The Third Annual Happy Apple Saturday in DeTour Village Saturday, September 23, will celebrate harvest time in northern Michigan with apple-based activities at participating businesses from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival will be centered on Ontario Street, which is the main street through DeTour Village.

Activities will start at 10 a.m. with an outdoor market of artists and vendors at Dockside Cafe, and each participating business will have a basket of free apples at its front door.

The event is organized by the Blinker Light Association of Businesses (BLAB), said Dockside owner Annalee Buschbacher.

Live music throughout the day will culminate in an 8 p.m. performance at the Village Inn by Fast Eddie's Blues Band of Marquette.

An apple pie baking contest will take place at noon at the Dockside Cafe. Anyone who wants to enter the contest must bring their pie to the restaurant by 11 a.m. A gift basket and gift certificates will be awarded as prizes.

A new event this year will be an apple pie eating contest at 1 p.m., hosted by the Village Inn. Contestants must pay a $2 entry fee, which will be used to offset the cost of Happy Apple Saturday. Anticipating a big turnout, organizers are offering early registration at The Garage throughout the week.

The Garage coffee house will again offer free samples of freshly pressed cider, made with an old fashioned apple cider press. Cider will be available all day at The Garage.

The Reverend Judy Arnold of DeTour Union Presbyterian Church, a master storyteller, will tell stories for children on the porch of North Country Sports.

The DeTour Homemakers will make elephant ears outside the Dockside Restaurant, and a bake sale will be offered at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.

Other anticipated, but unscheduled, activities include an antique sale, freshly made caramel and baked apples, sidewalk chalk art for children, and watercolor painting classes in front of River Threads.

A 50/50 cash raffle and a raffle for an original painting will be drawn at 8 p.m. at the Village Inn. The apple-theme painting was created by artist Renee Norton of DeTour.

Other participating businesses include DeTour-Drummond Building Center, Fisher's Restaurant, Huron Street Inn Bed and Breakfast, the Pilot House, Shell Station, and Sune's Food Center.

DeTour Beautification Committee is asking everyone to decorate their homes or businesses for fall, and are especially encouraging people to make scarecrows. If anyone wants a scarecrow frame, they are available at The Garage. Beautification Committee members also plan to place autumn decorations around the village before the event.

In the case of rain, activities will be moved to the DeTour Chamber of Commerce pavilion near DeTour Area Schools.

For more information, call Annalee Buschbacher at (906) 297-5165.