FESTIVAL EVENTS
Future Blueberry Events for 2010 or later: Golf Scramble; Dance Competition; Art Exhibit; Talent Show; ORV or Snowmobile Races (yes..in August). Would you like to see any of these events added to our festival lineup? We are accepting new members. Click on our contact page; give us a call. We are looking for any interested and able-bodied volunteer(s) willing to direct new or existing events. Please contact us here.
Blueberry Festival Parades-Always a
Favorite
 The
Montrose Blueberry Festival features two great
parades. Friday, Aug. 20th, evening festivities kick
off with the 19th annual Kids Parade at 6 p.m. that
starts and ends at the circle drive of Hill-McCloy High
School. Children may decorate bikes, wagons and miniature
floats or walk the route in costume. Participants will
be eligible for prizes and will be judged by this year’s
Blueberry Queen and Court. This year’s theme is “Disney Fantasy ” and kids are encouraged to be creative and wear
themed costumes. However, Parade chairman, Pat Thorsby
says any costume is fine.
 The 39th Annual Blueberry
Super Parade kicks off promptly at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday,
Aug. 21st. Long a festival favorite, the 100-plus-unit
parade draws an estimated 15,000 spectators. Headlined
by the 2010 Parade Grand Marshals, and featuring the
2010 Blueberry Queen and Court, the parade promises
the return of many traditional entries including the
Keestone Kops, Shrine Clowns, The Frankentrost Band,
the Flint Banjo Club and numerous Queen floats from
Michigan cities.
33rd
Annual 5K & 8K Run & Walk
The 2010 Blueberry Festival Road Race has been reformatted and is now touting a 5K & 8K route. The event includes both a run and walk, and takes place on Sunday,
August 22nd, 2010, at 7:30 a.m. Race coordinator, Mandy
Rindhage, continues to make improvements to this popular event and believes the new 5K / 8K format will bring increased participation. In additon to the new format, the race registration is now in a new location at Hill-McCloy High School on Nanita Drive. Also new this year is Family Fitness Time featuring great activities for all ages on Saturday, August 21st from 3-7 p.m. in the high school gym. For more information click here: Blueberry Race.
Get
Down and Dirty with the Blueberry Mud Drag / Mud Bog
The 17th annual
Mud Drag and 11th annual Mud Bog is sanctioned
by, and follows the rules of, the Concerned Racers 4/WD
Club. The mud flies Saturday, August 21st, at 3 p.m.
at 11320 N. McKinley Road after the Blueberry Festival Super Parade. Registration takes place
from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Drag classes are: Street Legal
I and II; Super Stock I. Payout all classes! Bog classes (D.O.T.) are 36 and Under Street
Stock; 36.5 D.O.T and under.; 40 D.O.T.and under; 44 D.O.T.and under;
Open Class any size D.O.T. or Tractor Tire and Cut Tires Chain Drive Class 1-2-3-4-5. Guaranteed purse!
Admission
for spectators is $7 per person, $1 for kids age 5-10.
Under 5 years old free. Food & Drink concessions are available. Bring your own lawn chairs or blankets for seating. Alcohol and fireworks prohibited. For more information, contact Joe at 989-280-3534, or visit the Concerned Racers website at concernedracersclub.com.
Men’s
and Women’s Slo-Pitch Softball Tournaments
A Blueberry Festival tradition is the annual slo-pitch
softball tourney that takes place Friday, Saturday and
Sunday, Aug. 20th-22nd. Tournament co-chairpersons expect
to have 24 teams competing in the men’s division and
22 women’s teams in competition. The men’s tournament
will be held at the softball complex on N. Seymour Road,
just a half mile off Vienna Road (M-57). Women’s tournament
play will be held at the softball complex, as well as
diamonds on Hickory Street and at the Montrose Baptist Church on Vienna Road. . For
additional information call the Blueberry Festival office
at 810-639-3475.
Blueberry
Pancake Breakfast a Festival Mainstay
 Mouthwatering food is a
festival tradition and the annual Pancake Breakfast
is no exception. Breakfast is served both Saturday,
Aug. 21st and Sunday, Aug. 22nd from 8 a.m. until 1
p.m. in the cafeteria connecting Kuehn-Haven Middle
School and Hill-McCloy High School. The delightful,
all-you-can-eat breakfast features those heavenly blueberry
pancakes hot off the grill, sausage, juice, milk and
coffee. Due to tough economic times, breakfast prices are rolled back to the 2006 price of $5 per person. As always, children 5 and under eat for free.
 The
Pancake Breakfast crew whips up an amazing
20,000 pancakes, cooks over 1,200 pounds of sausage,
and pours an estimated 300 gallons of milk, 200 gallons
of coffee, and 150 gallons of orange juice. Over 400
local volunteers are needed to perform the annual rite.
Call 810-639-3475 if you would like to be a breakfast
volunteer.
Visit the Girl Scout fundraiser on your way out of the pancake breakfast. Pick up a fresh baked blueberry pie or other blueberry baked goods and help the girls raise money for their local chapter.
New Events
Montrose Blueberry Festival / Montrose Fire Fighters 1st Annual Golf Scramble to be held Saturday, August 7th at Briar Ridge Golf Course. The event, organized as a fundraiser for the Montrose Fire Fighters and the Montrose Open Cupboard Food Pantry, promises to become one of the premiere events each year. Mark your calendar for Saturday, August 7th, and make plans to join us at Briar Ridge Golf Course, 11099 Dodge Rd, Montrose. Registration begins at 8 a.m., with a shotgun start at 9 a.m., coney dogs & chips at the turn, catered New York strip steak dinner and prizes after scramble. Contests include separate long drive and closest to the pin for men and women, Vegas hole, and a putting contest, in addition to door prizes, raffles, and a 50-50 drawing. Registration is $260 (4-person, pre-registered) with a $100 deposit sent by July 31st. Registration the day of the event is $70 per person, $280 for a 4-person team. Call Brandon at 810-422-3643 or Don at 810-639-5548 for more information or an application. Online applications will be available soon.
Want to be a sponsor for this event? Contact Janet at 810-639-5548 or click here to email us for your sponsor registration form.
Returning Events
The 2nd Annual Blueberry Festival "Kick-Off" Car Show, returns on Sunday, August 15th at the corner of Hickory and Saginaw Street. Registration runs from 8-11 a.m. with the awards ceremony at 3 p.m. Trophies to the top 25 vehicles, dash plaques to the first 50 vehicles registered, two Queen's Choice trophies, and the Grand Marshal's trophy for the best overall vehicle. This year we add a class for vintage motorcycles, sure to be a show favorite.
"Jam & Slam" makes a comeback on Saturday, August 21st, when the Blueberry Festival once again joins in a fundraiser for the Montrose Railroad Depot. This entertaining and comical event patterned after Genesee County's "Jail & Bail" takes volunteers and unlucky festival visitors, deposits them in a 1930's era jail cell, and requires them to beg for donations. Join in the fun and pay the festival "sheriff" to arrest your favorite convicts then laugh gleefully while they try to make bail.
Montrose Railroad Depot Farmer's Market, located at 154 W. State Street (M-57), offers up three days of market space filled with a vast array of fresh fruits and veggies for those healthy choices. Pick up your fresh, locally grown blueberries and more. For additional information or to rent booth space contact Deb Gross at 810-241-2564 or via email at montroserrdepot@yahoo.com.
Wednesday
night kicks off the 2010
festival with the 13th annual Beautiful Baby & Kids
Contest held in the middle school auditorium.
Registration at the door is from 6-7 p.m., with the
pageant beginning at 7:15 p.m. Applications can
be obtained on the website application page or by calling
810-639-3475.
Back for a ninth season is Montrose’s
answer to American Idol. The 9th annual Karaoke contest
takes on a new format by eliminating the early qualifying rounds. The contest on Sunday, August 22nd, is open to the public and begins at 2 p.m. in the entertainment tent. Cash prizes total $500
and the contest is open to participants 18 and older with absolutely no entry fee.
Call the festival office at 810-639-3475 for applications
or visit the application page on our website.
Looking for Blueberries? Look no further than the Boy Scouts concession booth located in the heart of the Blueberry Festival, the Montrose city park. You'll find those mouth-watering blueberries, blueberry pies, blueberry baked goods, and blueberry ice cream in addition to other goodies served up by Montrose-area Boy Scout Troop 123.
Returning for a 5th season is our Kid's Karaoke contest. Kids competition precedes the adult contest and kicks off promptly at noon on Sunday, August 22nd. Participation gifts for all children; prizes awarded to 1st through 3rd place finishers in each category.
Enjoy
the Blueberry Festival but just LOVE those
Renaissance Festivals? His Majesty hath set forth This Proclamation: "All who come must have fun"!
The Shiabruck Medieval Village opens Friday, August
20th through Sunday, August 22nd. Located near
Campers village and across from Hill-McCloy H.S.,
Shiabruck offers renaissance style re-enactments, jousting,
storytellers, wandering musicians and plenty of souvenirs.
For more information about the Shiabruck Medieval Reenactment
Association just click on this site: Shiabruck, or contact Dana MacVay at 989-652-8444 (8 a.m.-2 p.m. M-F) or 989-624-5925 (3 p.m.-8 p.m. & weekends). Applications can be found on the website or by calling the festival office.
Entertainment
Tent Highlights
Teens are welcomed into the tent on Wednesday evening, August 18th, from 9 p.m. until midnight for their very own night. The annual teen dance returns to the entertainment tent for the fourth year. Enjoy the sounds of DJ Brian Moody from "Moody Entertainment Co.." or just socialize. Water and soft drinks available. Cover charge.
Battle of the Bands returns on Thursday, August 19th. Tentative arrangements to date: small entry fee to perform; cash prizes for top three bands; 1st and 2nd place bands to open show for headliners on main stage Friday & Saturday night. Organizers are in the early stages of event arrangements and will release more information as it becomes available. Interested bands call Kristie at 810-577-4017 (leave message & call back number).
The Canine Competition showcasing man's best friend returns for a sixth year on Saturday, August 21st. Late registration from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., contest begins promptly at 11 a.m. and runs until noon. Participation ribbons for all pooches; first through third place medals; and a Best in Show trophy await all those who enter.
Karaoke
returns to the entertainment tent Friday
through Sunday. Open karaoke hours are Friday and Saturday, 11 am to 6 p.m. The adult karaoke contest returns on Sunday from
2-6 p.m. New format for adults, no early elimination rounds to qualify, open to all contestants 18 and older. Grab a share of the $500 prize package.
The Kid's Karaoke Contest returns this year on Sunday, August 22nd from noon until 2 p.m. Prizes will be awarded to the top three singers in each division. This event precedes the adult karaoke contest, so stay all day and cheer on your favorites. A good time for all family members.
Hit
the Entertainment Tent on Friday, August 20th, and Saturday, August 21st as the Blueberry Festival offers up live music with popular performers. Contract arrangements are still in progress for the 2010 headliners. Announcements forthcoming. The tent opens at 7 p.m. and closes at 2 p.m. Must be 21 or older to enter. Cover charge.
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