Early start, new events mark arrival of 58th Alpenfest celebration

Paul Welitzkin, The Petoskey News-Review
·3 min read
The Alpenfest Walking Parade will begin at 9 a.m. on July 12.
The Alpenfest Walking Parade will begin at 9 a.m. on July 12.

GAYLORD — Coming off a record year in 2022 that saw attendance top 80,000, the 58th Alpenfest returns with an earlier start and even more activities and entertainment.

This year's festival will take over downtown Gaylord from July 11 through July 15.

"A lot of our vendors and crafters all signed up again for this year. We have a maximum amount of vendors (65) and a waiting list and that makes me very happy," said Ken Mattei of the Alpenfest board.

Ken Mattei has been involved with Alpenfest for over 10 years. Last year saw over 80,000 attend the annual summer festival, which started in 1965 to herald the arrival of a new particle board plant in Gaylord and the Alpine motif adorning downtown businesses.
Ken Mattei has been involved with Alpenfest for over 10 years. Last year saw over 80,000 attend the annual summer festival, which started in 1965 to herald the arrival of a new particle board plant in Gaylord and the Alpine motif adorning downtown businesses.

Alpenfest's entertainment last year usually drew 1,000 people underneath the Pavilion on South Court Avenue, noted Mattei.

"(The concerts) were sold out and we had another 400 to 500 people in lawn chairs around the Pavilion," he said. "Our entertainment stage will be packed and we will start earlier than we normally do."

On Saturday, July 8 the Genesee Valley Concert Band will be playing a wide variety of music including patriotic numbers to celebrate the Fourth of July. They will perform at 7 p.m. at the Pavilion and there is no charge to attend. Mattei said food will be available from one of the sports teams at Gaylord High School.

The annual Alpenfest Street Sweep will begin at 8 a.m. on Sunday, July 9. The public is encouraged to bring a broom and join the Alpenfest Committee and Black Jackets as they sweep the streets clean prior to the start of the festival.

Alpenfest opening ceremonies will occur an hour earlier at 5 p.m. on July 11 with the annual Willkommen from Gaylord Mayor Todd Sharrard, and the singing of the National Anthem. The Ralph Holewinski VFW Post 1518 will headline the Presentation of Colors while the 2023 Alpenfest der Buergermeister, Dona Wishart, along with the Honored Business, Dar and Edelweiss Award winners will also appear.

New this year will be a daily wood carving demonstration in the Alpenstrasse.

"We will raffle off one of the carvings each day to those who purchase a raffle ticket," said Mattei. "The money will be donated to five different local charities."

Mattei said organizers have added events for pets and their owners.

"In our art tent we will have dog obedience training which will go over the basics of training a dog. We will also have an Ugly Dog contest and a pet parade," Mattei said.

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Also debuting this year will be the Miss Alpenfest Princess competition in addition to the Alpenfest Queen and her court.

"Normally we have the queen competition but this year we included the princess with over 20 little girls (ages 7 to 12) competing," said Mattei.

Alpenfest pins that give festivalgoers access to entertainment and other events will again cost $5 each and are available at the merchandise booth in the Alpenstrasse and at the Gaylord Area Chamber of Commerce.

A full listing of Alpenfest events can be found at gaylordalpenfest.com.

— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Early start, new events mark arrival of 58th Alpenfest celebration