Schedule of Events

Old 27 Car Cruise and Car Show

Over 100 classic vehicles will be on display on Main Street, east of Business 127, on the south end of town. These cars are on a journey northward through Michigan to publicize the importance of Old 27 to historic Michigan and motivate legislators to make this road an historic route, as California did for Route 66. There is no charge to visit the car show.

Children’s Carnival

Children ages about 12 and under will find lots to do at this location in the Street Fair. Some games will be competitive and prizes will be awarded for “winning.” Many other activities (such as arts and crafts and some sports-type games) will be noncompetitive. We hope to have clowns and other street fair performers roaming this area, entertaining the children. We are also planning to have storytellers and maybe a puppeteer. The Children’s Carnival is free.

The Children’s Carnival will be set up on M-61, just west of the Marathon Station on the corner of Business 127 and M-61. There are two parts to the area: a grassy spot to the west and a paved area to the east. Both will be used for the Children’s Carnival. Children should be dressed casually in clothes that can be easily washed if they want to participate fully in painting! (Trash bags will be provided to help cover clothing.)

Entertainment Tent

The BLT Band has volunteered their time to put together a day’s worth of entertainment in a big tent right in the intersection of Beech Street and Second Street, in front of the Surrey House.

The day will begin with performances by cheerleaders, karate students, and maybe even members of the Harrison Marching Band. (Specific acts and times will be posted as the schedule evolves.)

The BLT Band will perform a mixture of country and rock music following lunchtime and the Live Auction in the early afternoon. Special events include square dancing, line dancing, and lots of opportunities for round dancing. Guest callers have volunteered their time to perform for this event. Between sets a variety of contests (twist, limbo, etc.) will be held. No experience is necessary; there will be dancers there to guide you through the moves of the various types of dances; mistakes and a little confusion only make square dancing more FUN.

At about 6 PM the Entertainment Tent will turn the stage over to the finalists of a City-wide Karaoke competition, hosted by Best Entertainment. Singers who have won karaoke contests at the various establishments in and around Harrison will compete for the crown of “Harrison’s Best.”

Arts and Crafts Show, Street Vendors and Sidewalk Sales

Second Street will come alive with booths and tents as crafters and other vendors set up shop on Friday morning. Local businesses will fill the sidewalks with merchandise from their stores. There will be a good variety of items for sale, including handmade scented soaps and candles, sock puppets, high quality knives, Home Interiors items, beaded and diachroic jewelry, calico shirts, and lots of decorative items. Information booths are also welcome. The street vendor portion of the event will run from 10 AM until 5 PM. These vendors are helping defray costs of the Street Fair by donating items for the Live Auction and Silent Auction, to be held during the afternoon under the Entertainment Tent. Their participation in the BINGO game will also help us keep much of the Harrison Street Fair free.

Live Auction/Silent Auction

Items to be sold, along with a list of contributors, will be posted in the Cleaver and elsewhere prior to the event. Anyone may contribute items to either auction; you need not be a business to donate items to the auctions.

The live auction will run as a typical auction. Registration will be necessary so that you have a bidding number. The auctioneer will scan the crowd for bids until the bidding stops. Items will have no minimum bids; all items will be sold to the highest bidder.

The “rules” for the silent auction will be simple. Bidding sheets will be placed on a table near the items to be sold. Registered bidders need only write down their bidding numbers and the amount they wish to spend on the sheets. Bidders may raise their bids multiple times until the set end of the auction. A bell will ring when the auction is over. At that time, any bidders may continue to bid against each other until all have dropped out. No one “new” may enter the bidding after the bell has rung.

Obviously, the success of this fundraiser will be based on the number of items donated and the determination of bidders to “win” those items. Hopefully a good crowd will take an hour off during the afternoon and participate in both auctions (specific times to be announced).

BINGO Contest and Drawing

Visitors to the Street Fair will receive a BINGO card to play “cover all” BINGO. To win, it will be necessary to go to each of the vendors named on the BINGO card at their booth or place of business and have that square stamped or punched. Not all vendors listed on the card will be booths in the streets; some will be brick-and-mortar shops within easy walking distance of Second Street and Beech. When all squares are filled, players will return their completed cards to the Harrison Chamber booth (located inside the old AAA Auction Building, right next to the Library on Second Street) to be entered into a drawing for cash prizes. Vendors will pay for the privilege of being listed on the BINGO cards, which will help defray costs for the various parts of the Street Fair that are free.

Cake Walk

This is a very traditional activity. People purchase the chance to walk around a large numbered circle. Whoever is standing on the winning number when the round ends wins a beautiful cake. This fundraiser will help pay for the event.

We are currently asking local bakers for donated cakes. These may be handmade or purchased at a store or bakery. Cupcakes and other baked goods are also welcome. Our goal is 100 items, which seems ambitious but is definitely doable.

Dunk Tank

This is also a very traditional activity for street parties in the summer. Various brave souls will sit on a precarious perch, waiting for some lucky pitcher to hit the bullseye and send them splashing into the tank. This is also a fundraiser for the event.

Helium Balloon Lottery

The Chamber will be selling helium balloons at the event--with a twist. Many of the balloons will contain cash, from $1 to $50. For a small investment, you could win $50!