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HOUGHTON and HANCOCK, Mich. — Parades, music, food, and fun has been the theme of Bridgefest since its beginning in the late 80’s–this year Davis and Davis will bring this weekend to a thrilling conclusion Saturday night.
Joshua Davis, finalist from NBC’s “The Voice” will perform before and after the Jon Davis Memorial fireworks display to conclude two days of festival celebrating the Portage Lake Lift Bridge, which has tied the two towns together for almost 60 years.
For the second straight year, Superior National Bank & Trust will be the presenting sponsor of Bridgefest.
Highlights of Bridgefest include Friday night’s parade through both towns, live music and food at the Ray Kestner Waterfront Park and the only summer fireworks show in Houghton and Hancock. New for 2018 is the Bridgefest 5000 5K run/walk that will utilize the parade route and begin immediately preceding the Friday evening parade. Kestner Park will also see inflatables and bounce houses for the kids, along with an increase in vendors from past years in the park and along the canal.
“The start and finish of this year’s event is coming together to be on of our best,” according to Ryan Towles, Bridgefest Committee Chair. “With close to 100 participating in our inaugural run and the opportunity to treat our towns to a singer that captivated a national audience on ‘The Voice’ continues our commitment to make this event a true start to the summer for our cities.”
Food and show vendors will open for a Friday “Happy Hour” at three around the park, with a community dance to follow the parade featuring “Night Screamer”. Saturday there will be music throughout the afternoon, leading to Davis’ performance at 9:00. Music for the fireworks will be a classic rock theme this year and will originate on 97.7 FM, “The Wolf”. There’s no charge to enjoy the bands and many of the other events, thanks to sponsors like Superior National Bank.
“Superior National Bank & Trust is once again proud to back this great local event,” said Dave Vlahos, SNB’s President and CEO. “Bridgefest brings people together in celebration of our community, and we at SNB maintain our commitment to support this community.”
Superior National Bank & Trust, which was founded in 1890, is a long-time supporter of Bridgefest. The bank took on the presenting sponsor role for the first time in 2017.
“We’re happy to have SNB on board as our presenting sponsor again in 2018,” said Towles. “Their support, along with donations of time and resources from many other local businesses and individuals, allows our committee to put on the best event we can for our community.”
The full schedule of events and opportunities to be involved in Bridgefest 2018 are available on the event’s website, www.bridgefestfun.com.
