Saugatuck to Play Host to First-Ever Blue Star Harvest Festival on Saturday, Sept. 26

West Michigan music and beer lovers will have a new way to celebrate the change of season this fall with the debut of the Blue Star Harvest Festival in Douglas, Mich. on Saturday, Sept. 26. The first-year festival, to be held at the Saugatuck Brewing Co., will feature seven live music acts, seasonal microbrews, food and other activities “There’s something magical about the harvest season along the lakefront,” says festival organizer Brad Raffenaud of Sprout Media Group. “As the tourist season winds down in Saugatuck, Holland and South Haven, we wanted to offer the locals a chance to celebrate with great live music, great beer, great food and a bit of eco-consciousness. We’ve put together a great bill of up-and-coming acts in the pub all day, along with some of the region’s best international touring acts in the Bier Hall in the evening along with a blues duo from France.”

The Blue Star Harvest festival opens at 3 pm with free music in the Saugatuck Brewing Co. pub, featuring Roosevelt Diggs, Spencer Mulder and Full Chord. At 7 pm, the music will move into the brewery’s Bier Hall with performances by Last Call Band, Mountain Men, The Ragbirds and headliner Revered Peyton’s Big Damn Band.

Festival headliner Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band is a country-blues trio and really is not that big at all, the band gets its big sound out of an acoustic guitar, washboard, snare drum and occasional harmonica blast, as well as the Reverend Peyton’s booming voice. The Ragbirds also on the bill are from Ann Arbor, Michigan and have been the #1 selling artists in Japan for the past few weeks with their new CD, Finally Almost Ready, out charting much larger well known artists like Black Eyed Peas and Madonna. One duo also on the mainstage are from the Rhone-Alpes in France, The Mountain Men. A traditional style blues duo shows how their American blues influences translates to them. The festival’s free music portion is from 3-7 pm and features a set by 19-year old Spencer Mulder, who will be releasing his sophomore CD, Rewind, in mid-September. Mulder’s new record is generating buzz among local music professionals for its blend of Ryan Adams-style alt.country and Matchbox 20/Counting Crows-type rock.

Boyne Mountain Hosts New Skitoberfest Event

Boyne Mountain’s newest event, Skitoberfest, is a weekend as unique as the name itself. Happening October 3 and 4, Skitoberfest celebrates the coming winter season with a Snowsports Summit hosted by Cary Adgate and the best of fall’s family offerings in an Oktoberfest style setting. Highlights include a meet and greet with Winter X-games gold medalist, Simon Dumont, and former U.S. Ski Team Coach, Greg Needell; a brewfest featuring a dozen Michigan breweries; bratwurst of 30 varieties plus other gourmet food; live music and dancing; and kids’ art, bounce house and instrument making.

Staged in the Village, the event kicks off on Saturday at 2 pm. Michigan craft brewers including Short’s, Bell’s, Founders, Arbor, Mt. Pleasant, Tri-City, Atwater Block, Michigan, New Holland, Frankenmuth, and Wolverine Brewing, each will be serving up a variety of their best beers from 2 pm to 8 pm. Numerous Michigan wines are also available for tasting. To soak up the frothy brew, there will be 30 varieties of bratwursts homemade and grilled by Tannery Creek Meat Market of Petoskey as well as other food. Admission is $20 and includes 12 tickets for beer sampling and wine tasting. Additional tickets can be purchased.

Skitoberfest attendees can also enjoy local art, family hayrides, a pumpkin patch, fall color chairlift rides, a parade, and more. No need to worry about missing out on the biggest rivalry game in the state; the Michigan versus Michigan State game will be broadcast on a big screen. And the celebration doesn’t end there. A live band will play in the tent from 8 pm to midnight. The Snowsports Summit hosted by two-time Olympian and 2008 U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame inductee, Cary Adgate, returns after a year off and is bigger than ever. Offered Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm and again Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm, the Snowsports Summit includes informative sessions on gearing up for the winter season and guest speakers, Simon Dumont and Greg Needell. Dumont is a successful freestyle skier who has won two gold medals in the Winter X-games and holds the current world quarter pipe height record. Needell, a U.S. Ski Team coach from 2002-2008, helped lead the men's team to 43 wins, 105 podiums and 264 top ten finishes. Entry to the Snowsports Summit is $5 per person.