By Meg Peters
Review Co-Editor
Lake Orion’s American Summer will be a big hit for those who enjoy ongoing celebrations.?
It’s a creative concept conjured by an Orion Area Chamber of Commerce man, Brian Birney, involving different activities every day between two of Lake Orion’s fun summer events.?
Now here’s an idea: Why not make every day between the Lake Orion Lion’s Jubilee and the Fourth of July fireworks some kind of party??
That’s exactly what Brian Birney thought.?
President of the Orion Area Chamber of Commerce, Birney got to talking with both the Lions Club and Lake Orion Firework’s Association (LOFA)
Out popped this idea: Lake Orion’s American Summer.?
It’s a ten-day stretch between two very popular Lake Orion summer festivals that Birney hopes to fill with community activities.?
Because who stops having fun that time of year anyway, right??
And the Lake Orion American Summer could very well stick, be like Dragon on the Lake, and draw people from all over to have fun in Lake Orion, Birney hopes.?
Pig Roast? Beer Garden? 5K? Swim competition? Pub crawl? Restaurant week??
‘If you have a business, great, if you don’t, you don’t have to, come with your own ideas,? Birney said. ‘All they need to do is focus on is what they want to accomplish and I will take care of all the promotions.?
Birney just finished the website. It is an interactive calendar that will showcase each event on the days between the Jubilee and fireworks show, June 23 to July 2.?
‘The whole gist is just to have a big party for ten days, just to enjoy the atmosphere,? he said. ‘Wouldn’t it be great if every night we could go out to a restaurant in Lake Orion and get a meal or two for $30? Maybe someone will organize a swim where you could use Green’s Park, or use our trails for a biking event. It just takes people to organize these things.??
The sky is the limit. Choose your favorite activity and do it, he said.?
Several groups have already signed up, including 51 North Brewery, Lake Orion United Methodist Church, Orion Veteran’s Memorial, and the Lake Orion Police Department.
Birney hopes to get the high school involved, will be reaching out to local golf and country clubs in the area, and is pushing everyone that’s around to do something.?
The top priority is to get all the events on the Lake Orion American Summer calendar to be one unified source of information for the community.?
This includes events all over Lake Orion and Orion Township, especially with the restaurant district on Baldwin.?
Interested people and organizations should register with Birney at’info@loamericansummer.com?
Birney said some groups are even going to be fundraising at their own events and for their own purposes too.?
‘We just need a dozen people to say this sounds awesome, I’m going to do this. I’m really excited I think it’s going to be one of those things that’s definitely a differentiator for us in the community to highlight all the things that make us unique.?