Ortonville- Expect a bigger and better CreekFest this year.
The fifth annual event, with activities planned at locations around the village, is set for 8 a.m.-6 p.m., June 9. Some of the new highlights this year include a market with a collection of arts and crafts and food vendors, as well as a bat show, a new award, and new musical groups.
‘We’re hoping to enlarge the crowd this year,? said Connie Stalker, who co-chairs CreekFest with husband Don Stalker. ‘Our goal is to retain the sweetness of the festival. It’s a family day, come downtown. There are plenty of activities for the kids and we hope adults will enjoy the new musical groups and refreshments available.?
Last year’s attendance was about 800 people, Stalker estimates. The purpose of the event, sponsored by the Ortonville Downtown Development Authority, is to educate the public about the presence of the waterways in Ortonville and Brandon Township’particularly Kearsley Creek as the headwaters of the Flint River and Saginaw Bay. Kearsley Creek is one of only two remaining designated trout streams in Oakland County because, Stalker says, of the amount of building and runoff from parking lots and concrete roads that raise the temperatures of rivers and streams.
Arts, crafts, and farmer’s market vendors planned for CreekFest this year include: Clint Asaph (oil paintings and drawings); Tyler Baker (metal wares); Pam Belding (burlap art); Tina Berryer (homemade soap, oil, lotion); Flossie Bird (table runners, jams, rugs); Doug Brice (woodburning artwork); Pete Brodick (garden art, sculptures); Jean Cavalier (watercolors, prints, cards); Beverly DeGraw (pencil drawings, charcoal); Mary Jane Devins (candles); Dick Downey (temporary tattoos for kids); Steve Koslowski (painted brushes, garden sets); Peggy Matson (watercolors); Kim McFall (baked goods); Sylvia Ritchie (llama yarn and related items); Spratt Farms (herbs, perennials, and baskets); Linda Stevens (stained glass); Ruth Vrbensky (native plants) and Westwind Milling Co. (organic breads, mixes).
Food will be available, beginning with a pancake breakfast hosted by the Ortonville United Methodist Church from 8-10 a.m., at the church, 93 Church St. Lunch is available at the Old Mill, 355 Mill St. Papa Bella’s Pizza, 425 Mill St., will also be open. Cheeky Monkey’s Bistro will have a booth with coffee and refreshments, the Ortonville Rotary Club will have candy apples and Cook’s Farm Dairy will have ice cream.
Performers this year include bluegrass band Steppin? In It (12:15 p.m. and 3 p.m., Old Mill Porch); Dean Rutledge and Friends, with classic 60s and 70s music (1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Old Mill Porch); bluegrass band Blue Train (5:15-6 p.m., Old Mill Porch); Dancin? Feet Celtic dancers (3:30-4:15 p.m., Old Town Hall); and GOB gymnasts (12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m., corner of Mill and Cedar streets).
There will also be two bat shows this year, at 12 and 2 p.m. at the Old Town Hall. The multi-media presentation by the Organization for Bat Conservation at Cranbrook Institute of Science features South American bats, U.S. bats, and African fruit bats with 4-foot wingspans.
‘I think it will draw a lot of kids,? says Don Stalker. ‘They’ve done shows in the schools and it’s been very well-received. Bats and birds of prey get big attendance.?
Stalker is referring to the Birds of Prey Show with Joe Rogers, scheduled for 11:15 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Old Mill campus.
Other favorites set to return include the yacht race (kids make a yacht at the Fire Hall in the morning and race it on Kearsley Creek from 1-1:30 p.m.); and minnow races from 1:15-2 p.m. at the Old Mill Campus.
The North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy Hero Award, given to an individual or group that has taken particularly good care of the environment and waterways, particularly Kearsley Creek, will be presented at 12:10 p.m. on the Old Mill porch.
For information on CreekFest, contact Don and Connie Stalker at (248) 627-9549, Main Street Director Janine Saputo at (248) 627-8070 or log onto www.ortonvilledda.com.