/// FESTIVALS
The Sizzlin’ Series Season
Gifts or Creatures
East Lansing Livens Up
EACH SUMMER, DOWNTOWN East Lansing dies down due to the vacated students, which is why the Summer Concert Series was established — to liven it back up with music. This year’s roster includes lo-
cal favorites like Shout Sister Shout, Claudia Schmidt, The Sea Cruisers and the indie-folk sounds of Gifts or Creatures. For more than 15 years, the city
of East Lansing has hosted the free concerts at the corner of M.A.C. and Albert Avenue at Fountain Square. This year, all the shows will be held in front of the Marriott due to construc- tion at its previous location across the street in the Anne Street Plaza. The concerts are sprawled
over seven weekends (it kicked off in June) and are on Friday and Saturday evenings. Organizers suggest you bring a lawn chair or blanket. If there’s rain, the shows will be canceled. Ami Van Antwerp, communi-
cations coordinator for the city of East Lansing, said this series was designed to increase foot traffic to downtown during a lull – however, it also supports local musicians. “We try to focus on the Lansing
bands. Every once in a while we’ll try to bring someone in from Ann Arbor
or something,” Van Antwerp said. “But for the most part they’re local musicians. “We obviously host a lot of
local folk artists — Jen Sygit & Sam Corbin, those kinds of acts,” Van Antwerp added. “We also have blues. One really popular band every year is the Sea Cruisers, they play ‘50s and ‘60s music. We’re doing a whole weekend of non-traditional jazz July 22-23.” —Rich Tupica
East Lansing Summer
Concert Series Fountain Square, East Lansing Fridays and Saturdays; 7-9 p.m.
cityofeastlansing.com
July 8: Claudia Schmidt (folk) July 9: Sea Cruisers (oldies rock) July 15: Cloud Magic (funky jam band):
July 16: Time 2 Play (blues/classic rock)
July 22: Shout Sister Shout (swing) July 23: Hot Club of Lansing (Gypsy jazz)
July 29: Kathleen Bolthouse Band (blues rock)
July 30: Gifts or Creatures (indie folk) Aug. 5: Fat Boy & Jive Turkey (bluesy folk)
Aug. 6: The Tub Submariners FESTIVALS
Summerfest Clare; July 1
claremichigan.com, (989) 386-2442
A family-oriented festival, the annual Summerfest celebration includes live entertainment, a picnic and fireworks. Summerfest sounds like a good way to keep the kiddies busy during the long Fourth of July weekend.
Blues Cruz-In 11338 E. Houghton Lake Dr., Jackson July 1, Noon–Midnight $25;
cfccministries.org
The Blues Cruz-In first annual Blues concert, camping, fishing, boating, car show, and bike show has a very specific fundraising goal. If you’re passionate about creating a “green friendly” safe haven for herb users and the people who love them, this is your festival. CFCC Ministry is hoping to generate enough profit to start work on a “420 Campgrounds,” a year grounds facility for Medical Marijuana patients and caregivers nationwide.
Monster Truck Madness Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort July 2, 2 p.m. $20-$25
Big engines, dirt and shrieking metal-on-metal devastation comes to Soaring Eagle for a summer date with destruction. Monster truck celebrities Jim Koehler and Chris Bergeron drive trucks with names like Brutus, High Maintenance and War Wagon. Come for the rally, stay for the ridiculous names you could swipe for your new metal band.
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REVUEMM.COM | JULY 2011
Put some sizzle into your summer with our festival guide. This July, the Capital City has everything from funky blues and monster trucks, to mega-festivals and mom-and-pop summer concerts. This summer promises to be festive and fun. Check out REVUE every month, so you don’t miss out on everything the city has to offer.
Eaton County Fair Charlotte Fairground July 10-16
Eatoncountyfair.com, (517) 543-4510
Get your nostalgia-fix at the Eaton County Fair. Complete with blue ribbon prizes for livestock and grotesquely over-sized veg- gies. The fair boasts a carnival, live music and more tractor pulls than one could feasibly shake a stick at. This traditional county fair experience showcases small town Americana.
Michigan Shakespeare
Festival Jackson Community College July 14–August 7 $30–$36
jtvpodcast.com/msf/
If all the popcorn-munching, empty- headed summer blockbusters have got you down, this festival offers the antidote in the form of the Bard’s words. This year’s repertoire features “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Tartuffe” and “The Winter’s Tale.” You really can’t put a price on culture or — at least — bragging to your friends about it.
Mt. Pleasant Street Festival Mt. Pleasant July 21-23 (989) 779-5348
The streets of downtown Mt. Pleasant play host to all sorts of events including sidewalk sales, sidewalk chalk displays and art demonstrations. Live performances from dancers, artists and musicians make the street festival an outstanding op- portunity to see Michigan art in action.
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