Hey folks can you hear that? It’s the sound of your Downtown retailers slashing prices on their sidewalk sales merchandise! The annual Downtown Cheboygan Sidewalk Sales are slated for August 5-7 (Thursday, Friday & Saturday).

Sidewalk Sales are a good time for retailers to assess their summer merchandise and offer fantastic savings to customers. Stores open at 10:00 a.m. and will have displays on the sidewalks and in the parking spaces in front of their businesses. In some places you will find special deals inside the stores as well. Remember to take a break from your shopping and enjoy a nice lunch downtown.

I love the Downtown Sidewalk Sales. This is a great time to meet up with friends and scour the racks, looking for the best buys on some fantastic merchandise. It’s so much fun to shop on the street and run into friends doing the same thing. I can yell out to my friend, Nancy, “Hey do you think this will look good on me?” And she will respond with an honest yes or sometimes no. Even if she does tell me something isn’t really my color or size, she helps me to find something else that is perfect for me. That is what is so great about shopping with friends! I have another friend, Tonya, who shops exceptionally fast. I have never seen someone look through merchandise with such speed. She is a determined shopper…when she sees it, and she likes it, she buys it. There’s no hemming or hawing with that girl! She can grab a bite to eat, shop the sidewalk sales, and be back at work before her lunch hour is up. Simply amazing.

Sidewalk Sales are not limited to only clothing stores. You will see all sorts of merchandise during the sales. All of the Downtown retail stores get in on the fun of the sales. You will even see a Downtown Cheboygan merchandise table on Thursday. Vintage t-shirts from past Street Fairs and Music Fests will be available for purchase, as well as Downtown tote bags and baseball caps.

In addition to the great deals, you will also have a chance for some entertainment. On Thursday, “Very Much So” will have a musical performance from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the grassy area next to Mulligan’s. Members of the Cheboygan High School jazz lab will have a jazz trio that will entertain the shoppers as they move from store to store. On Friday plan on having lunch at the Citizens National Bank parking lot. Employees from CNB will have a hot dog sale on Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with all proceeds going to the Cheboygan County Habitat for Humanity. DJ Dan Frazier will provide musical entertainment as well.

There will definitely be a festive flavor in the air this weekend. Find your way Downtown for Sidewalk Sales Thursday, Friday & Saturday. There will be plenty of shopping, entertainment and food. Downtown Cheboygan is the place to shop, dine & unwind!

It’s the middle of summer already… where has it gone? I love, love, love summer in Cheboygan! The sunshine, boats cruising the River, kids laughing and playing in the park, and the pitter patter of feet on the Downtown street…what a sound and sight to see!

Have you taken in the flavor of Downtown this summer? There is so much to see and do in the Downtown district. The retail shops are full of summer deals and the restaurants have their summer menus in full swing. In some cases you can even dine outside – what a treat!

Not only can you shop and dine in the Downtown area, but you can attend one of the many summer events taking place. July 10th brings us the Downtown Cheboygan Summer Street Fair which is a fun time for people of all ages. The Arts & Craft Show on Main Street will be a hit with the adults, but the inflatable carnival is sure to be a draw with the kids. Yes, there is a lot of activity geared toward the kids, but the grown ups will enjoy the event just as much. It is a fun time to spend with your family in Downtown Cheboygan and many of the activities are free or have a nominal fee to participate.

A new aspect to the Street Fair this year is the Art Without Borders The VSAMI-Northeast will will present an Art Activity utilizing Accessible Tools for Creative Expression, focusing on disability awareness and community collaboration. The program consists of a variety of painting tools that are adaptable to wheel-chairs. These tools, plus Pogo Sticks and other gadgets, are used to create wonderful artistic and colorful designs on heavy mural paper which is secured to the pavement. This event will take place in the intersection of Main and Division Streets.

Don’t miss the fun of Downtown Idol in Washington Park. Hosted this year by Big Country radio personality Nikki Lynn, the Downtown Idol contest is sure to be a hit. Cheboygan celebrity judges, Gary Lamberg, Christine Nola, and Tammy Reilley will do their best Randy Paula and Simon impersonations so that will be a treat. Any interested “Idol” can sign up in Washington Park between Noon and 4 pm. The cost is $5 and there are two age categories: Junior Idols are15 & under and Downtown Idols are 16 & older.

The fun of the Downtown Cheboygan Summer Street Fair will definitely give you a flavor of Downtown Cheboygan…check it out!

The 4^th of July weekend is the time when Northern Michigan communities are the busiest.  If you are a tourism-based business owner, this is the time you anticipate with bated breath.  Tourism is huge in Northern Michigan and the 4^th of July holiday means everything to you.  This year, July 4^th falls on a Sunday.  What does this mean for businesses?  This is another awesome factor; because the 4^th is on a weekend, many people who travel to Northern Michigan for a holiday vacation, will make their plans include an extended weekend.  This is all great news for the local economy!  Visitors will come to Cheboygan to fill their cars and boats with gas from the gas stations, dine in our restaurants, shop in our stores, and attend our community events.

Cheboygan has a captured audience over the 4^th of July weekend.  The annual 4^th of July parade is very well attended.  It’s fair to say that this parade brings thousands of people to the downtown area.  Because the 4^th of July falls on a Sunday, the Chamber has opted to move the parade to July 3^rd, to not interfere with the area church services.  Mark your calendars accordingly: the parade will be on Saturday, July 3 at 10:00 a.m.  If your organization or community group would like to be entered in the parade, please contact the Cheboygan Area Chamber of Commerce.

The annual 4^th of July fireworks will begin at dusk and this date is NOT changing; the fireworks will take place on Sunday.  The City of Cheboygan’s police and fire departments do a fabulous job with lighting off the fireworks from the fairgrounds. 

The Downtown Cheboygan Summer Street Fair will take place on Saturday, July 10^th – a prime time for visitors and residents alike.  This event provides a great opportunity for people of all ages to enjoy the downtown area and take in some entertainment.  Highlights include:  arts and craft show, street carnival, climbing wall, obstacle course, Velcro wall, bounce houses, 3-point basketball shoot out contest, Ronald McDonald magic show, sidewalk chalk art, Art Without Borders, and “Downtown Idol.”  There is truly something for everyone.  The City’s Department of Public Safety will be on hand from 2-4 pm to provide children fingerprinting and the Fire Department will be in attendance at that time as well to provide fire safety demonstrations with their smokehouse simulator.

This is also an excellent opportunity for non-profit groups to showcase their organization by having an activity in the street carnival.  Dunk tanks, goldfish races, lollypop trees, face painting, are all activities that have made their way to the Street Fair courtesy of the local non profit groups.  If your group would like to participate in the Street Fair this year, please contact me.  The more activities we have at the event, the better the event will be.  Here’s to a fantastic July!

Thank you to everyone who attended the Downtown Footbridge Grand Opening ceremony! We had a beautiful day to commemorate the construction of the footbridge. Members of the Cheboygan City Council and Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Board worked hard at the grill to serve up hotdogs to the crowd. The Cheboygan Little League was on hand to help us celebrate by parading across the bridge to the picnic area. Musical entertainment was performed by Cheboygan’s own Charlie Reager and Councilman Billy Jewell. Both sides of the Cheboygan River were full of people eager to celebrate and it was a wonderful community event for everyone involved.

 Memorial Day weekend is the kick off to the summer and it looks like we will have some fabulous weather to enjoy the three day weekend.  Take time with your family and grab an ice cream cone, go out to dinner, browse the Downtown shops, take in a movie. Downtown Cheboygan… the place to shop, dine & unwind!

May 22nd marks the grand opening celebration of the Downtown Footbridge.  This is the time when the community should come together and celebrate this fantastic structure in the heart of our downtown district connecting the east and west sides of the Cheboygan River.

The celebration will begin at 11 a.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony and remarks from Mayor Rich Sangster and DDA Chairman Dennis Lindeman on the west side of the bridge.  Members of the Cheboygan City Council and DDA will be busy at the grill preparing hotdogs for the attendees.  Be sure to get to the event early enough while the hotdog supply lasts.

Teams from the Cheboygan Little League will also be on hand.  Ballgames are scheduled to take place throughout the day in Major City Park.  After the ceremony, the teams will parade over the footbridge.  Take time to catch a ball game that day; these kids are very talented ball players.

In addition to all of this activity, there will be music performed by Charlie Reager and Billy Jewell and a bounce house for the kids to jump in.  The event will run until 2 p.m.

Each family will receive a coupon booklet full of savings to over 30 businesses, so families will want to look through the booklet and support your downtown.  The coupons will help familiarize yourself with the downtown businesses and what they have to offer.

This will be a day of celebration for the footbridge.  Make plans to bring your family and tell your friends and neighbors!