Blossomland
Michigan’s Great Southwest includes Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren Counties. This area is also known as Blossomland. It is known for growing a variety of delicious and nutritious fruits in bountiful orchards and vineyards. Many of of these fruits are celebrated by festivals in these communities. Many of these community festivals include a 5k run/walk that is part of the Fruit Belt Series (which features nine communities: the Traverse City cherry 5k and eight spread across Southwest Michigan). I have organized Southwest Michigan into two parts: Michigan Riviera’s Great Southwest (which is further subdivided into three coasts) and Michigan’s Great Southwest – Inland (which is further subdivided into seven areas).
Michigan Riviera’s Great Southwest
The Michigan Riviera stretches along the the coast of Lake Michigan within Michigan, from the Indiana-Michigan state line north, up to Ludington. This area is also known as Michigan’s Sunset Coast and Michigan’s Gold Coast. It includes sandy beaches, lighthouses, orchards, harbors, and many small town gems filled with art and culture. These towns offer beaches, harbors, lighthouses, boutique shops, downtown restaurants, farmers markets, wonderful accommodations, and their own unique flavor; from south to north, in Michigan’s Great Southwest this includes the following places.
1. Red Arrow Coast
The Red Arrow Coast is named after Red Arrow Highway, which runs along this part of coastline. New Buffalo with its harbor of a thousand boats (cityofnewbuffalo.org/harbor) is at the heart of Harbor Country (which also includes Michiana, Grand Beach, Union Pier, Lakeside, Harbert, and Sawyer, plus inland is Three Oaks – harborcountry.org). Three Oaks is known for its bratwurst, having the worlds longest Flag Day parade, its Apple Cider Century bicycle ride, and being the filming location of the Christmas movie Prancer. New Buffalo is the Gateway to Michigan. The Red Arrow Coast continues north with Bridgman and Stevensville.
2. Twin Cities Coast
The Twin Cities of Benton Harbor and Saint Joseph offer golf, boutique shops, the Curious Kids’ Museum, Krasl Art Center, the lighthouse, and Silver Beach, plus the Silver Beach Carousel and Shadowland Pavilion with the nearby Whirlpool Compass Fountain – good for all ages to splash and have fun! Check out the glasswork gallery at Water Street Glassworks in the Benton Harbor Arts District. Benton Harbor lives up to it’s nickname: “Port of Opportunities.” And Saint Joseph stays true as a “Special Place on the Lake.” The Twin Cities host the region’s oldest annual festival: Blossomtime – celebrating the flowering of the region’s fruit trees and produce plants. Benton Harbor helps celebrates the region’s produce with their Pumpkin Festival (and 5k). And Saint Joseph holds its BBQ, Blues & Bluegrass Festival, among others. The Twin Cities Coast also includes Hagar Township with its Coloma addresses and the descriptively named unincorporated town of Lake Michigan Beach. (Coloma is covered in more depth in the Tri-Cities Area listing below.)
3. Blue Coast
The City of South Haven hosts the superb Michigan Maritime Museum and the nearby Van Buren State Park and Kal-Haven Trail State Park. Up the Black River from South Haven is the Bangor-South Haven Heritage Water Trail for paddling – which leads inland to Bangor with its great riverfront boardwalk and quaint downtown. South Haven is the home to the National Blueberry Festival (and 5k), held in August each year. Just south of South Haven is Covert Township with its great beach park on Lake Michigan.
Michigan’s Great Southwest – Inland
4. Four Flags Area
The Four Flags Area includes the Cities of Niles and Buchanan, plus the Village of Edwardsburg – all of which are along the western portion of Michigan’s U.S. Route 12, together with the Villages of Three Oaks (which is also part of Harbor Country) and Galien.
Niles is home to the Four Flags Area Apple Festival. Buchanan is known as the Redbud City due to the prevalence of its beautiful redbud trees. As Buchanan says, “life is better here!” And Edwardsburg is a charming village close to the Indiana state line.
5. Central Berrien County
Central Berrien County includes the Villages of Berrien Springs and Eau Claire. The Eau Claire Cherry Festival is held annually on the Fourth of July, including its International Cherry Pit-Spitting Championship! Berrien Springs reportedly was once known as the Christmas Pickle Capital of the World – a pickle parade was held there from 1992 until about 2003. Berrien Springs is the home to the Berrien County Youth Fair.
6. Greater Dowagiac Area
The Greater Dowagiac Area includes the City of Dowagiac plus Sister Lakes and Pokagon (both the town and the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi). Dowagiac is home to the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival and Harvest Moon Festival.
Pokagon Band of Potawatomi
The Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa Pow Wow of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi sovereign nation invites everyone to celebrate with them the end of the huckleberry season every Labor Day Weekend.
7. Greater Cassopolis Area
Cassopolis is home to the Cass County Fair. Vandalia celebrates its proud history with their Underground Railroad Days. The Marcellus Bluegill Frolic takes place annually in July. Volinia hosts its Maple Festival to celebrate making maple syrup.
8. Tri-Cities & Paw Paw Lake
Coloma is home to the annual Coloma Glad-Peach Festival (and 5k), which celebrates gladiolus flowers and peaches – both are grown locally. Coloma also hosts a fall 5k – the Pumpkin Harvest Hustle. The Coloma addresses near Lake Michigan are in the descriptively named unincorporated town of Lake Michigan Beach in Hagar Township. Paw Paw Lake is half in Coloma and half in Watervliet. Hartford is home to the Hartford Strawberry Festival (and 5k).
The Watervliet City seal features an apple, fish, and sailboat. The Coloma Watervliet Area Chamber of Commerce seal has grapes on it. Despite Eau Claire holding its Cherry Festival (not to mention the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City), Watervliet hosts an annual 5K Cherry Run & Walk. So between the City seal’s apple, the chamber of commerce’s grapes, and the 5k Cherry Run and Walk, Watervliet is promoting three fruits, but they have not settled on one for a festival yet.
9. Greater Paw Paw Area
Paw Paw-Lawrence-Decatur-Lawton-Mattawan
Greater Paw Paw Area: Villages of Paw Paw, Lawton, Lawrence, Decatur, and Mattawan. A paw paw is a type of tree which bears a fruit by the same name, but the Village of Paw Paw is known for its Wine and Harvest Festival (and 5k) with its countryside of vineyards. Also connected to the grape theme, the Village of Lawton is known for making grape juice.
Lawrence hosts its Ox Roast and Homecoming Festival on Labor Day Weekend. Following the produce theme of the region, Lawrence also holds a 5k Watermelon Run. And the Van Buren County Youth Fair takes places at the fairgrounds, about halfway between Lawrence and Hartford.
10. Michigan’s Apple Center
Bangor & Bloomingdale-Gobles-Breedsville
The heart of Michigan’s Apple Center is the City of Bangor. Bangor is home to the Michigan Apple Festival (and 5k), traditionally held in October, but sometimes held earlier. Bangor is also known as Train City USA – it is reportedly the smallest community in the United States served by an Amtrak station. The Kal-Haven Trail Sesquicentennial State Park connects Lacota, Grand Junction, Village of Bloomingdale, City of Gobles, and Kendall, between South Haven and Kalamazoo. Gobles is home to it the Midwest Soda Pop Festival in mid-July. Oktoberfest is held annually in Bloomingdale. This area also includes the Village of Breedsville.
Blossomland’s Fruit Festivals
Michigan’s Great Southwest grows an amazing selection of fruits, as demonstrated by their various fruit festivals. Region-wide celebrates Blossomtime Festival with events hosted in Benton Harbor and Saint Joseph. Plus individual fruits are highlighted in many of Southwest Michigan’s communities. So many fruit festivals, in-fact, that we need a scorecard to keep track of them all! I will explore Southwest Michigan’s fruit festivals organized below by type of fruit. Fruits can be organized in a variety of ways, but let me use the simple organization found below. Obviously Michigan is inappropriate for growing citrus and tropical fruits, so I will skip those types. I am also skipping tomatoes, a vegetable fruit, which does not have a festival in Southwest Michigan.
1. Apple & Pear
Apple:
Michigan Apple Festival in Bangor
Four Flags Area Apple Festival in Niles (the area covered by the Four Flags Area might be a bit nebulous, but it surely includes Niles, Buchanan, and Edwardsburg).
Apple Cider Century bicycle ride in Three Oaks
Berrien and Van Buren Counties rank fourth and fifth for growing apples in Michigan, respectively, following Kent, Oceana, and Ottawa Counties.
Pear:
There is not a pear festival in Southwest Michigan, but the seal of Van Buren County includes pears, along with grapes, apples, and peaches (the remaining fruits all have festivals in Southwest Michigan associated with them).
2. Stone Fruit
Cherry:
Eau Claire Cherry Festival and International Cherry Pit-Spitting Championship
Watervliet 5K Cherry Run & Walk
Peach:
Coloma Glad-Peach Festival
3. Berry
Blueberry:
National Blueberry Festival in South Haven
Van Buren County ranks first for growing blueberries in Michigan, and Berrien County ranks fifth.
Huckleberry:
Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa Pow Wow of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi
Grape:
Lake Michigan Shore Wine Festival in Bridgman
New Buffalo Harvest & Wine Festival
Paw Paw Wine & Harvest Festival
Lawton is known for making grape juice.
The Coloma Watervliet Area Chamber of Commerce seal has grapes on it.
The top five counties for growing grapes in Michigan, in order: Berrien, Van Buren, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, and Cass. (And yes, botanically speaking, a grape is a berry.)
Strawberry:
Hartford Strawberry Festival
Cranberry:
Wild cranberries are recognized for their historic importance in Stevensville.
Caneberry:
Caneberry (Red and Black Raspberry, Blackberry, Marionberry, Boysenberry, Loganberry) – There are not any caneberry festivals in Southwest Michigan.
4. Melon
Watermelon:
Lawrence Watermelon Run
Blossomland’s Other Produce and Festival Ideas
Southwest Michigan focuses its festivals primarily on fruits, but Volinia holds a Maple Festival to celebrate making maple syrup. While there is not a festival for it, cucumbers are grown around Bangor, where Freestone Pickles are made. Van Buren County is third and Berrien County is fifth for asparagus production in Michigan. Cass County is second in Michigan for snap bean production. There are a few Southwest Michigan communities that have not claimed regional produce to celebrate during a festival (beyond the aforementioned Watervliet), such as Cassopolis and Berrien Springs.