Rotary International Day Parade kicks off Port Huron's Boat Week Wednesday
Marching band music floated by as band members marched past. Cheerleaders in shiny red and black uniforms waved pompoms. A float depicting the Central Park Zoo inched past crowds of people lining Huron Avenue in downtown Port Huron Wednesday night.
The annual Rotary International Day Parade kicked off Port Huron's Boat Week and the festivities before the Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race Saturday.
The annual parade is a way for Port Huron area organizations, businesses and political candidates to show themselves off to the community.
Leah Tyrell and Amy Fabick, co-directors at the Port Huron Civic Theater, said they enjoy having an event to bring the entire theater group together and advertise their upcoming show, Madagascar Junior.
Hannah Scheible and Maggie Monaghan, high school seniors and gymnasts at All American Flames Gymnastix, said they enjoy being able to show the community and other kids what the gym does.
Gymnasts practiced cartwheels and handstands on the balance beam on the float behind them.
This will be their last parade, which they called a bittersweet feeling.
Kim and Sheina Kramp, two sister-in-laws, watched the parade as their five children played around them. They said they enjoy having an outlet to get their kids outside. Kim Kramp said she likes learning about local candidates and politics.
"We're just here to enjoy," Kim Kramp said.
More details on Boat Week
Family night is from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday with fireworks at dusk at Desmond Landing. Activities and entertainment will take place just south of the 10th Street Bridge and at McMorran Place, where art vendors, a carnival, food trucks and acoustic music will be located.
Live concerts for Rock the Dock and Boats & Boots will take place on the main stage at the McMorran southwest lot from 7:30 to 11 p.m. on Thursday, and include headliners Puddle of Mudd and Dylan Scott.
Also on Thursday and Friday is the Blue Water Street Fair on Huron between Grand River and Bard. About 80 art vendors will be set up for the festival, as well as Mannequins Making a Difference on the corner of Huron and Grand River from 6 to 10 p.m. those two days.
Boat Night will take place Friday, with boats lined up on the Black River ahead of the race.
Everything leads up to the two-course Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race Saturday. Most boats are expected to leave for Lake Huron around 9 a.m., with the first start for the smaller boats starting at 11:30 a.m.
The "Taste of Port Huron" event will be held Saturday from noon to 2 p.m., with entertainment and music from 3 to 11 p.m.
A full schedule of Boat Week events can be found at thebluewaterfest.com/.
Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Rotary International Day Parade kicks off Port Huron's Boat Week
