Wacky weekends: Check out the Mitten's zaniest festivals

Tag : Piece Dyed

Here's a sampler of 11 colorful festivals coming up in Michiganthis summer and fall. National Baby Food Festival
Through Saturday, Fremont
Billed as the "baby food capital of the world," this west Michigantown, which is home to Gerber Products Co., literally is crawlingwith babies this week. The 18th annual festival pits little onesand their grown-ups in contests ranging from baby food eating andbubble gum-blowing to turtle races, bed races and adult tricycleraces. On Saturday, more than 100 Baby Crawl entrants will competein 15 heats for the grand prize, a $5,000 life insurance policy.Grab a rocking chair, watch the parade, romp through the carnivalor listen to Lonestar and other performers. Munger Potato Festival
July 24-27, Munger
Nearly three tons of free potatoes are given away in 5-pound bagsat this "SPUDtacular" event, where visitors may eat their fill ofFrench fries, baked and mashed potatoes, potato soup andfresh-fried potato chips, not to mention potato bratwursts. Alongwith a potato display, Potato King and Queen Contest and parade,the star attractions at this 54th annual event near Bay City are ademolition derby and Figure 8 racing derby. Kids will loveSaturday's potato sack races, tater toss and Mr. Potato Headdecorating and face-painting contests. Munger, home to 1,642residents, welcomes some 42,000 visitors during the fest that alsofeatures music, bingo and Vegas tents. Yale Bologna Festival
July 25-27, Yale
Naturally, they're full of baloney at this 20th annual festivalfeaturing a Big Bologna Parade, crowning of the King and Queen ofBologna, and a bologna ring toss (literally). Celebrating localbologna-making since 1906, the event includes tours of the C. Roypacking plant where Yale Bologna is made, an antique show, rubberducky race, squirt-gun fight, petting zoo and pony rides,mechanical bull and bungee trampoline, "garage sale trail,"outhouse races, cardboard boat races, street dance, classic carshow, carnival, fireworks, kiddie "Bubble-Palooza" and a BolognaIdol sing-off. The dishes du jour at this festival, northwest ofPort Huron, are fried bologna sandwiches, bologna hot dogs andbologna on a stick. Pig Gig
July 31 -- Aug. 3, Bay City
Wallow in hot music and saucy ribs at Bay City's Veterans MemorialPark, where nine competitors from as far away as Australia willfire up their grills in the Midwest Championship Rib Cook-off. Inkeeping with the porcine theme, there will be pig racing, alongwith a jalapeno-eating contest, lumberjack show, watermelonseed-spitting competition, exotic baby animals and beer tent. Musicheadliners include Hotel California (an Eagles Tribute Band), EddieMoney, Steve Holy and the Grassroots. Cheeseburger in Caseville
Aug. 8-17, Caseville
Boasting the most pink flamingos north of Miami, this beachsidetown at the tip of the Thumb styles itself as "Key North," invitingfamilies, partiers and parrot-heads to celebrate the laidbacklifestyle and music made popular by Jimmy Buffett through suchactivities as cardboard boat races, sand castle contest, concertsand a "conch honk." More than 74,000 cheeseburgers were consumedduring last year's fest, and more are expected to sell during theupcoming 10th anniversary celebration. A festival spokespersondescribes the popular Parade of Fools as "wacky, tacky and a wholelot of fun." Humungous Fungus Festival
Aug. 7-10, Crystal Falls
It spans 38 acres under a forest in Mastodon Township near theWisconsin border and is believed to be the world's largest andoldest living organism. Naturally, the Humungous Fungus (of thespecies called Armillaria Bulbosa) is a cause celebre in thiswestern Upper Peninsula city, whose annual festival features aStrong Man competition, a humungous 10-foot-by-10-foot pizza,mushroom cook-off, Fungus Fest Parade, sidewalk sales, music,motocross, sports events and Fungus Fudge. St. Johns Mint Festival
Aug. 8-10, St. Johns
Some 65,000 mint fans flock to this mid-Michigan festival north ofLansing each summer for mint chocolate chip ice cream served up inscoops, sandwiches or floats. And if that isn't enough, there's achocolate mint pudding eating contest and locally made MichiganMints, plus Crosby Mint Farm tours. The 24th annual event featuresa parade, lip sync contests, motorcycle show, sports contests, fleamarket, craft show and concert. It wraps up with the Kiwanis Club'sPeppermint Plop, in which a well-fed cow makes a deposit on a gridas ticket-holding spectators cross their fingers and hold theirnoses. Dogs on Parade
Aug. 9, Northport
What better way to celebrate the dog days of summer than bydressing up your dog -- and yourself -- in a hot and stickycostume? That's what the wacky folks in Northport have done eachAugust for 13 years. Parade themes have ranged from "Dog House ofthe August Moon" and "Mardi Growl" to this year's "Indiana Bonesand Treasures of the Lost Bark" with more than 175 poochparticipants. Missing will be Cydnee, a Boston terrier-beagle mixwho always served as grand marshal, notes the late pet's owner, OldMill Pond innkeeper David Chrobak, who launched the parade that nowdraws an estimated 2,000 spectators. It's held the same weekend asNorthport's Red, White & the Blues Wine & Food Festival in thissmall Leelanau Peninsula town 30 miles north of Traverse City. Lamafest 2008
Aug. 29-31, East Lansing
Learn everything you want to know about lamas -- the genus thatincludes llamas and alpacas -- at this free event in the MichiganState University Pavilion. Watch 250 animals, from miniature llamasto full-size alpacas, demonstrate their versatility in performanceclasses, obstacle courses and costume contests with mystery judges.The show's usual 2,000 to 3,000 spectators shop for farmimplements, hand-crafted woolens and custom-dyed yarn. Some evenbuy a llama to go. Posen Potato Festival
Sept. 5-7, Posen
Other tater fests are "small potatoes," boasts Clements Misiak,spokesman for the 57th annual Posen Potato Festival near RogersCity, where the emphasis is more on Polish than potatoes. Thatmeans tons of Polish sausage and golumpki (cabbage rolls), inaddition to crispy potato pancakes fried on 10 huge grills, pluspolka bands and dancing and country music in two pavilions. You'llalso find beer, a flea market, community pancake breakfast andchicken dinner, potato display and a potato dish contest. Red Flannel Festival
Oct. 4, Cedar Springs
The Keystone Kops arrest those not wearing red at this festivalcelebrating the one-piece "drop-seaters" manufactured for more thana half-century in this west Michigan town, near Grand Rapids.Though the Red Flannel Factory closed in 1994, residents will carryon the tradition at the 69th annual festival with a huge parade,car show, karaoke contest, roving "Star Wars" characters andconcerts.
You can reach Susan R. Pollack at (313) 222-2665 or spollack@detnews.com .