11th Annual Festival on the Bay - A Waterfront Festival for Everyone

PETOSKEY, Mich. - July 27, 2013 - PRLog -- Petoskey's 11th Annual Festival on the Bay will be held Friday, August 16 and Saturday, August 17, and will celebrate all that this waterfront community has to offer with great music, family events, parasailing, and breathtaking sunsets.

Festival on the Bay is truly an event for people of all ages with activities taking place all along the bay front - from the Arboretum and the Little Traverse Wheelway to Festival Place and the beautiful Bear River.

"Our 11h year will be the biggest and best festival our community has ever seen," said Kathy Bardins, Festival Coordinator.  "The festival committee is working hard to bring new events and a wide variety of music, plus so many great local businesses and non profit organizations continue to be involved."

On Friday, Hipps-n-Ricco kicks things off at 5:00 p.m. followed by Jelly Roll Blues Band at 6:30 p.m. At 8:00 p.m. the Petoskey Steel Drum will perform for the crowd which is sponsored by The Bank of Northern Michigan. At 9:00 p.m., The Northern Skies will perform their unique folk-rock music followed by Country headliner AllenAsTim and The Dance Hall Rockers, a dynamic Tim McGraw tribute band, at 10:00 p.m.

Music gets started at noon on Saturday with Charlie Millard followed by Elizabeth Cannon at 1:45 p.m. and bluegrass artists Billy Strings & Don Julin at 3:15 p.m. Under the Bridge, a collaboration of talented entertainers around northern Michigan, will take the stage at 4:45 p.m. Blue Molly performs their unique blend of energetic music at 6:30 p.m. followed by this year's Battle of the Band's winner Ben Overbeek & the Tragek Mix at 8:15 p.m. Things will get funky at 10:00 p.m. with headliner Funktion when they play their dub rhythms and rowdy hip-hop for the crowd.

The entertainment tent is sponsored by Odawa Casino and Bayside Beverage.

One of the most popular areas at festival is the Children's Area, which is sponsored by Meijer. There will be a huge petting zoo, games and activities, entertainment on the Children's Stage,  a bounce house, and more! The Children's Area is sponsored by Meijer, Blue Care Network, and Great Lakes Energy.

Festival favorites include the  SAFE Electro Sunset Dance Party teen dance, parasailing on Little Traverse Bay, Chalk and Chocolate Festival, Youth Fishing Derby, Bear River duck race, sporting events, arts and crafts fair, and tasty food concessions.

Festival on the Bay brings together the entire community and relies on dedicated volunteers each year to plan, coordinate, and run various events.

“It’s remarkable to me how this group of passionate volunteers finds a way each year to dig deep to make the festival even better than before,” stated Carlin Smith, President of the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce. “I’m so grateful to the festival committee - for the creativity and energy they bring to the festival, and for the very hard work they contribute each year. “

Festival on the Bay buttons are now on sale at the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce office for $5 or can be purchased at the Information Booth during festival. Buttons provide weekend-long admission to the Entertainment Tent and to the Children’s Area so please show your support of the festival by purchasing a keepsake button. Without a button, there will be an admission fee of $2.00 per day to the Children's Area or $5.00 per day to the Entertainment Tent during festival.

The festival committee would once again like to thank McLaren-Northern Michigan, Volunteer Sponsor, and UpNorthLive, TV Media Sponsor.

For a complete schedule of events, please visit the Festival on the Bay website - http://www.petoskeyfestival.com