Blissfield paying respect to bicentennial, expanded offerings during River Raisin Festival

BLISSFIELD — The second weekend in July is always a special time for Blissfield.

That’s the weekend in which the village celebrates its hometown in the form of its annual River Raisin Festival, a three-day offering of carnival rides, food, vendors, events, activities and free stage entertainment along the banks of the River Raisin.

This year’s festival, which begins Thursday, July 11 and continues through Saturday, July 13, in both Bachmayer and Ellis parks is not only celebrating 40 years of summer festivities in Blissfield, but also is paying respect to Blissfield’s 200th anniversary year.

It’s proving to be a jam-packed summer in Blissfield with a milestone reached for the River Raisin Festival, and an even more impressive bicentennial milestone for the village itself.

“It is kind of a cool thing that four decades (of the festival) have passed since this started,” said Rick Allen, president of Blissfield’s River Raisin Festival. “We are starting to see a resurgence in the way things have been in the past.”

An example of that resurgence includes the number of vendors that are lined up for this weekend. The Bachmayer Park side of the festival will be full to the brim with various arts and crafters, and additional sorts of vendors, Allen said. The Ellis Park side of the festival, which contains the carnival area and the weekend-long softball tournament, also is looking full with vendors and plenty of food options.

For those who don’t know, Bachmayer and Ellis parks are separated by the River Raisin — Bachmayer to the west and Ellis to the east. There are two walking bridges that festivalgoers may use to get from one park to another. An arched pedestrian bridge spans the River Raisin in the parks system and another walking bridge runs parallel to the U.S. 223 roadway.

A new carnival company is bringing its rides and other amusements to the River Raisin Festival, Allen said. Family Fun Tyme Amusements, which provides carnivals for Michigan, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee events has been in the village for the past couple of days and is gearing up for this weekend. Many of the rides are promoted toward the younger audience, Allen said, but there should be plenty of major rides to delight all ages of thrill-seekers.

There are going to be several tie-ins during the festival weekend highlighting Blissfield’s bicentennial, Allen said.

The annual River Raisin Festival parade on Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. is themed the Bicentennial Parade. It will continue on its same route as in years past from the Blissfield Community Schools campus down South Lane Street through downtown, to U.S. 223 and onto Depot Street heading back to the school.

Throughout the weekend, vendors are encouraged to decorate their booths in a patriotic red, white and blue scheme. The newly crowned Miss River Raisin Festival, during Friday evening’s scholarship program, will go about the festival grounds this weekend and will select an overall best decorated vendors’ booth, in which a prize will be awarded to the winner, Allen said.

At 7 p.m. Thursday on the main pavilion stage in Bachmayer Park, will be the Miss Bliss Bicentennial Spirit contest where women from the Blissfield area, ages 70 or older, will compete to be the queen of the Blissfield Bicentennial celebration scheduled later this month for July 27-28. A similar competition took place 50 years ago, which crowned a Blissfield Sesquicentennial Queen in 1974.

Most events on Thursday and Friday get started after 6 p.m. The final day of the festival, Saturday, gets kicked off with the parade and continues for the remainder of the day up until 11 p.m.

The Kids’ Corner, located near the pedestrian bridge in Bachmayer Park, is sponsored by Bailey Family Chiropractic and is expanded for this year, Allen said. He credits that expansion to the efforts of Nikki Dotson, who has brought such attractions to the Kids’ Corner as character meet and greets, a karaoke and bubble party, free arts and crafts, bounce houses, a petting zoo and a new sensory table/calming area.

“We’re making more of a conscious effort for those kids coming out (to the festival) who may have special needs with the addition of a sensory tent and a place where they can get away to have some downtime and quite time,” Allen said.

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Kiddie tractor pulls, archery for kids and a Touch-a-Truck event from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday are some of the other highlights for the kids.

Weenie dog races are coming back for a second year at 2 p.m. Saturday to the dog park in Ellis Park, and the Duck Race — also known as the Capt. Joe Gallo Memorial Duck Race — is returning at 7 p.m. Saturday.

“...We’re hoping to put a quality product out to the public for everyone to enjoy,” Allen said.

Uckele Health and Nutrition and Blissfield State Bank are the main sponsors of the Friday night fireworks show starting at dusk.

Here is a rundown of the stage entertainment happening at the River Raisin Festival. For any additional information, visit riverraisinfestival.org.

Main pavilion stage

Thursday, July 11

• 6:30 p.m. Baby Blissfield contest winners.

• 7 p.m. Miss Bliss Bicentennial Spirit Queen pageant.

Friday, July 12

• 6 p.m. 29th annual Miss River Raisin Festival Scholarship competition, featuring Miss Michigan and 2023 Miss River Raisin Festival Samantha McGaughy.

• 9 to 11 p.m. Metro Soul Band.

Saturday, July 13

• Noon to 1:30 p.m. Blissfield Ministerial Association concert.

• 2 p.m. River Raisin Festival Variety Show.

• 6 to 8 p.m. Stealin’ Copper.

• 9 to 11 p.m. Under the Influence.

— Contact reporter Brad Heineman at [email protected] or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: twitter.com/LenaweeHeineman.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: River Raisin Festival in Blissfield paying respect to bicentennial