“We’ve been doing it since 1982,” said John Maurer, chair of Yankee Doodle Days. “This year, we’re going to have a 5K run with the proceeds going to the Grand Ledge schools. We’re also having a fireman tetherball competition. Each competitor will get a hose and shoot the ball back and forth. Whoever gets [the ball] across first is a winner. That money goes toward the fire department’s safety program for the kids.”

Grand Ledge celebrates all year long, and the 2008 activities are already planned:

• Victorian Days — Saturday, May 3

• Yankee Doodle Days — June 19–22

• 35th Island Art Fair — Saturday, August 2

• Color Cruise — October 10–12

• Holiday Traditions — December 6–7

The biggest draws are the Yankee Doodle Days, the Island Art Fair and the Color Cruise.

There will also be a Mudge’s Follies at the event that includes music from different eras, as well as live bands.

“There’s an entertainment tent with bands every night,” said Maurer. “Thursday is country music, Friday is classic rock, and Saturday is modern pop. Then there is a game tent for the kids. We get volunteers at the kids’ tent, and any money we raise is split among the various charities [that participate]. We’ve been trying to get the local churches involved.”

Maurer is also hoping to have fireworks again over the river. “We started that last year,” he said. “We closed the bridge over the Grand River for those. It was a lot of fun.”

He estimated that 5,000 to 7,000 people attend the Yankee Doodle Days.

When asked why the Grand Ledge Area Chamber of Commerce hosts this particular event, Maurer replied, “It’s something the chamber does for the community, allowing everyone to come together. It’s like an informal class reunion.”

Following Yankee Doodle Days in June is the Island Art Fair in August.

“There will be 130 artists and craftsmen on the island,” said Marilyn Smith, who has either been active or is currently active in all of the city’s events. She is presently co-chairing the Island Art Fair with Mary Jane Wilson.

“It will be open from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m.,” she said. “It’s a well-attended event. It draws 8,000 to 10,000 people, depending upon the weather.”

As for attracting that large a crowd, Smith said, “We’re happy when tourists come to town. We can’t handle all the parking downtown, so we have three buses and places where people can park on the outskirts of town. The park and ride bus is free.”

The riverboat also runs during the event, and local businesses have specials to draw in attendees. There are even strolling musicians. As for the artists and craftspeople who attend, Smith said that more of them came from out of state before the increase in gas prices. Now, while the majority are still from outside the Greater Lansing area, most of them are from Michigan.

The Island Art Fair is sponsored by Grand Ledge’s Ledge Craft Lane, Ltd., a nonprofit arts center, of which Smith is president.

“The first purpose for the art fair is to provide a venue for area artists and craftsmen to sell their wares, and then to promote Grand Ledge as a place that supports the arts,” explained Smith. “Secondly, it’s to help fund Ledge Craft Lane. It’s an arts and crafts center in Grand Ledge that has three purposes: 1) to provide a place for local artists and craftsmen to display their work; 2) to teach others; and 3) to promote Grand Ledge as a place that supports the arts. We have children’s art classes twice a week, and we have caning classes, crocheting, knitting, and basket making. Most of the classes are painting.”

Not surprisingly, Smith is also involved in the fall Color Cruise, which is chaired by Karla Chamberlain.

“That event is billed as ‘Come to Grand Ledge and see the color,’” Smith noted. “The focus is on pioneer activities. The riverboat runs. We have stages with music, but we also have fall activities, such as pumpkin painting, candle dipping, and all kinds of activities for the kids. We sell pumpkins and other fall décor. We make maple syrup and black pot kettle corn over a fire. We have quilting frames and soap making, corn husking, corn shelling with the kids, cider pressing, blacksmithing, a fur trader encampment, a Civil War encampment, and a petting zoo for the kids.”

The Color Cruise is three days long, and Friday is promoted as a day for children and seniors to attend. “We have bus tours that come in on Friday, and about 500 to 600 school children attend,” said Smith. “We have a lot of them from elementary schools. Where else can they see this Early American activity? Saturday and Sunday are for the general public. It’s from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. all three days.”

At least 10,000 people show up for this event. “It’s more laid back than the art fair,” Smith noted. “The people at the art fair come to shop, and then they go. For [the Color Cruise] you bring the family and spend a part of a day with us. We have covered wagon rides that take people around town through the historic district. We offer rides by land, by water and by air. The local airport offers helicopter and airplane rides to see the colors from the air on Saturday and Sunday.”

As with the Yankee Doodle Days, the chamber sponsors this event.

The Holiday Traditions in December is a tour of six to seven homes and some commercial buildings in the historic part of Grand Ledge. There are also decorations and a festival of trees at The Grand Ledge Opera House. For the Victorian Days, people dress in Victorian garb, and events are held from that era, including a parade, kite flying, and a Teddy Bear Tea.

So for anyone looking to celebrate, Grand Ledge is the place to go throughout the year.