The Venetian Festival is celebrating their 95th season in the Charlevoix community. Events have been all week long, but the fun is just getting started.
“We’re going to have just a spectacular array, as we always do,” said Dan Barron, President.” Friday, we have car show. We have a family fun zone. Bridge, streets closed off. We have pop up street concerts that started on Wednesday. They occur every day.”
Smash Mouth will be performing on Friday night and there will be an aerobatic plane show. There will also be a Pyrotechnic Plane lighting off fireworks.
On Saturday there will be the Surf and Turf Parades and the street parade in the morning. Saturday night will be the annual boat parade with15 lighted boats decorated in the festival theme “Who’s Team Rules” choreographed with light and sound.
The boat parade started 95 years ago and has a lot of history in the Charlevoix community.
“It is really a wonderful history,” said Barron. “95 years ago, our two summer clubs had a sailing regatta on lake Charlevoix. They decided to celebrate afterwards. So, they, lit Japanese lanterns on the sailboats. They circled round lake harbor and the very first venetian boat parade. And we’ve been, having boat parades ever since.”
Barron shares what it’s like to carry on the legacy.
“It’s wonderful. It’s, it’s just steeped in the culture and history in Charlevoix,” said Barron. “Although we benefit, tourism and resort business. It’s focused on the locals, and it’s a benefit for the locals. You can see that with our concerts, free admission concerts here with national acts. The people in Charlevoix, it’s their generosity in Charlevoix. The people give their finances. They share their finances for others. They share their talents. They share their time and they share their hearts. It’s, package of kindness. We wrap up with a bow in Charlevoix.”
This year they have a new event, Wii bowling. The festival is continuing to grow in events that already exist.
“We’re still, building our air show that occurs Friday night,” said Barron. “And, there’ll be a flag jump, with parachutists and, we will sing that National Anthem in East Park. And that night, the parachutists come back and they have torches on their heels, and there’ll be a night jump before the evening pyro plane pulls in.
“It’s a pretty incredible, plane that shoots off fireworks from the wings and burns, candles out the fuselage, and it’s quite a spectacle…. just a wonderful way to conclude the festival. And, we’ll keep on doing it year after year, because it’s what Charlevoix it’s all about.”
