireman’s pancake breakfast on Saturday morning and for lunch, plan on Chicken BBQ Saturday and Sunday afternoon. The daytime hours will also feature lumberjack events and chainsaw carving competition as well as a parade and the ever popular Firemen’s Water Battle. On Saturday night, adult visitors can quench their thirst at the beer tent and enjoy live music from 5 to 11 pm at the stage in Brooks Park.

”Grand Crossings” A Bridge Walk on Labor Day

September 2 • 8 am Experience Grand Rapids
Ah-Nab-Awen Park, Grand Rapids
616-456-3168
www.experiencegr.com
You don’t have to go to the Mackinac Bridge to join the annual Labor Day Bridge Walk. Join your neighbors, invite your friends. Participants can walk as many as five miles, the equivalent of the Mackinac Bridge, and cross as many as seven bridges. The route is wheelchair accessible and appropriate for all fitness levels. No sign-up is necessary. Please make sure you are physically able to participate. Mayor George K. Heartwell will lead the walk

Beaver Island Marathon

Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce
231-448-2505
www.BeaverIsland.org
Saturday, 8am, join in on the Beaver Island walk. The marathon begins at 9am and the half marathon starts at 11am followed by the harbor run at 11:15am. 

Beaver Island Marathon
August 31 • 9 am
Beaver Island celebrates Labor Day weekend with the annual Harbor 3.5-mile Run, Half Marathon and Run Beaver Island – a Boston Marathon qualifying event – on Saturday,  August 31. Described as “a most memorable marathon” this race offers tranquility and natural beauty – including sand dunes and the views of Lake Michigan – on Michigan’s largest inhabited island. Large crowds are found at every turn of this route, with a combination of dirt, clay, gravel and pavement. After the race, runners can enjoy a "dip" in the cool, pristine waters of Lake Michigan.

Good Bye Summer, Hello Kalamazoo

Discover Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo
269-382-6555
www.discoverkalamazoo.com
Make the "unoffical" last weekend of summer offically a memerable one with a trip to Kalamazoo.  We'll get you started with a couple of tried and true two-day itineraries like, Made in Kalamazoo or Enjoy our Good Nature.  Use theses themed itineraries or let us design one to fit your personal taste at www.discoverkalamazoo.com

Celebrate With Mackinac(w)

Mackinac Island
Music is in the air for the Labor Day Jazz weekend at the Grand Hotel. The Horn's Bar Labor Day Regatta sets sail at the Mackinac Island Yacht club on Saturday, September 1.

Mackinaw City
The event of the weekend is the Mackinac Bridge Walk on Labor Day. Busses transport walkers from Mackinaw City to St. Ignace where the walk begins. Walkers can begin at 7am   

Double JJ Resort
5900 Water Rd.
Rothbury, MI 49452
Phone: (231) 894-4444 www.doublejj.com

Say farewell to summer with one last Rodeo! Join us the Saturday of Labor Day weekend to bid farewell to summer in true Western Style!
Pig Roast begins at 6pm
Join us at the Double JJ Resort on Saturday evenings for our Pig Roast with all the fixins'. Enjoy eating with old & new friends (and the cowboys you'll get to watch later in the Rodeo!) as you enjoy the Pig Roast with all the tasty fixin's you could want! When you've had your fill of vittles, mosey on over to the Rodeo Arena. The fun continues there with midway games, a play structure, hayrides, & a petting farm to keep everyone entertained until the Rodeo begins!

Rodeo begins at 7:30pm
The Double JJ Rodeo is perfect for real cowboys, and everyone who ever dreamt of heading out West! Watch the cowboys do their best to stay on the bucking bulls & broncs, rope cattle from the back of their horse, or race at top speed around the barrels. The rodeo is full ofaudience participation as well! You'll get the chance to participate in the rope race and chase down calves for the ribbons on their tails, along with lots of fun games for the kids! The silly antics of our rodeo clowns will keep you entertained all night long, whether you're a seasoned veteran or a first-time rodeo attendee!
 

Labor Day Weekend In St. Joseph

August 30 - September 1 St. Joseph Today
www.stjoetoday.com
 
August 30
• “It’s Finally Friday” Sizzling Summer Nights at downtown merchants in St. Joseph.  Join shops and restaurants as they celebrate the summer season with later hours, hot sales, open houses, giveaways, demonstrations, entertainment and more!
• Friday Night Concert presented by The Boulevard Inn & Bistro at the John E. N. Howard Bandshell at 7:30 p.m., free.   That night’s performance will be by Sixth Generation.
August 31
• St. Joseph Farmers Market from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. in Lake Bluff Park.
• Craft Fair from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. in Lake Bluff Park
• Horse-drawn trolley rides sponsored by the Frederick S. Upton Foundation from Noon  – 3 p.m.  Trolley picks up at the corner of State and Elm Streets, weather permitting.
• Free movie in Whirlpool Centennial Park at 10 p.m., Turner & Hooch.
September 1
• Antiques on the Bluff from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. in Lake Bluff Park
• Horse-drawn trolley rides sponsored by the Frederick S. Upton Foundation from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.  Trolley picks up at the corner of State and Elm Streets, weather permitting.
• St. Joseph Municipal Band Concerts at 3:30 and 7:30 at the John E. N. Howard Bandshell, free.
September 2
• St. Joseph Municipal Band Concerts at 3:30 and 7:30 at the John E. N. Howard Bandshell, free.

Labor Day in Lansing

MSU Spartans v Western Michigan
August 30, 2013 - August 30, 2013
Venue:Spartan Stadium
Address: 300 Spartan Way, East Lansing, MI
Times: TBD
Admission: See website for ticket information
Are you ready for some Spartan football?! Come out and cheer on the Michigan State University Spartans as they take on Western Michigan!

DALMAC 2013
August 28, 2013 - September 01, 2013
Venue: MSU Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education
Address: 4301 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI 48824
Times: 8:00 AM
Admission: Varies
42nd Annual Dick Allen Lansing to MACkinaw Bike Camping Tour. Four routes wind northward from East Lansing and end in Mackinaw City or Sault Ste. Marie. Gorgeous scenery, varied terrain and amazing vistas on every route. This family-friendly, all ages tour is a must-do for any bicyclist in Michigan.
- See more at: http://www.lansing.org/includes/events/DALMAC-2013/6170/#sthash.Pp0ERslt.dpuf
Lansing Lugnuts Baseball vs. West Michigan Whitecaps
August 31, 2013 - August 31, 2013
Venue:Cooley Law School Stadium
Address: 505 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48912
Times: 7:05 p.m.
Admission: Varies
Join us to Go Nuts downtown for a Lansing Lugnuts Baseball game! The classic American past time is alive and well in our community, so come be a part of the fun.
 
Lamafest and Alpaca Showcase
August 31, 2013 - September 01, 2013
Venue: MSU Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education
Address: 4301 Farm Ln., East Lansing, MI 48824
Times: 9:00 a.m. to approximately 5:00 p.m. each day
Admission: FREE
 
Llama and Alpaca Shows on Saturday, 8-31-2013; Llama Show on Sunday, 9-1-2013. Youth events including Costume class both days. Humphrey the Camel will be on display. Free admission and ample free parking. Concessions on site. Vendor area with fiber supplies for spinners and weavers and finished fiber goods.

Michigan Mosaic Music Festival
August 31, 2013 - September 01, 2013 (Recurring daily)
Venue:Adado Riverfront Park
Address: North Grand Avenue, Lansing, MI 48933
Times: 12-5PM and evening activities
Michigan Mosaic Music Festival is a FREE festival celebrating diversity and unity on Labor Day weekend in Michigan’s capital city. Activities include live bands, multicultural dance, ethnic cuisine, beverage tent, labor displays and much more.