Getting Ready for Petoskey's Festival on the Bay

Aug. 7, 2015

Petoskey’s John Walker grew up in Flint, Michigan, which he calls "the birthplace of many great artists." His first festival experience was watching Mark Farner performing on a fairgrounds stage.

"When he was up there with that smile, and everyone in the audience enjoying themselves, it said something to me," Walker remembered. "From then on I was always behind the scenes, doing what I could to make that happen."

Walker’s eventual job staging and working the door at Flint’s Capital Theater, then his efforts helping to kick-start Petoskey’s own Battle of the Bands a dozen years ago, plus his current work with Porterhouse Productions in Traverse City make him a perfect fit to oversee Petoskey’s summer highlight, Festival on the Bay.

This year’s fest sees him teamed up with fellow local Rebeca Otto as co-coordinators.

"We oversee all of the festival’s working parts. We fine-tune, add new elements and make sure that this event stays on track,." Walker said.

NEW HAPPENINGS

There’s a lot to oversee. Booking the entertainment is one of the festival coordinators’ most time-consuming tasks, especially with this year’s expansion in that area.

The biggest new entertainment offering is arguably the Silent Disco, happening both Friday and Saturday nights, via Porterhouse Productions. "Silent Disco is a multi-channel wireless headset entertainment experience," Walker explained. "You place the headset on, and you can listen to up to three different DJs all night. We’ll have amazing DJs both Friday and Saturday – and Friday night Jimmy Hotkeys from 106 KHQ will be broadcasting live from the Disco."

Admission for this event is $5 per night.

Walker said that coordinating the whole thing took a lot of effort, but it's worth it.

"That part is very stressful and very rewarding at the same time," he said.

DISCO TO SOUL

In addition to the Silent Disco DJs, there’s a whole roster of live music performances, with standout headliners both Friday and Saturday.

"Friday we’ll have the Petoskey Steel Drum Band combining their talents with speed painter Martina Hahn for a "˜Celebration of the Sunset,’" Walker said. "Following them will be Billy Strings and Don Julin with their bluegrass/folk/American fusion that gets everyone moving." Headline music sponsors D&W Fresh Market and Red Stripe are bringing in the buzz band from Gaylord called The Cookies as Friday night's headliner to offers up an energetic mix of danceable pop hits from the ’80s onward.

"Saturday is just packed full of great artists too," Walker enthused, "from musicians on the Midway Stage to the 2015 Battle of the Bands winner, The Drift, on the Main Stage."

And Saturday night's headlining show will feature The Detroit Soul Revue, a horn-packed rhythm, soul, rock and funk group that has been performing for more than 30 years.

PARKING AND PADDLING

There are several additional new elements to the festival that have kept Walker and Otto busy. The most simple – but probably the most impactful – is the expanded parking at North Central Michigan College and a free shuttle to take people to and from festival events.

"Bicycles on the Bay at the waterfall will showcase many different types of bicycles," Walker said, "everyone is encouraged to bring their rides to have them assessed by local bike shop Latitude 45, and the kids will have a special area to dress up their bikes."

For foodies, Wine on the Water coordinates with the Bayview Wine Trail to sample from the best wineries in the region at a spot overlooking Little Traverse Bay. The BBQ on the Bay Amateur Grilling Competition will be a 10-team contest with public judging right alongside select professional judges.

And finally, the new Paladin Paddle Regatta is a cardboard boat race on Saturday that encourages participants to make and decorate boats of all sizes (as long as they're made primarily of cardboard!) for an outrageous race on the water. Can you get your cardboard contraption all the way around the 100 yard course? If so, you might win a prize in one of eight categories, from Best Engineered cardboard boat to the Most Spectacular Sinking award.

VACATION VENUE

Kayak demos, vendor booths, an art show, a dance party and the concurring Chalk and Chocolate event round out the weekend, making this festival a diverse mix of all the city has to offer.

"This fest showcases the best of Petoskey," Walker said. "We’ll feature the amazing talent of the Michigan music scene, the diverse offerings of the local wineries and unique events for all ages, and all this happens right on the shores of the bay."

"We like to say that geography provided us the most beautiful venue and we filled it with an event worthy of that beauty."

The 2015 Festival on the Bay runs Aug. 14–15. For a complete schedule of events, visit petoskeyfestival.com.