Author Archives: Mike Sonnenberg

My dad says to me “ you should do a post about the old Timber Town Festival in Downtown Saginaw” I told him I never heard of it, “ you should check into it, back in the 60’s it was a huge event in the summer”. Since I was not alive in the 60’s I went to one of my favorite places in Saginaw, the Hoyt Library, and they pulled out a file full of info on the summer festival.

The Saginaw Jaycees started the festival in 1962 to bring back the nostalgia of Saginaw’s lumbering days. It was held on Ojibway Island in August where a temporary sawmill town was erected. The town even had a steam-operated sawmill set up by a company from St Charles and cut pine logs. Throughout the day you could hear the “ whiiiing” of the spinning circular saw cutting timber from the logs. There were several contests including a best beard, log sawing, ax throwing, pole climbing and canoe races down the Saginaw River. In the mornings a large lumberjack breakfast was served and in the afternoons the Eddy Band would be playing at the band shell. A Timber Town queen was crowned. ( I wonder where they are now) and a parade with floats and marching bands went from downtown to Ojibway Island.

By the mid 60’s the festivities were moved to downtown, I am assuming to bring visitors shopping to the many businesses that sponsored the festival. The canoe races gave way to a raft race and the Bancroft hotel held the breakfast feasts. The festival was changed from August to the beginning of July. I am thinking it was moved with the hopes that the autoworkers would take their families to the festival while they were on their summer break. Instead of staying in Saginaw they wanted to take their family somewhere new and exciting like the newly built Walt Disney World in Florida. As more retail stores and restaurants opened up locations along Bay Road and Tittibasassee road downtown began to struggle and the funding was not there to continue holding the annual event. In 1972, a decade after the first Timber Town was built on Ojibway Island the committee decided this was the last Timber Town Festival held in Saginaw.

Although the Timber Town festival is no longer held there are many wonderful events in Saginaw such as Friday Night Live, The Saginaw Area Fireworks and the WKCQ Country Music Fest. Thank you to everyone who works to put on these events and to the sponsors who support them.

I wish I had more memories to share about the Timber Town Festival, but it was a little before my time. It would really mean a lot to me if you share some of your memories in the comments.

Pure Saginaw and BEANS T-Shirts are on SALE this week,  they help me with expenses to do this website, I hope you will take a look at them HERE. 

If you like what I post it would really mean a lot to me if  you will subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts, 

[fbcomments]

The year is halfway over and this summer is going by so fast I can’t keep up with my posts for Pure Saginaw. I have a list of stuff to research and write about but I have been busy this summer with the kids home from school and vacation. I was looking at some of the old photos on my computer and I came across this one from Riverside Park. I like the boys lined up along the fence in their hats and suits. I wonder if they would dress like that normally or if the park was a special occasion.  The women are all wearing long heavy dresses and I can’t imagine wearing clothes like that in the summer heat.  if you wanna know more about Riverside Park you can check out my post HERE

I hope summer is treating you well and you are enjoying it while you can.

P.S. I am working on next years Pure Saginaw wall calendars, thank you to everyone who got one last fall, I will have them available this fall.

P.P.S. I am also working on the Lost In Michigan wall calendars and book that will be available this fall. (that’s one reason why I have not been posting as frequently as I would like to)

Thank you all for your Support it really means a lot to me.

it would really mean a lot to me if  you will subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts, 

[fbcomments]

I was doing some research at Hoyt Library for an upcoming article and I came across this advertisement for McDonald’s. It’s a little before my time but  At one time McDonald’s had on their website that Saginaw was one of 3 locations that were built at the same time after the !st and Second locations were built. I am not sure if that makes the Saginaw location on State Street the 3rd or 6th location but It was one of the first McDonald’s in the country. I wish I had done a screen shot or something of their web page with the info.  One thing I do know is the State and Center location is always busy, no matter what time of day I drive by there, cars are lined up for the drive-thru.

P.S. I just watched The Founder with Michael Keaton as Ray Croc and the beginning of McDonald’s. if you have not seen it, you should check it out, it was an interesting movie.

I hope you will sign up for email updates You may miss my posts in your Facebook Newsfeed.

[fbcomments]