The Spinners Headline Homecoming: Everything You Need to Know

Dearborn will celebrate the 36th annual Homecoming festival August 7-9 with outstanding entertainment led by R&B group The Spinners, spectacular fireworks, two dozen carnival rides, family activities, entertainment on three stages, art demonstrations, children’s crafts, free canoeing, ethnic dance demonstrations, and plenty of festival food.

It will also help 30 nonprofit groups fundraise for, and increase awareness of, their good works in Dearborn.

Homecoming is a project of the City of Dearborn and the nonprofit Dearborn Community Fund. It is at Ford Field Park, 22051 Cherry Hill, at Brady, north of Michigan Avenue. It generally runs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. all three days, although some activities may start earlier.

Homecoming is made possible because of generous businesses, organizations and individuals that fund a significant amount of the cost of the festival. It is once again presented by Oakwood, part of Beaumont Health.

The Spinners play Main Stage on Saturday

The headline entertainment is the long-running, upbeat R&B group, the Spinners, known for its string of hits from the 1970s and 1980s, such as “Rubberband Man,” “Games People Play,” “Working My Way Back to You,” and “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love.”

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The Spinners show is up-tempo R&B with precision choreography. The group has sold more than 60 million records, has 18 solid gold Top 40 hits and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

They take the stage on Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

Other Entertainment, Car Cruise

On Friday, the Main Stage act is bugs Beddow and the Good STuFF, beginning at 8:30 p.m. on. This regional favorite has won the Detroit Music Award for best R&B band five times.

The band’s music meshes well with Friday night’s classic car cruise. Organized by the Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce, Cruisin’ Dearborn brings more than 100 classic vehicles to Ford Field Park.

Back to the main stage, on Sunday evening the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra will offer a Pops Concert. Listeners will recognize some of their favorite patriotic, popular and movie music among the orchestra’s mix.

Other acts will also be performing on the Main Stage and the Food Court Stage throughout the weekend. They are: Armed-N-Dangerous, Corndaddy, Motor Honey, Sun Messengers, Dearborn Big Band, Brazil and Beyond, Sunglasses After Dark, and The Phoenix Theory.

Entertainment will also be offered in the South Shelter (Polish Area) and in the Italian Shelter.

Carnival—$20 For All-Day Wrist Bands

The carnival is open 11 a.m.–10:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday.

All-day wrists bands purchased at the festival Aug. 7-9 are $20 for each day. Other ride options are available.

Significant discounts for all-day wristbands are offered online for advanced purchases through 11:55 p.m. Aug. 6. Visit www.cityofdearborn.com/homecoming for details.

There are no refunds on any carnival tickets.

Free Shuttles

There is free parking and free shuttle service from Dearborn High School.

The Dearborn High shuttle runs from 6–11 p.m. Friday, and noon–11:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday of Homecoming weekend. Parking is free at Dearborn High.

City of Dearborn vans will offer limited, free rides between Ford Field and West Village Drive, from Monroe to Military 5–10 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Ford Field Parking is $10, with $7 Re-Entry Rate

Enjoy the convenience of being right on site at the festival grounds. Parking rates at Ford Field Park are $10. Coupons will be given for $7 re-entry. Parking fees apply starting at 11 a.m. each day.

New for 2015

New activities are keeping the festival fresh. Among them:

A tent will be staffed by ACCESS and the Arab American National Museum on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 8 and 9. The Museum will hold free children’s mosaic tile crafts at noon, 2, and 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Henna tattoos will also be available for a fee, and visitors can get their name written in Arabic calligraphy for a fee. The Museum will also be running a gift shop.

Kids Zone and Artisan Area at the Top of the Hill. Plenty of free activities for kids, including picture painting offered by the Dearborn Community Arts Council, workshops offered by Home Depot, DIA activity, and more.

On Sunday afternoon, “A Celebration of the Cultural Tapestry of America” will feature ethnic dancers starting at 2 p.m. with the Polish Tatry Dancers, followed at 2:30 p.m. by the Ballet Folkorico De Raices Mexicanas Dancers, and at 3 p.m., by Arabesque Debkah Dance. The audience is encouraged to participate in the debkah, a traditional Arab dance.

Yogurtown will offer free frozen yogurt and toppings from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, or while supplies last, in the Dining Tent, presented as a Cool Treats Social, a modern take on the traditional ice cream social.

Visitors can canoe on the Ford Field Pond for free, offered by Heavner Canoe from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Restrictions apply.

Blankets on the Hill

Blankets can be put on the hill after 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday to view the fireworks. All blankets must be removed by midnight both nights.

Blankets cannot be more than 8 by 8 feet. No stakes are allowed.

Car Show

The Cruisin’ Dearborn car cruise organized by the Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce will begin at the 19th District Court at 7 p.m. on Friday and travel into Ford Field Park at about 7:30 p.m. The classic car show will last until about 10 p.m.

Nonprofit Groups Raise Money

Dearborn service clubs and charitable organizations will be selling food, beverages and other items in the Food Court and other areas to raise money for their good causes that support Dearborn residents. Food trucks will also be on site, with some of the proceeds benefitting nonprofit groups in Dearborn.

Plenty of Free Children’s Events

Free, “gentle” carnival-style games for children are offered noon–5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday by the Dearborn Recreation and Parks Department.

Free inflatable rides are offered for children noon–8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

And “wacky games” for all ages take place from 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The Dearborn Rotary Club will again sponsor the Free Fishing Derby at the Ford Field Pond at 8 a.m. Saturday.

Tell me more

Visit www.cityofdearborn.org/homecoming for the complete entertainment and activities schedule, plus other important information about the festival.