I WAS ALL SET TO PUT the finishing touches on what was sure to be another 1,000 word page-turner for tomorrow morning’s Word on the Street, when I realized… by the time you get to read it, too much will have already happened.
I’m not sure if this town can get any busier, but this weekend is going to test the limits, for sure.
Here are some area events happening, starting TONIGHT.
Music on Third
Live music will fill the Third Street Corridor at 18 different locations. It’s a free community event celebrating local musicians and businesses while creating an exciting and walkable summer evening on one of Marquette’s most iconic streets.
- Event hours have been extended to 6–9 pm.
- Bands perform 2-hour sets, staggered across the corridor. Half the acts will begin at 6 pm, and the other half at 7.
- Third Street will remain closed to traffic during the event.
HarborFest 2025
Marquette Harbor Rotary hosts this annual end-of-summer festival… a great event supporting an organization working for the community. It starts TONIGHT and runs through Saturday. A lot of music and other things. Yes, other things. I’ll be there!
TONIGHT!
6-8 pm – Marquette Symphony Summer Strings
8:30-10 pm – Marquette Rockestra
TOMORROW
4-5:15 pm – Beechgrove & Blacksmith
6:15-8:15 pm – Diversion
9-11 pm – BARENAKED 90s (A 90s Tribute Band)
SATURDAY
2:30-3:45 pm – Ramble Tamble
4:15-5:45 pm – Luke Ogea
6:30-8 pm – Tom Katalin and Highway 41
9-11 pm – USED CARS (The Cars Tribute Band)
Thursday Night Summer Concert… at Old Ish
They’re doing it up the road too. The Thursday Night Summer Concert Series has been a great event for downtown Ishpeming.
Who’s playing TONIGHT, you ask? Just one of the best blues bands in the midwest… the Flat Broke Blues Band. I don’t think we appreciate how lucky we are to have such talented bands and musicians around here. The venerable Flat Broke Blues Band is a great example. Rockestra, a collaboration of local musicians playing TONIGHT at HarborFest, is another.
The downtown concert series is sponsored by Ishpeming Community Events, but I believe the driving force behind it has been Kurt Gronvall, seen above with Flat Broke. Guys like Kurt, and the various venues that bring in bands, have been great supporters of the music scene on the west end.
Skankapalooza
According to their Facebook page, Skankapalooza was created as a birthday party for Dave Duvall. He wanted a party so they threw him one.
You’ll have to head south to Skandia for this one-of-a-kind music festival on a working farm. It’s 21+. It’s also a BYOB event. Camping and RV parking available. Donations accepted for entry. Here is the weekend’s “skanktastik” line up.
TONIGHT!
5 pm – 6:30 pm – Zack Bloods
7 pm – 8:30 pm – Bush Hunter
9 pm – 10:30 pm – Beautiful Mess
11pm -1am – The DeGens
FRIDAY
12 pm-1:30 pm – Skank wedding featuring Toaster Nikki and microwave Dave
2 pm – 3:30 pm – Cody James
4 pm – 5:30 pm – Rogar and the Horribles
6 pm – 7:30 pm – Cröven
8 pm – 9:30 pm- No Cause for Alarm
10 pm- 1130 pm – The Hard
12 am – 2 am – Ghidora
SATURDAY
12 pm -1:30 pm – The Rowe Show
2 pm – 3:30 pm – Melk?
4 pm – 5:30 pm – Snakes with Arms
6 pm – 7:30 pm – James Charles
8 pm – 9:30 pm – Go! Devil!
10 pm – 11:30 pm – Everything Under the Sun
12 am – 2 am Diversion
And…
Need more? According to Marquette Music Scene, other Marquette venues hosting music TONIGHT include the Delft Bistro, Blackrocks, Digs City Beach, Drifa, and Superior Culture.
With classes starting Monday, there should be a lot of Northern parents in town this weekend, in addition to plenty of other visitors who are here, just because. You may have to wait a little longer for a table, or at a red light, but that’s a small price to pay for living in a place popular enough to get a little crowded now and then.
It’s gonna be a big weekend, and it starts TONIGHT!