Shelby Township Summerfest brought weekend of fun and entertainment

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — The Shelby Township SummerFest featured tons of fun activities for the whole family to enjoy June 28-29 at the Shelby Township municipal campus.

On June 28, attendees were able to enjoy a kids zone with a touch-a-truck area, face painting, a petting zoo and a live taping of Shelby TV’s award-winning program “The Treehouse.” The day ended with an outdoor showing of a family movie.

Shelby Township Supervisor Rick Stathakis said that last year he asked Community Relations Director Brad Bates to work with his team in the Community Relations Department to save the township’s Independence Day celebration. The township reportedly lost its ability to hold its fireworks show because it did not have a large enough, accessible area to set them off. Summerfest combined two former events — the Shelby Township Summer Kickoff and the Shelby Township DDA Independence Day Celebration — into one two-day event.

“What Brad and his team organized with the ‘Treehouse Live,’ Macomb Symphony Orchestra and a drone show was amazing. We have the best Community Relations Department in the country and they prove it every day. I’m glad to see that such a large crowd on our campus got to see that for themselves (June 28-29),” he said.

On June 29, the event included a live performance from the Macomb Symphony Orchestra and a grand finale drone show.

Both days also featured food trucks and a craft beer tent from Connect Macomb.

Bates said SummerFest wouldn’t have been possible without the support of every township employee, and he specifically mentioned the support of the Shelby Township Board of Trustees, Connect Macomb, the Macomb Symphony Orchestra and the Shelby Township DDA.

“Backed by Trustee Lucia Di Cicco and the DDA, we gave Shelby Township an unforgettable experience,” he said.