Red Flannel Festival

In the brutal winter of 1936 a New York Sun writer went looking for old-fashioned red flannel underwear, searched as far west as Cleveland, and declared it obsolete. The Cedar Springs Clipper - run by two women known as the Clipper Gals - fired back with an editorial: just because Saks doesn't carry red flannels doesn't mean nobody does. The AP picked it up, orders poured in from across the country, and by 1939 the town had a festival and a nickname it's kept ever since. Show up not wearing red and costumed Keystone Cops will 'arrest' you and put you in a mock jail until you pay a dollar.

Dates

First Saturday of October

Town

Cedar Springs, Michigan

Venue

Downtown Cedar Springs, MI 49319

Price

Free (carnival/events extra)

Type

Quirky / Heritage