"Hitler's Last Ride" - Parade entry from early 1940s. Photo courtesy Lapeer County Historical Society |
Lapeer Days
Held annually every August in Lapeer,
Michigan, Lapeer Days includes a parade, a fair, and
agricultural displays. In 1999, between 125,000 and 150,000
people attended the event. In 1901, the first Lapeer Days
celebration drew 5,000 visitors. The kickoff event was the
opening of the Bostick Stove Works; it concluded with a
fireworks display. During the event, local merchants entered
wagons in the parade with their goods on display, such as
logs, freshly tanned leather, and the Bostick stove. From the
back of his wagon, a local piano vendor played for spectators.
Contests were held between local youths, and visitors
witnessed a hot air balloon ascension.
The Lapeer County Courthouse, built in 1846 and one
of the oldest courthouses still in use in the United States, has
been the center of every Lapeer Days since the first festival was
held. It is traditional for participants to visit the stone
drinking fountain, built over a natural spring, directly in front
of the courthouse.
The celebration has grown from a one-day to a
five-day affair. Currently sponsored by the Lapeer Area Chamber of
Commerce, it has changed over the last hundred years from serving a
primarily agricultural to a primarily suburban populace. In
addition to the ever-popular parade, today Lapeer Days also
includes a handicraft fair, 4-H competitions, a classic car cruise,
model train show, book sale, karate demonstrations, mountain bike
contest, and a Miss Lapeer contest.
The project is documented with several pages of text,
six historic photos and two contemporary photos, and a Lapeer
County Courthouse poster.
Originally submitted by: Dale E. Kildee, Representative (9th District).
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