River races return to St. Joe during Jonesville’s 50th Riverfest

Elyse Apel
·3 min read

JONESVILLE — The Jonesville Riverfest is returning for its 50th year this weekend in downtown Jonesville, and the whole community is invited to join.

This year, the Riverfest runs from May 17-19 and features events like a beauty pageant, an arts and crafts show, a classic car show, inflatables and food trucks.

Organizations like the Jonesville Business Association and many other local businesses and groups are working together to plan and organize the event.

“We’ve heard nothing but excitement from the community,” said Zack Biglow, who is a member of the Jonesville Business Association.

The Riverfest first started in 1974.

A participant in the river races crosses the finish line during a previous Riverfest event.
A participant in the river races crosses the finish line during a previous Riverfest event.

The event started as a way to encourage people to be on the St. Joseph River and be better stewards of the river, Biglow said.

“They had canoe races and just events based upon the river itself," he said, "but as the years went on, they added a car show, arts and crafts, vendors, and things like that.”

This year, the river race will return as a part of the Riverfest for the first time since 2017.

Biglow, who is the owner of Ramshackle Brewing Co. in downtown Jonesville, said he is excited to help bring back this event, which will run from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday.

“A big part of Ramshackle’s contribution to Riverfest is that we are bringing back our river event, called the Anything That Floats River Race,” Biglow said.

Spectators check out a number of muscle cars entered into a previous Riverfest event.
Spectators check out a number of muscle cars entered into a previous Riverfest event.

The event is more casual than a competitive race, and participants are encouraged to use anything that floats to get on the St. Joe River.

“If the participants want to be timed, we have that option, but it really is a non-competitive race,” Biglow said. “It is only competitive if you want to race your buddies or other people.”

The race is free and open to anyone.

“We want to make the first year back on the river as inclusive as possible,” said a statement from the Jonesville Riverfest.

The race course is 1.65 miles and runs from the Red Bridge on Moore Road and ends at the Downtown Jonesville Bridge on U.S. 12.

The Riverfest starts Friday, May 17, with a $1 a bag sale at the Jonesville District Library running from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be a cornhole tournament at 5:30 p.m. at Grider Mechanical Specialists, and a performance of “The Last Lifeboat” at The Sauk starting at 8 p.m.

The play also will be performed at 8 p.m. on Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday.

The events will continue on Saturday with a sausage pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon at Jonesville First Presbyterian Church. The meal costs $5 per adult.

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The car show will be on Water Street from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Grosvenor House Museum will have a free, living history event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The book sale will continue on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., running in conjunction with the arts and crafts show, which will be at Carl Fast Memorial Park from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The events will conclude on Sunday with an antique tractor show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the arts and crafts show from noon to 6 p.m., both at Carl Fast Memorial Park.

— Elyse Apel is a correspondent for The Hillsdale Daily News. She can be reached by email at ehawkins@hillsdale.edu.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: River races return to St. Joe during Jonesville’s 50th Riverfest