Area Fairs & Festivals Few things bring to light the character of a town like a local fair or festival. In Southwestern Michigan, we celebrate our agricultural heritage with festivals heralding the crops, such as strawberry, peach, blueberry, apple and pickle; and commence with the Blossomtime Festival with its Grand Floral Parade. We praise our location with the Venetian Festival, salute our countryside with the Youth Fair and are proud of our crafters at the Chapel Hill Arts & Crafts Show. Come join the festivities throughout the seasons. For all the details and a complete list of all of our fairs, festivals and events, click on Calendar of Events to your left. Hard copy information online order form

Baroda Fest P.O. Box 54 Baroda, MI   49101 269.422.1779   Fax: 269.422.2990 Contact: Diane Mensinger Hours: 7am-11pm Annual festival Saturday after Labor Day featuring a full-day of family activities, a 5K run/walk, pancake breakfast, car show, garden tractor pull, children's games and entertainment, live music, crafts and baked goods. A small-town, homey festival that winds down with evening music and Karaoke under the stars.   Pancake Breakfast 7-11am Children's games & entertainment 11am-3pm   Musical events Noon-11pm Tractor Pull 1pm   Pie Baking Contest 11am Food vendors 10am-5pm   Craft vendors 10am-5pm Run/Walk & Fun Run for kids   Water Ball Tournament House of David 1850s Baseball Game 5pm   Car Show 10am   Handicap accessible Directions: I-94 exit 16 (Bridgman). Follow Red Arrow Highway east toward Bridgman. Turn right at Lake Street (at stoplight) and follow 4 miles to Cleveland Avenue stop sign. Turn left on Cleveland Avenue. Turn right on Church Street (1st street to right). Parking is located off Third & Second Streets in the Legion Field. MapLink     WebLink

Berrien County Youth Fair Event location: 9122 Old US 31 Berrien Springs, MI   49103 GPS [41.9434° N, 86.3550° W] Fair office: PO Box 7 Berrien Springs, MI   49103 269.473.4251   Fax: 269.473.4203 Hours: Office hours: 9am-4pm Monday-Friday GPS [41.9536° N, 86.3534° W] Annual county fair showcasing exhibits from Berrien County youth ages 5-20. Also enjoy carnival rides, commercial exhibits, "Fair food" and Grandstand entertainment. Held at the Berrien County Youth Fairgrounds Wheelchair accessible, admission charge. The fair is always held in August. Please check the Calendar of Events page for exact dates. Please visit our website for complete details. Directions: From I-94 westbound: Take Exit 28 (M-139), turn right off the exit ramp and follow south 12 miles to entrance on your right. From I-94 eastbound: Take Exit 16 (Red Arrow Highway at Bridgman), turn right at exit ramp and follow to stop light (Lake Ave/Shawnee Road). Turn right and follow 12 miles to Fairgrounds on your left. From the south: Follow US 31 north to the US 31 bypass just south of South Bend, IN. Take the US 31 bypass north into Michigan and continue to Exit 13, Snow Road. Turn left at the end of the exit ramp, travel 1 mile toward Berrien Springs to Shawnee Road, turn left. Go 1 mile on Shawnee Road to Gate 3, entrance to the fair grounds is on the right. MapLink     WebLink

Berrien Towne & Country Quilters 269.428.9663 Contact: Peri Hansen, President 269.983.3799 Contact: Show information - Sue Russell The Berrien Towne & Country Quilters Guild meets the second Thursday of each month (Feb - Nov) at 6:30pm at the Woodland Shores Church on Shawnee Road in Bridgman. We have a program, short meeting and a Show & Tell of our quilts. Visitors are always welcome. Meetings are free to visitors. We also offer a two-day Quilt Show featuring over 150 quilts made by the members of the Berrien Towne & Country Quilt Guild. In addition to the beautiful quilts, there are also demonstrations, lectures, antique quilts, member boutique, vendors, raffle quilt and a silent auction for charity. Lunch and refreshments are available. The Quilt Show is held every other year at Lake Michigan College Mendel Center in Benton Harbor. The next show will be held in 2010. Handicap accessible Directions: I-94 to Exit 30 (Napier Avenue). Follow east past College entrance to Yore Avenue. Turn left on Yore and follow to third drive at left into parking lot and entrance. WebLink

Blossomtime Festival Contact info: 151 East Napier Avenue Benton Harbor, MI   49022 269.926.7397   Fax: 269.926.7399 Contact: Sabrina LaSota Hours: 9am-5pm Monday-Friday GPS [42.0864° N, 86.4547° W] The Blossomtime Festival, which began in 1906 is a annual festival celebrating the agricultural industry in southwest Michigan. It is a multi-community event including 25 communities in southwest Michigan and is the oldest festival in the state. The Grand Floral Parade lasts two hours and has over 100 units, including floats with community queens and their courts, bands, clowns, costumed characters, antique cars and special units. 250,000 spectators come from the midwest to enjoy this colorful parade which travels from St. Joseph across the river into Benton Harbor. The Grand Floral Parade steps off at Main Street and Pearl in St. Joseph and crosses the bridge into Benton Harbor. Please check the Calendar of Events page for exact dates. Handicap accessible Admission: Fee is dependent upon event. Directions: Our office is located in the Credit Bureau building on Napier Avenue near the intersection of Colfax and Napier. It is across the street from Fairplain Junior High School. MapLink     WebLink

Chapel Hill Arts & Crafts Show Event location: Berrien County Youth Fairgrounds Berrien Springs, MI   49103 Hours: 8am-5pm GPS [41.9536° N, 86.3534° W] Sponsored by: Chapel Hill United Methodist Church 269.927.3454 Contact: Lenora Cuthbert 269.925.3626 summer, 863.439.5900 winter The juried Chapel Hill Arts & Crafts Show of 190 exhibitors is sponsored by Chapel Hill United Methodist Church in Sodus. Reknown for its high quality, this show maintains its reputation as "best" craft show in the area, filling four commercial buildings at the Fairgrounds. Also included is an outdoor vendor/ farmers' market, plus an indoor lunch area where you can purchase homemade baked goods, food, drinks, snacks and the popular "homemade pie by the slice." Ample parking for this one-day event. Show profits go to support Mission Projects. The show is held the first Saturday of October. Please check the Calendar of Events page for the exact date. Handicap accessible Directions: Fairgrounds are located off US 31 just west of downtown Berrien Springs or use the Shawnee Road entrance (from US 31, follow Redbud Trail south to East Shawnee, turn east on East Shawnee and follow to Fairgrounds entrance. From I-94, take Exit 16 north to the stoplight at Lake, turn right and travel east to Fairground entrance. MapLink     WebLink

Coloma Glad-Peach Festival P.O. Box 156 Coloma, MI   49038 269.468.7816 Contact: Erica Hensel Held the first full weekend of August in downtown Coloma just north of I-94 exit 39. Shop the arts & crafts fair; try the carnival games and rides; watch two parades and a Peach-Tac-U-Lar aerial fireworks. Many food vendors offer special peach treats. The active can try the 10k and 5k runs, the 5k walk, or dance in the streets to the music of live performances on two stages. Coloma Glad-Peach Art Fair - This three-day show has a bit of everything - something for everyone. You can find painting, woodworking, basket making, knitting and crocheting, and much more. The show is held in conjunction with the Coloma Glad-Peach Festival, a three-day family entertainment extravaganza. Please check the Calendar of Events page for exact dates. Handicap accessible Directions: Interstate 94 to exit 39. WebLink

Dowagiac Dogwood Fine Arts Festival, Inc. P.O. Box 526 Dowagiac, MI   49047 269.782.1115 Contact: Bobbie Jo Hartline The Dowagiac Dogwood Fine Arts Festival is a week-long celebration on the Arts. The spotlight shines brightly on national, international and local artists. The week features visual arts, music, literature, theater, storytelling, dance and even master classes with selected artists. It is an entertaining and educational experience for the entire family. The festival is held in May. Please check the Calendar of Events page for exact dates. Handicap accessible Directions: 25 miles north of South Bend 40 miles south of Kalamazoo 30 miles west of Three Rivers 25 miles east of St. Joseph WebLink

Save A Stray P.O. Box 201 St. Joseph, MI   49085 Contact: Vicki Dunlop (269-468-5679), Margo Klein (269-849-0498) By having fun at our fundraising events throughout the year (details on Calendar of Events), you enable this non-profit, all-volunteer rescue group to help homeless animals in the community. Spring Benefit Sale, May 15-16 Donate your clean, resalable items. We invite you to shop for bargains from housewares, furniture and artwork, to garden items. Sudzy Paws Dog Wash, May 30 This event is held at Biscuits in Stevensville. Prices are based on size: $8 samll, $10 medium and $12 large. Dogs will be towel dried only. Red Neck Gala, June 27 Ring in the good weather with good ole fashioned smoked pork, all the fixings and the exciting sounds of The Ed Bagatini New Swing Orchestra. Adoption Days Come meet and greet our 4-legged kids! We bring our foster cats and foster dogs, as well as dogs from Animal Control to Adoption Days the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month from noon-2pm. Portions are handicap accessible, please call for details Admission: None or varies. WebLink

Venetian Festival on the St. Joseph River Contact info: 305 Lake Blvd St Joseph, MI   49098 269.983.7917   Fax: 269.983.5180 Hours: Office hours: 8am-5pm GPS [42.1096° N, 86.4830° W] The Venetian Festival is the largest community celebration in southwest Michigan. With three music stages, fireworks, the River Run, craft show, beach events and unique food items, this family event is not to be missed! Our picturesque location alone is reason enough to experience "Venetian Time." The festival is held in July. Handicap accessible Directions: Four miles north of I-94 at Exit 27. Look for our shuttle lots off Niles Avenue/M-63 and enjoy the 10-minute ride to the river and lake waterfronts. MapLink     WebLink

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