Water Festival to Begin Thursday

This is Water Festival week in Three Rivers!

            The 53^rd annual Three Rivers Water Festival will take place Thursday through Saturday with the theme of “TR Goes Hollywood.”

            The lineup for opening day on Thursday (June 18^th) includes Liquid Therapy canoeing, Lions Club Ox Roast, Woman’s Club Pie & Coffee Booth, St. John’s Lutheran Strawberry Fest, Ambassadors for Christ Barbecue, food vendors, Carnival Midway beginning at 4 p.m., Blueberry Hill pony rides, Colon Lions Club mini-golf, and Three Rivers Rotary Club Texas Hold ‘Em Poker.

            Festival highlights include the Arts & Crafts/Commercial Marketplace Friday and Saturday, street parade Friday evening at 7, Classic Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show on Saturday, Main Stage Entertainment featuring Justine Blazer at 8:30 Saturday evening in Memory Isle Park, and fireworks at 10:30.    For Water Festival information, call the Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce at (269) 278-8193 or visit the Chamber website at www.trchamber.com.

Water Festival update

If you love a parade and, in particular, like to see and hear a BAND, there’s good news to report.

                The Northern Lights Home School Marching Band will participate in this year’s Three Rivers Water Festival street parade on Friday, June 19^th.

                That’s the word from Water Festival Chair Deb Herring who said, “In 2006, the band was a part of the Water Festival parade.  Everyone love them!  They are coming back this year.  We are very fortunate.”

                The band is part of West Michigan Homeschool Fine Arts Association (WMHFA) is a non-profit organization based in the Grand Rapids area whose purpose is to assist and support families in the musical education of their home schooled children ages 9 and up.

                The parade will step off at 7 p.m. on June 19^th and travel from the intersection of Douglas Avenue and West Michigan Avenue and travel eastward to the “Main Four” intersection with Main Street, then move through the downtown area before dispersing in the vicinity of Lafayette Park and Hoppin School.

Water Festival ride tickets

The Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce has announced that advance purchase tickets for unlimited Water Festival carnival midway rides are available now.

The 53^rd annual Three Rivers Water Festival will be take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday – June 18^th, 19^th and 20^th – and Schmidt Amusements will be providing the carnival midway in the West City Parking Lot.

                The advance tickets will allow participants to ride unlimited rides any one day for only $10, which is a $5 savings.

The tickets are available at Harding’s Market on West Michigan Avenue, Hoffman Street Grocery on Hoffman Street, and at the Chamber office at 57 North Main Street in downtown Three Rivers.  They will be on sale until noon on Thursday, June 18^th, or until they are gone – cash only, please.

For further information, contact the Chamber office at (269) 278-8193.

TR Water Festival performer announced

The Three Rivers Water Festival Committee has announced Justine Blazer, national recording artist and BMI songwriter, as the featured performer at this year’s Water Festival.

The concert – on Main Stage in Memory Isle Park at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday, June 20^th – will lead up to the popular fireworks finale which will wrap up the 53^rd annual Water Festival.

Blazer’s sound is described as “new age country with hints of pop, soul, blues, with a little bit of traditional country and southern rock mixed in, so there is something for everyone in the family that attends her concerts!”

Flagstar Bank  is sponsoring this performer and the logistics involved with the Main Stage event.

Blazer is a Michigan-based singer, national recording artist, BMI songwriter, guitarist, entertainer and musician performing all throughout the Midwest, playing over 120 shows a year regionally and nationally.  She has been in the industry for well over a decade. Her inspirations include Faith Hill, Sheryl Crow, Bob Segar and Motown soul.

            Justine has opened for national acts such as Lonestar, Josh Gracin, Terri Clark, The Miracles, Jason Aldean, Bucky Covington, Whiskey Falls, Jason Michael Carroll, Lee Roy Parnell, and Thousand Foot Krutch.

TR Water Festival update

Mel Muffley will serve as the “Grand Marshal” for this year’s Three Rivers Water Festival street parade.

That’s the word from the Water Festival Committee as plans for the 53^rd annual Three Rivers Water Festival continue to take shape.

Muffley and her grandchildren will adorn a float near the front of the 80-entry parade set to step off at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 19^th.

Mel will retire at the end of the current school year after serving for 27 years as the secretary to the Three Rivers High School principal.

When asked what she will miss upon her retirement, Muffley’s unhesitating response is always, “The students.”

Mel enjoys cooking, sewing, knitting, playing the piano, and staying active in her church where she is the choir director.  And she still has time to mentor and is very active with Three Rivers Area Mentoring (TRAM).  As a matter of fact, after retiring, she plans to get more involved with mentoring and also wants to get involved with hospice volunteer work.

Mel is no stranger to the Three Rivers Water Festival, or “Water Carnival” as it was known for many years.  In 1962 she was “1^st Runner-up” in the Miss Three Rivers Pageant.  She was coach for 16 years with the Rhythmettes, a precision dance team at the high school that participated in the festival.  And, for the past five years, Muffley has been a very dependable Water Festival volunteer including previous queen pageant support and parade organizing.  In fact, when asked to accept the nomination of 2009 Grand Marshal, she was disappointed that she would not be able to work the parade line-up.  But she accepted the honor – as long as she could reserve her volunteer spot to work next year’s parade line-up duties.

Watch for Mel Muffley and her grandchildren in the parade on June 19th.  Chances are she’ll have the hand wave perfected, along with her ever-present happy smile!

TR Water Festival Parade June 19th

Entries are being sought for this year’s Three Rivers Water Festival parade!

The parade will step off at 7 p.m. Friday, June 19^{th, and provide approximately 90 minutes of community fun.}

This year’s Water Festival theme is “TR Goes Hollywood” and organizers are looking forward to all the fun this theme can bring, especially if you are planning an entry in the parade. With a little imagination, your entry could be the winner of the People’s Favorite Award!

The parade route will run from the intersection of West Michigan and Douglas avenues, east to North Main Street, then northward to Bennett Street.

Businesses, organizations and families are encouraged to participate in one of the nicest parades in Southwest Michigan.

The parade is limited to the first 80 entries received prior to May 16th.

Registration forms are available at the Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce office at 57 North Main Street and on the Chamber website at www.trchamber.com. Just “click” on the Water Festival logo.

The entry fee is ten dollars, which helps cover the cost of administrative supplies and logistics involved in parade operations.

For those registered and confirmed for the parade, instruction packets will be available for pickup at the Chamber office on June 1st.

Volunteers are always needed for getting entries in the right number order within the staging area Friday evening. If you would like to assist, call the Chamber office at (269) 278-8193 to leave a message for the parade chairperson.

And remember that the parade is just one part of the many-faceted Three Rivers Water Festival – the 53rd annual celebration – scheduled for Thursday through Friday, June 18th through 20th!

« Previous Page — Next Page »