Manistee National Forest Festival

It began in the late 1800s as 'Homecoming,' a Fourth of July celebration built to welcome back everyone who'd left town - then in 1936 got renamed for the new national forest, with organizers saying plainly they meant to 'bring back the glamour and the color of the lumbering times.' Ninety years on it's one of Michigan's largest July Fourth celebrations: chainsaw carving demos, a beachfront carnival, fireworks over Lake Michigan, and, improbably, Twiggy the Water Skiing Squirrel.

Dates

Last week of June through July 4

Town

Manistee, Michigan

Venue

Downtown Manistee & First Street Beach, Manistee, MI 49660

Price

Free (carnival rides/some events extra)

Type

Community