Point Place Days Parade and Events

It's that time again - parades, festivals and wonderful events are coming our way this summer. One of the best events is the Point Place Days Parade which takes place Saturday, June 1, at noon along Summit Street in Point Place.

It's part of the kickoff for a month of events celebrating and highlight our great Point-Shoreland community.

The day starts at 7 a.m. with a Pancake Breakfast at the Harbor Light Lodge #746, 3024 131st Street The Placers Car & Truck Show begins at 10 a.m. at Friendship Center, 2930 131st, and runs through the afternoon. The Dress Your Pet Contest and Decorate Your Bike Contest is at 11 a.m. at Messiah Lutheran Church, 4731 N. Summit, and participants are invited to walk in the parade. The American Legion Post #110 opens their chicken barbeque at 11 a.m. and they will do to-go boxes so you can eat while you enjoy the parade...they're at 5110 N. Summit.

On Tuesday, June 11th, the Point Place Library hosts an outdoor concert beginning at 7 p.m. Bring your own chairs or blankets.

The annual Canoe Race and Chicken & Ribs BBQ at Cullen Park is Friday, June 14th from 4-8 p.m. June 14th is also Flag Day, so at 9 p.m. there will be a Flag Ceremony/Lantern Walk from Cullen Park to the Lighthouse. Always a nice way to end the day.

June 22nd is the huge and fun Washington Township Summer Fest from 2 - midnight at Shoreland Park. My favorite event (and by fare one of the best in the entire county) is the Fireworks Display hosted by the Washington Township Fire Department at 10 p.m. They launch the spectaular explosions from the Fred C. Young Bridge which covers the Ottawa River on Summit Street between 131st and Shoreland. Expect heavy volumes of traffic before and after as well as the closure of the bridge.

There are tons of fun things going on all month long, so come on out to the Point and enjoy with us!

To see a complete list of events, times and locations, go here.

Point Place Days 2012

Every year the Point Place Business Association and local organizations in Point Place put together Point Place Days - a month of fun activities in the Point Place area.

For anyone who isn't familiar with Point Place, it is the area bounded, roughly, by Manhattan Avenue, Suder Avenue/I-75, the Ohio-Michigan State line and Maumee Bay/Lake Erie. It includes a large portion of Washington Township. The main drags are Summit Street, Ottawa River Road, Suder Avenue, Shoreland Avenue and Edgewater Drive.

Below is the calendar of events - more information about each event is available on the PPBA web site under the calendar tab.

May 31-June 2:

Point Place Community Garage Sale - various times & locations throughout the Point/Shoreland area

June 2:

9-3 Food, Crafts, Rummage Sale - Friendship Center

9-3 Garden Club Plant Sale - The Crimping Tree

10-3 Placers Car & Truck Show - Friendship Center

10 a.m. Dress Your Pet Contest

10:30 a.m. Decorate Your Bike Contest - Messiah Lutheran

11 a.m. Chicken BBQ - American Legion #110

Noon 22nd Annual Parade - along Summit Street

2-5 Free Bike Inspection and Repair - CrossPoint Church

June 3:

7-3 Walleye Tournament - Spot & Spam's

June 5:

6:30 p.m. Canoe & Kayak outing - Howard Pinkley Landing

June 7:

6-8 p.m. Placers Car Show - Toledo Speedway

6 p.m. Mills Trophy Race Party - Toledo Yacht Club

June 9:

9 a.m. Cullen Park Clean-up - Cullen Park

11 a.m. Lighthouse Clean-up - Lighthouse on Summit Street

all day Kroger Kid's Day - Kroger on Suder

June 10:

11 a.m. Outdoor Service at Lighthouse - Lighthouse on Summit Street

June 12:

6:30 p.m. Canoe & Kayak outing - Howard Pinkley Landing

6:30 p.m. Pie & Cake Contest - Friendship Center

June 14:

6 p.m. Flag Day - Flag Sales & Repair

6 p.m. Placers Car Show - Toledo Speedway

June 15:

4-8 Chicken & Ribs BBQ - Cullen Park

5 p.m. Games for Kids - Cullen Park

6-8 Canoe Race - Cullen Park

June 16:

9 a.m. Walk for Mustard Seed - Cullen Park

1-2:30 Kids' Jam Music Class - CrossPoint Church

June 19:

6:30 p.m. Canoe & Kayak outing - Howard Pinkley Landing

7 p.m. Outdoor Music Concert - Point Place Branch Library

June 20:

6 p.m. Parade Winners Awards - Friendship Center

June 21:

6 p.m. Placers Car Show - Toledo Speedway

June 23: 9 p.m.

Lantern Walk - Cullen Park to Lighthouse

June 26: 6:30 p.m.

Canoe/Kayak, safe boating - Howard Pinkley Landing

June 27:

6:30 p.m. Visions of Cullen Park meeting - CrossPoint Church

June 30:

Washington Township Summerfest - Shoreland Park

10 p.m. Fireworks by the Washington Township Fire Department - launched from Fred C. Young Bridge (Summit Street over the Ottawa River)

I love fireworks!

Today is the Washington Township festival for the Point/Shoreland area as part of Point Place Days. It's at Shoreland Park.

And then tonight - FIREWORKS!!!!

I love these fireworks, put on by the Washington Township Fire Department, as I believe they are one of the best presentations in the entire area. They'll be set off from the Summit Street Bridge over the Ottawa River. Best viewing areas are the parks along Ottawa River Road and Shoreland Avenue, the boat clubs along the river and Merchant's Landing parking lot (though that fills up very early).

This is a great way to end the Point Place Days events and also kick off the Fourth of July celebrations. Enjoy!

Fireworks tonight!!!

Tonight, if the weather holds, is one of the best fireworks displays in all the area - the Point/Shoreland/Washington Township Fireworks sponsored by the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department and made possible by the donations of many individuals and businesses in the area.

They close off the Summit Street Bridge over the Ottawa River and begin the festivities at dusk. There are multiple viewing points in the Ottawa River (if you have a boat) or at any of the public access sites along Ottawa River Road, Shoreland Avenue or Summit Street. The newly renamed Harry Kessler Park at the corner of Ottawa River and 290th Street is a good location with parking and plenty of grassy areas for seating. Many people park in the Merchants Landing parking lot (Summit & Jasik Dr. just before the state line) as this gives an unobstructed view of the fireworks in probably the closest, safe vantage point.

If you plan on coming out to the Point for the yearly extravaganza, leave early for a good spot and ... Enjoy!

"Fireworks are an art form that uses the night sky as the canvas."
-Larry Crump

"You can look up at the stars and every night they're going to be in the same place, but you can launch a six inch shell and you don't really know what it's going to look like until it actually performs."
- James Sousa

"We anoint their fuses with a tiny amount of fire, and they come alive, playing out their life span in a matter or seconds. In those few seconds a crack in the universe is opened, giving us a glimpse of the energy locked within all matter."
-Bob Weaver

"I often use the word "joy" when describing fireworks. It is a considered word, deliberate in choice. Not just amusement, entertainment, astonishment, but joy. Our art makes us all into children again for a while. We become one in our experience for the moment; lost in the sound and color and light. We see large forces, stronger than we could ever be, yet beautiful in their effects. Sometimes violent, sometimes restrained. Delicate beyond imagination at times, coarse and rude at others."
-Bill Withrow

Point Place Days

Point Place Days starts today, kicked off by the annual parade. This is always a fun time in the Point-Shoreland Community, ending with one of the best fireworks displays in the entire area.

Here's the schedule - I hope you'll join us in the Point for some summer fun!

Today:
9-3 Placer's Car and Truck Show; Rummage Sale and Food by Seniors - Friendship Park on 131st St.
10 - Bike and Dress Your Pet Contest - Ottawa River Automotive on Summit St.
Noon - 18th Annual Parade
1-9 - Festival/Rides - Merchants Landing on Summit St.
2-5 - Bicycle Repair Workshop - Crosspoint Church
2-midnight - St. John's Church Mini Festival and Dinner

Sunday:
1-8 Festival/Rides - Merchants Landing on Summit St.

June 10th:
7 - North Coast Theatre play inside the Library (suitable for all ages)
7:30 - Library Concert on the lawn with Chuck Taylor and the Dixie Squids (Rain location: St. John's School gym)

June 12th:
6-8 - Placer's Cruise-In at Merchants Landing
Throughout the day, Community Garage and Yard Sales

June 13th:
4-10 - Festival/Rides - Kroger on Suder
Throughout the day, Community Garage and Yard Sales

June 14th:
9-3 - Craft Show/Yard Sale/free BBQ - Crosspoint Church
10 - Flag Raising - Point Place Lighthouse
11-10 - Festival/Rides - Kroger on Suder
Noon-4 - Kid's Day at Kroger - Kroger on Suder
9 p.m. - Lantern Star Gazing Walk to the Lighthouse (Bring your own lantern) - Cullen Park

June 15th:
1-6 - Festival/Rides - Krogers on Suder

June 18th:
8 p.m. - Parade Theme Award Ceremony - Friendship Park

June 19th:
6-8 - Placer's Cruise-In at Merchants Landing

June 21st:
9 - 4th Annual Mile Walk for Mustard Seed - Start at Cullen Park, finish at Friendship Park

June 24th:
6:30 p.m. - Pie & Cake Contest at Friendship Park Center

June 25th at Cullen Park:
4-8 - Chicken and Ribs Barbecue
6 - Canoe Race

June 26th:
6-8 - Placer's Cruise-In at Merchants Landing

June 27th:
6-midnight - Washington Township Firefighters Summerfest at Shoreland Park

June 28th:
2-midnight - Washington Township Firefighters Summerfest at Shoreland Park
Dusk/10 p.m. - Fireworks!!! (my favorite of the summer) Set off from the Fred Young Bridge over the Ottawa River (Summit St) and visible from most places around the length of the river from Suder to Lost Peninsula