Festival week on tap in Rogers City
The big tent is up, merchants have sale items on the sidewalks, arts and crafters have invaded the Courthouse grounds, the carnival rides are whirling, and there is a steady buzz around Rogers City. It must be Nautical City Festival time! The festival began last Friday with the Miss Rogers City Queen?s Pageant (see separate story), continued with several events Tuesday and Wednesday, and runs through Sunday?s fireworks presentation at 10 p.m. This year marks the 31st annual Nautical City Festival, beginning with the first one in 1977, following the city?s commitment to the nautical theme.
A HIGHLIGHT of the festival is Sunday?s grand parade, which runs north on Third Street from Gilpin Field to Friedrich Street. This year, Dan and Cathy Wisniewski are the honored couple as Grand Marshals. A parade of classic cars is set for 3:30 p.m. Saturday running down Second Street to Orchard to Third and then to Depot Street. The cars will be on display all day Saturday at Westminster Park.
EATING AND cooking of fine food has always been a big part of the festival. The restaurants in the area feature their fine cuisine this weekend and all year and many have advertised specials in this edition. In addition, several organizations have special food events planned for the festival. St. Ignatius School will sponsor its Polish Festival Dinner on Friday, from 5-7 p.m. Saturday morning breakfast is taken care of thanks to the Knights of Columbus and their scholarship breakfast fundraising event. The breakfast will be served from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the St. Ignatius School gymnasium. On Sunday, Westminster Presbyterian Church hosts their annual Strawberry Shortcake and Ice Cream Social from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Daughters of Isabella will host breakfast at St. Ignatius School on Sunday morning from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Rogers City Sportsmen?s Club will prepare a wonderful BBQ chicken dinner at Lakeside Park on Sunday from 11 a.m. until quantities run out.
SPORTS AND games of all sorts happen over the weekend. Bingo-lovers will have the chance to play in the big tent from 1-4 p.m. on festival Thursday and Friday. The tent opens at noon. A Texas Hold?em tournament will take place at the festival tent beginning at 8 a.m. and running until 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Participants must be 18 years of age or older and can register for the event beginning at 7 a.m. at the festival tent. One game will be played over a two-day period with a limit of 150 players. Next up is a contest for pets and their owners in the annual Pet Show, set for festival Friday at 4:30 p.m. in the festival tent. Saturday is the biggest day of all for tournaments and contests. Beginning at 7:30 a.m., registration at the Lakeside Park Pavilion begins for the Run for Health 6K and the one-mile fun run. The fun run begins at 8:45 a.m. and the 6K run starts at 9 a.m. in the vicinity of the corner of North First Street and Erie. A full two-day schedule of softball games kicks off at 8 a.m. Saturday for both men and women on various fields in the area. The finals are a big draw to Sports Park in Rogers City (between Third and First Streets one block east of St. Ignatius Church) on Sunday afternoon. The 23rd annual Nautical City Spitzer tournament will begin Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Servicemen?s Club. The number of participants is limited to 48 players, so pre-registration is required. Call Larry Haselhuhn at 734-4510 for information. At the festival tent, registration for the horseshoe tournament will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the site of the event. Archery, handgun silhouette bull?s eye pistol and shotgun shooting for participants ages 7 to 13 will be conducted at the Presque Isle County Sportsmen?s Club Saturday from noon until 4 p.m.
A FULL SLATE of musical acts will perform at the festival tent. ?Milestone Band,? a rock and variety band, will take the stage Thursday at the Lakeside Park tent. ?Milestone Band? returns Friday to share the stage with ?The System? a Bob Seger tribute band, on an alternating basis to provide continuous music for the festival tent. The rock and roll band ?Jedi Mind Trip? returns to the festival this year to perform Saturday at 8:30 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. Admission to the tent is free on festival Sunday. Following the parade, some bands from the parade will make an encore performance in the festival tent. ?RC Drive,? a variety band, and the polka band ?Dave Slivinski Band? will be in the tent from 4 p.m. unti
THE NAUTICAL City Festival Committee, Inc. was organized in the mid-1970s by the Rogers City Chamber of Commerce to include two voting members from six community organizations. Those groups include the Optimist Club, the Kiwanis Club, the Lions Club, the Servicemen?s Club, the Knights of Columbus, and the RC Chamber of Commerce. Each group sends two members, who serve as unpaid volunteers. Longtime festival committee member Bill Claus is the chairman of the committee this year while Kammie Dennis is the paid executive director. The festival committee and the organizations they represent are: Claus, Rogers City Servicemen?s Club; vice chairman Eric Muller, Kiwanis Club; secretary/treasurer Liz Krajniak, Rogers City Area Chamber of Commerce; Jerry Wagner, Knights of Columbus; Stan Platsis, Lions Club; Missy Wozniak, Optimist Club; Harry Daniels, Knights of Columbus; Tom Wirgau, Rogers City Servicemen?s Club; Art Ross, Lions Club; John Houk, Kiwanis Club; Scott Bannasch, Optimist Club.