The annual summertime celebration Sturgis Fest will return this week with a five-day festival themed “Game Week.” Events planned for the week include free amusement park rides, Bike Night, a classic car cruise-in, Hispanic Heritage Celebration, and fireworks.

Executive Director for the Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce Kari Hatt told Watershed Voice Sturgis Fest has been a long-standing tradition for many years, and originally began as Michigan Week. “Back then, Sturgis was considered the kick-off city, so we had a huge parade that would kick off a statewide Michigan Week. The governor would come out, there was a huge parade that went all the way down US 12,” she said. “It morphed into Sturgis Fest about 10 years ago and it has grown so much over the years.”

Sturgis Fest will commence tonight, Tuesday, June 20, with a kickoff dinner beginning at 5 p.m. where Sturgis Citizens of the Year for 2023, Debby Mathis and Ken Mills, will be honored. Retired Sturgis High School teacher and Hall of Fame coach Carol Griffith will be the guest speaker for the dinner, as well as Grand Marshall. “Carol is a local legend,” Hatt said, explaining Griffith was not only a teacher and a high school coach for volleyball, track, basketball, and softball — she was also an integral part of implementing Title IX at Sturgis High School.

“She helped change the entire face of what women’s sports looks like for our community,” Hatt said. “This is the 50th anniversary of Title IX, so Carol will talk about what that meant to her, and the struggles she went through.”

June 21 will be Family Night at the Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce, and festivities will begin at 4 p.m. with carnival games, and a vintage baseball game. Four different amusement park rides will be free and available to families thanks to the Sturgis Area Community Foundation and Youth Advisory Council. Hot dogs, chips, cotton candy, popcorn, and soft drinks will be available for $1, and there will also be carnival games provided by different community organizations. 

Sturgis vintage baseball team, The Biscuits, will throw the first pitch for their game at 6 p.m. in the Auto Park Ford lot. “The Biscuits are a group of gentlemen who play every year and they play by 1890s baseball rules,” Hatt said. “They wear jeans and tennis shoes, but then they wear the old, wool, vintage baseball jerseys.” The Biscuits will play fellow vintage-baseball team, the Elkhart Railroaders. Following the game will be a showing of a free community movie, The Sandlot.

In addition to Family Night on the 21, there will also be a Wine Night at Free Church Park from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. General admission will be $5, and there are a limited number of VIP tickets available for $25. VIP tickets will include entrance drink tickets, a charcuterie box, and swag. Michigan-made wines for the night will be on site from Wine About It, as well as locally-brewed beer by Two Bandits Brewery from Coldwater. 

Bike Night is scheduled for Thursday, June 22, and will feature live music, corn hole tournaments, and a beer tent. “Last year we had about 640 motorcycles on the streets, and it might be a little challenging this year because we are losing a section for motorcycles to park because of the construction, but we’re just going to do our best,” Hatt said. “Because of that construction we will be having our Bike Night celebration at Free Church Park, rather than over on North Street this year.”

The Jim Cummings Band will perform on US 12 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Johnny Knox will play from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Corn hole tournaments will be hosted by Sturgis Eagles #1314, and there will be other available activities located inside the beer tent. Food vendors for the evening will include Brewhouse BBQ food truck, Ibison fair food concessions, and Kiwanis pork burgers.

Friday, June 23 will feature the classic car cruise-in at 5 p.m. Over 300 classic cars are expected to participate in the annual downtown cruise-in, and the first 200 to arrive will receive a dash plaque. In addition to the cruise-in will be the second-ever Hispanic Heritage Celebration on North Street from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. featuring live music for all ages, as well as food vendors like El Taco Loco, Maria’s, and various Mexican ice cream and popsicle vendors. The evening will end with the Sturgis Fest annual Electric Night Parade. 

All Sports Saturday will take place on June 24 and will include a triathlon, an Electric City 3-on-3 basketball tournament, and the third annual American Volksporting Association Sanctioned Volksmarch in honor of Sturgis’ sister city, Weisloch, Germany. The Volksmarch will begin at Sturgis High School, and the trail will be on city sidewalks, and pass through residential neighborhoods, city parks, and the historic downtown area. The Volksmarch will finish at the American Legion with traditional German food and drink available for purchase. Sturgis Fest will conclude with fireworks that evening at the Sturgis Airport.

Hatt told Watershed Voice how meaningful Sturgis Fest is to the community and the Chamber of Commerce saying, “It’s just truly a way the Chamber can give back. Our main focus throughout the rest of the year is on connecting businesses, promoting businesses, building our memberships, and helping with networking. This is the time of year where we get to connect all those businesses in a way that gives back to the community.”

More information on Sturgis Fest is available on the event’s website.

Beca Welty is a staff writer and columnist for Watershed Voice.