River Raisin Festival in Blissfield kicks off today, promises something for everyone

Brad Heineman, The Daily Telegram
·5 min read
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Many rides and games are available at the River Raisin Festival this weekend in Blissfield, including a Ferris wheel, pictured during the 2019 festival. Maple Leaf Amusements returns this year as the supplier of rides and other amusements.
Many rides and games are available at the River Raisin Festival this weekend in Blissfield, including a Ferris wheel, pictured during the 2019 festival. Maple Leaf Amusements returns this year as the supplier of rides and other amusements.

BLISSFIELD — Three days of free entertainment throughout the parks of Blissfield begin at 5 p.m. today, ushering in the start of the 38th annual River Raisin Festival.

Charities, churches and service organizations benefit from the festival, according to a flyer circulated by the festival committee, which is made up entirely of volunteers. The festival will be staged along the banks of the River Raisin in both Bachmayer and Ellis parks, and it will continue through Saturday, July 9.

D&P Communications is the main sponsor of the River Raisin Festival.

Highlights of the festival include a beefed up fireworks show beginning at dusk Friday night, the annual Saturday morning River Raisin Festival parade, the Miss River Raisin Scholarship Program and the COVID-delayed return of the Miss River Raisin Princess Walk. which is one of the first programs to kick off the festival today. The princess walk begins at 6 p.m. on the main Pavilion stage in Bachmayer Park and features the candidates of the scholarship pageant alongside festival princesses who will perform various song and dance routines.

Maple Leaf Amusements returns as the supplier of midway rides and games. Festival president Rick Allen said there are new attractions this year on the midway. The carnival will open at 5 p.m. today and at noon Friday and Saturday, operating into the evening each day.

Mustafa Alkhafahjai, left, of Ann Arbor and Phoebe Brown of Blissfield smile July 10, 2021, as they ride on the Sizzler in Blissfield's Ellis Park during the River Raisin Festival. Midway rides and carnival games are once again being supplied this year by Maple Leaf Amusements.
Mustafa Alkhafahjai, left, of Ann Arbor and Phoebe Brown of Blissfield smile July 10, 2021, as they ride on the Sizzler in Blissfield's Ellis Park during the River Raisin Festival. Midway rides and carnival games are once again being supplied this year by Maple Leaf Amusements.

“We have been growing the festival the last few years,” Allen said in a post on the Blissfield River Raisin Festival Facebook page. “We have nearly 50 craft and merchant vendors plus a multitude of food vendors with a variety of types of food offerings. Our carnival is exceptional. We also have fireworks on Friday evening, as well as our local Miss Michigan preliminary competition. Our main stage hosts musical acts throughout the weekend. We also have a kids corner that has activities with a petting zoo and exotic animals, pony rides and more.

“The best part is, there is no admission to the festival grounds and the music entertainment and the kids entertainment is also free.”

The Kids Corner, which features jugglers, karate demonstrations and face painting, will also have meet-and-greets with characters including Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent, Princess Belle from “Beauty and the Beast,” Spider-Man, Batman and Minions from the “Despicable Me” franchise of films.

Raelynn Whitman, left, of Whitehouse, Ohio, is assisted on a pony by Paige Neblo of Paige's Pony Parties LLC of Riga July 10, 2021, during Blissfield's River Raisin Festival. Pony rides will be available this weekend at the Kids Corner in Bachmayer Park as part of the 2022 River Raisin Festival, which begins today.
Raelynn Whitman, left, of Whitehouse, Ohio, is assisted on a pony by Paige Neblo of Paige's Pony Parties LLC of Riga July 10, 2021, during Blissfield's River Raisin Festival. Pony rides will be available this weekend at the Kids Corner in Bachmayer Park as part of the 2022 River Raisin Festival, which begins today.

Waterball competitions, in which area fire departments battle it out with firehoses to move a large suspended ball to victory, returns Saturday afternoon following the conclusion of the parade for the first time since the 2019 festival. The public is welcome to join in the friendly competition, the flyer said, or they can watch the action and cool off on a hot July day by getting wet from the hoses.

The parade, sponsored by Uckele Health and Nutrition, begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Blissfield Community Schools campus and proceeds down South Lane Street, turns onto U.S. 223, and heads back to the school grounds via Depot Street. The parade usually lasts 45 minutes, the flyer said, and includes participants from the Shriners, farm equipment, clowns, the Blissfield High School Marching Band, floats, tractors, classic cars and emergency vehicles. There might still be time to register a float for the parade. For an entry form, visit www.riverraisinfestival.org.

The second annual River Raisin Festival Battle of the Bands, which proved successful in its inaugural season last year, returns to the main Bachmayer Pavilion stage Saturday and continues throughout the afternoon and evening. The winning band takes home $1,000 in cash in addition to audience voting dollars. Judges of the competition will select the overall winner.

Tara Renee, center, and her band pose for a photo July 10, 2021, after being announced the winners of Blissfield's inaugural River Raisin Festival Battle of the Bands. The band won a $1,000 check from the festival. Members are, from left, Conor Reed, Larry Bryan, Renee, Bob Pogue and Michelle Sharp. The second annual River Raisin Festival Battle of the Bands returns Saturday, July 9.

There will also be antique tractor pulls as well as kiddie tractor pulls for younger children; living history reenactors; kids' archery lessons provided by the River Raisin Sportsman’s Club; the Lightning Quick Gas ’N’ Go Softball Tournament, which begins Friday, pauses for the fireworks show and resumes Friday night through Saturday; and the Blissfield Parks and Recreation 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament Saturday all day along South Lane Street. The basketball tournament, sponsored by Transcend Physical Therapy, will pause for the parade and then resume in the afternoon.

Midnite Stew, a high-energy cover band, will entertain on the Pavilion stage from 9 to 11 p.m. Friday, following the Miss River Raisin Festival Scholarship Program.

Miss River Raisin Festival Scholarship Program

The 27th annual Miss River Raisin Festival Scholarship Program, the only local Miss America competition for Lenawee County, begins at 6 p.m. Friday, July 8, at the main Bachmayer stage. Competition places an emphasis on interview, talent and community service. Rachel Wandell, Miss River Raisin Festival 2000, is traveling to Blissfield from Chicago to host the program, the flyer said. The newly crowned Miss Michigan 2022 will also be a special guest.

The program has awarded more than $160,000 in college scholarships to Lenawee County women over its 27-year history, the flyer said. The winner of the program will represent Lenawee County at Miss Michigan in June 2023.

Laurel Hammis, 20, was crowned Miss River Raisin Festival 2021 out of a field of nine other Lenawee County women during Blissfield's River Raisin Festival in July 2021. Placing the crown on Hammis is 2019 and 2020 Miss River Raisin Festival Sydney Papenhagen of Blissfield. Miss Michigan 2021, Vivian Zhong, left, assists in the crowning ceremony.
Laurel Hammis, 20, was crowned Miss River Raisin Festival 2021 out of a field of nine other Lenawee County women during Blissfield's River Raisin Festival in July 2021. Placing the crown on Hammis is 2019 and 2020 Miss River Raisin Festival Sydney Papenhagen of Blissfield. Miss Michigan 2021, Vivian Zhong, left, assists in the crowning ceremony.

There are 10 contestants appearing in this year’s program who will be joined alongside Laurel Hammis, who was crowned Miss River Raisin Festival 2021 last summer. The 10 contestants competing Friday are:

  • Emily Auth, 19, of Blissfield, sophomore at the University of Michigan.

  • Ashely Brighton, 24, of Adrian, nursing graduate of Lourdes University and currently working in the nursing field.

  • Rylee Clairday, 20, of Onsted, junior at Eastern Michigan University.

  • Samantha McGaughey, 20, of Okemos, junior at Adrian College.

  • Hailie Medley, 18, Blissfield, freshman at Eastern Michigan University.

  • Ashlee Pelham, 23, of Adrian, secondary education/English graduate from Adrian College.

  • Brooke Pickles, 24 of Toledo and Blissfield, studying medicine at the American University of Antigua College of Medicine.

  • Jordan Prielipp, 20, of Britton, senior at Alma College.

  • Jennifer Saxton, 22, of Blissfield, enrolled in the Michigan State University veterinary science program.

  • Olivia Wood, 20, of Blissfield, interior design student at Eastern Michigan University.

The scholarship program is co-sponsored by Borchardt Brothers Market and Blissfield BP. Major scholarship sponsors include Knapp Motors Chevrolet-Buick of Blissfield, the Blissfield Rotary Club and the Blissfield Area Lions Club as well as individual contributors.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: River Raisin Festival in Blissfield promises something for everyone