2nd Annual Experience Sturgis- The Electric City Festival

By Rosalie Currier

Sturgis Journal

Mon Oct 06, 2008

Saturday started out cool at the Experience Sturgis festival. The crowd was thinner than last year at first, but as the day went on, some parts of town were hopping.

A large crowd gathered to hear the  Second Grade Singers perform at Free Church Park.
Pleasant Street offered activities all day.

Sturgis Bank and Trust stayed busy as children colored a house which they folded into 3-D form and added to others on a model of Sturgis that grew more populated as the day went on.

At Lowry’s Books, children’s literature creators, illustrator David Small and his author wife, Sarah Stewart signed books for the young and old.

Jamie’s Salon styled hair on the street in front of their shop and donated a percentage to the 5 Star youth program coming to Sturgis Middle School this year.

At the opening ceremony on Pleasant Street, Jennifer Fair Margraf surprised Journal Publisher Dan Tollefson with an appreciation award from the Experience Sturgis committee.

“He has made sure the history of Sturgis is captured in written form for generations to come,” Margraf said.

Kids Zone, in the parking lot by the Sturgis Police Department, stayed busy with hoop shoots, ring and bean bag tosses, fun tattoos and a bike rodeo.

Displays and activities in various business, offered something for each age group.

The Sturgis Council of the Arts gave prizes to both high school groups that created sidewalk art.

The students received  a $25 certificate for Open Door and gift certificates for Mike’s Pizza, all provided by the Experience Sturgis funds, said Mary Lou Falkenstein with the council.

Over all the organizers were pleased and are already thinking about how to improve for next year, said Becky Reeg of the festival committee.  

Marking History

By Rosalie Currier

Sturgis Journal

Sat Oct 04, 2008

One lifetime benefit of the  Experience Sturgis festival is the plaques mounted on various buildings providing a synopsis of the site’s history.

That way the history is available more than just the first Saturday in October, said  Becky Reeg, one of the festival committee members.

This year, the second year of the festival, seven more plaques have been added to downtown businesses. Buildings with new plaques include Mike’s Pizza, Citizen’s Bank, Sturgis District Library, TC Appliance, Lowry’s Books and More, Sturgis Bank and Trust and the Dresser law firm.

Festival goers who have a punch card marked off because they visited at each plaque site  will have their names entered into a drawing for an opportunity to win a gift bag worth more than $450. The bag was filled by Sturgis companies and merchants.

At most businesses bearing plaques, there will also be special activities including:

• Mikes Pizza  — a dough making demonstration.
• Citizen’s Bank — a classic car, Model T and Model A show.
• Sturgis District Library — a skit of the pioneer Sturgis Family and a book bag for the first 200 patrons attending,  commemorate more than 100 years of library service in Sturgis.
• TC Appliance — a vintage appliance display and and a trivia game to win a DVD/VCR combo player.
• Dresser, Dresser, Haas and Caywood — an open house.
• Lowry’s Books — authors David Small and Sarah Stewart.