6TH ANNUAL BUY MICHIGAN NOW FESTIVAL SET FOR AUGUST 1-3 IN DOWNTOWN NORTHVILLE
Buy Michigan Now has announced the schedule of events for the 6th Annual Buy Michigan Now Festival being held in Downtown Northville the weekend of August 1-3. The family-friendly Buy Michigan Now Festival line-up will showcase various Michigan entertainers, businesses, products, and educational opportunities.
The Buy Michigan Now Festival has always been a family-friendly weekend to celebrate the great state of Michigan but now it got a little more fun for families. The annual festival will kick off on Friday, August 1 with a “Family Fun Day,” that is jam packed with fun and prizes including a chance to meet the FOX Sports Detroit Girls.
The Kids Zone, which can be found on North Center Street, is home to games, arts & crafts, contests, mascots, and more. While there, parents and children are invited to enter to win prizes ranging from Tubby’s gift cards to giant Fathead decals, and even a 2-hour lounge party at Activ8 gaming lounge in Ferndale.
A fun new addition to the festival this year will be the Fox Sports April in the D bobbles of Red Wings Jimmy Howard and Pavel Datsyuk, and Pistons Andre Drummond and Josh Smith. Guests will be able to take photos alongside the popular statues, and even upload those photos to a gallery on the festival’s mobile app.
Guests who text BUYMINOW to 57780 will gain access to the mobile app, which features maps, exhibitor lists, entertainment schedules, and other helpful information. Those who text will also automatically be entered to win cool prizes. Visitors who prefer competition to random drawings can compete in the festival’s new Prize Quest game. The game invites guests to visit as many exhibitor booths as they wish. Each exhibitor then gives them a special code which they enter into the app to earn points. Top point gainers will automatically win prizes. The Grand Prize is a two-night stay in a Straits View room at Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island.
The fun isn’t only reserved for the kids at the Buy Michigan Now Festival. There are many fun activities planned for adults too, including:
• The Michigan Wine & Beer Garden (located in Town Square on Main Street) gives adults 21 and over the chance to enjoy Michigan craft beers and wines offered by the Northville Chamber of Commerce during select hours (August 1: 2-10 p.m., August 2: 1-10 p.m. & August 3: noon-3 p.m.). Proceeds from beverage sales benefit the Northville Chamber and the Buy Michigan Now campaign.
• Music on the Main stage (located in Town Square on Main Street) is filled with music from local artists, throughout the weekend, including Northville’s Friday Night Concert Series headliners, The Shawn Riley Band (7 p.m.) and Saturday’s Festival headliners, Mainstreet Soul (7:30 p.m.)
• Northville’s First Friday Experience (Participating Northville galleries, shops and restaurants). Beginning at 6 p.m., guests can experience a unique and memorable evening filled with art exhibits/demonstrations, shopping and dining.
• Special Events During the festival, various Michigan authors will be on hand making appearances and signing copies of their books including Tom Daldin and Jim Edelman from the Emmy Award winning PBS television program, “Under the Radar Michigan.” Signed copies of their new book will be available all weekend, and they will be in person from 3-5 p.m. on Sunday.
For guests who want to shop, the FREE weekend celebration – which focuses attention on Michigan-based businesses and locally-produced merchandise to help stimulate the economy – will provide plenty of opportunities. Over 100 businesses representing more than 60 cities across Michigan are scheduled to participate in this year’s event and the more than 60 local Northville shops will also be open.
The Buy Michigan Now Festival also recognizes the Michigan companies who make the event possible through their sponsorship support. In addition to hosting once again with downtown Northville, returning sponsors Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Hiller’s Markets, Tom Holzer Ford, Mousetrap Mobile, Absopure, Begonia Brothers, and The Catalyst Company are joined by new festival sponsor, Michigan Credit Union League (MCLU).
“CU Link Michigan – the network of Michigan credit unions – is excited to participate in an event that celebrates local businesses and communities,” said David Adams, CEO of the Michigan Credit Union League. “As locally owned, neighborhood-based financial institutions, credit unions are part of the ‘buy local’ movement, and have been since their inception in Michigan in the 1930s. We are looking forward to interacting with like-minded consumers, businesses and families during the event,” added Adams.
The Buy Michigan Now Festival takes place August 1-3. Main and Center streets in central Northville will be closed to allow for pedestrian traffic throughout the weekend. The Buy Michigan Now Festival is scheduled to run during the following hours:
• Friday, August 1: 12 p.m.-9 p.m.
• Saturday, August 2: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Sunday, August 3: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information, visit www.BuyMichiganNowFest.com. For those on the go, they can receive up-to-date festival schedule information and a chance to win cool prizes when they text BUYMINOW to 57780.
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About Buy Michigan Now:Launched in 2007 by Lisa Diggs, Buy Michigan Now is a statewide initiative to inform, educate and encourage organizations and consumers, to refuel Michigan’s economy by purchasing products and services made in Michigan and from Michigan-based companies.
