The 2016 Taylor Summer Festival is right around the corner and highlights abound during the four-day event running June 23-26 at Heritage Park.
This year’s carnival midway has been moved inside the park and will be located in the parking lots behind the Activities Building and the Coan Lake Historical Area.
Vendors will line the park’s circular roadway near the midway area. Presale carnival armbands are available for just $12 at www.elliottsamusements.com until midnight on June 22. You must purchase a ticket or and armband to be admitted into the carnival area. The “Carnival Bucks” program is available again this year for just $4. Carnival Bucks can be redeemed inside the carnival area for rides, food or souvenirs.
Friday, June 24, will bring several events to the forefront, including the PNC Family Fun Zone and the festival’s main concert featuring Everclear, one of the nation’s top bands in the 1990s.
The PNC Bank Kids Area, located in the pavilion behind the Sheridan Center, will include animals from the Heritage Park Petting Farm, performers from the Michigan Renaissance Festival, crafts, the Home Depot Kids Program and a visit from Detroit Tigers’ mascot Paws (2-3 p.m. Friday) and Detroit Lion’s mascot Roary (4:30-6:30p.m. Saturday). The PNC Bank Kids Area, in only its second year, is a great place for families and is ideal for elementary school-age children.
101 WRIF's Meltdown will be broadcasting Live from the Beer Garden on Friday from 3-7 p.m.
The Taylor Historical Society will be hosting Log Cabin Days starting on Friday and running through Sunday. They will be located in various buildings in the Coan Lake Historical Area. It’s a great way to find out about the City’s history and enjoy the beauty of that region of the park.
Gates for the Friday concert in the Sheridan Center open at 6 p.m. An alternative rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1991, Everclear was formed by Art Alexakis, the band's lead songwriter, vocalist and guitarist. The group’s top recordings include such hits as Santa Monica, Father of Mine, Wonderful, I Will Buy You a New Life, Everything to Everyone and Am Radio.
Returning for a second straight year – by popular demand – is Sponge. The band was a huge hit during last year’s festival. An alternative rock band from Detroit, Sponge, like Everclear, formed in 1991. Led by high-energy Vinnie Dombroski, the band includes Mike Cross, Tim Cross and Joey Mazzola. All were formerly of the hard rock band Loudhouse. Sponge has proven to be one of the Motor City's heaviest hitters after gaining international notoriety with their debut album "Rotting Piñata,” with hits like "Plowed" and "Molly (16 Candles)."
Opening Friday's night's concert will be Eva Under Fire. Emerging from Detroit's underground rock scene, their music combines pop, rock, alternative and metal sounds – topped off with Amanda Lyberg's powerful lead vocals.
Tickets are on sale online on Brown Paper Tickets for Friday night’s concert. They cost $30 for the VIP package or $10 for the general admission standing room. "The Best Deal in Town" VIP package includes two beverage tickets and catered food from MotorCityCasino Hotel's High Octane Food Truck.
Saturday, June 25, the festival will open and close with a bang, thanks to a unique running event and the annual fireworks display. 96.3 WDVD's monring show host, Blaine Fowler will be on-site from 5:30-7:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Everything kicks off with the Taylor Color Fest Run sponsored by Lee Family Dental at 10 a.m. Participants will don T-Shirts, sunglasses and bandannas and venture around Heritage Park to various stations, where they will be covered with paint. Pre-registration was required for this event and that deadline has passed.
The Fun Zone and Log Cabin Days continue. Detroit Lions’ mascot Roary will prowl the festival grounds between 4:30-6:30 p.m., before the evening hours bring more music and the annual Masco Taylor Summer Festival Fireworks show.
The free concert, again in the Sheridan Center, will start at 5 p.m. and feature local bands Rummler, Athen’s Creek, Sarah Sherrard Band and Holeshot. Rummler touches all the bases, featuring rock, pop and country tunes. Terry Jacoby sings lead, supported by Eric Hunt, Mike Paulin, Greg Shamus and Bill Elliott. American Idol competitor Taylor Walls is joined by Oscar Sousa and Nate Jones to make up Athen’s Creek, an acoustic group with roots based in folk, rock and country. The Sarah Sherrard Band (Sarah, Anthony Lai, Joel Sherrard, Daniel Lai and Tom Rexford) reinvents vintage 1960s music and puts on a high-energy show. Look for the best rock and heavy-metal ever written from the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s from Holeshot’s Keith Holstein, Sly Dog, Darrell Robertson, and James Elswick.
The free Masco Taylor Summer Festival Fireworks display will bring Saturday to a close, and promises to be even bigger and better this year. Not only will the display light the skies at approximately 10 p.m., but the fireworks will be accompanied by music this year for the pleasure of what should be a packed Heritage Park crowd. Should weather postpone Saturday’s fireworks, they will be held at 10 p.m. on Sunday, June 26.
There is plenty of parking both inside ($10) and outside ($5) of Heritage Park. Anyone traveling around Heritage Park on fireworks night should note that Pardee Road will be closed between Northline and Goddard at 7 p.m. All side streets feeding Pardee will also be closed. Only residential traffic will be allowed through the barricades, and drivers will be required to show proof of residency.