Play | Best of the best: Concours d’Elegance, Sterlingfest, Arab and Chaldean Festival
Greg Crawford, Free Press staff writer
Concours d’Elegance, the annual show of rare and exotic cars, will be Sunday. / Linda Ashley & Associates
They’ll be making some noise this weekend in Sterling Heights, that populous, sprawling and generally quiet ‘burb to Detroit’s north. Sterlingfest, the city’s signature summer event, kicks off today and continues through Saturday with a carnival midway and games for the kiddies, an arts and crafts fair and three stages of music showcasing acts with ties to the city (the After 5 Jazz Ensemble, Groove Council, and Brazil and Beyond). Animals, magicians and jugglers will be among the attractions in the KidzFest tent, and local restaurants will be serving up everything from Polish and Middle Eastern fare to barbecue to ice cream.
10 a.m.-11 p.m. today-Saturday, Dodge Park and Sterling Heights Civic Center, Dodge Park and Utica roads, Sterling Heights. 586-446-2489. www.ci.sterling-heights.mi.us.
“We run a very tight ship,” say the organizers of the Orchard Lake Fine Art Show. The annual showcase for high-end art and crafts, including sculpture, paintings and jewelry, is juried by art world professionals and draws local as well as national and international talent. Presenters take art seriously and take pride in setting the bar high for applicants. The 10th-anniversary edition of the show kicks off Friday evening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and preview event. It continues through the weekend with live musical entertainment and art activities for children.
Preview is 5-9 p.m. Friday; show runs 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Powers and Daly roads, West Bloomfield. 248-685-3748. www.hotworks.org. $5. Free to children 12 and younger.
DJ AMF, Dirty Americans, Ty Stone and the Hips are among the musical acts lined up for Macomb County’s Aquapalooza, which expands this year to two days of fun on the water. Merchandise and food vendors will set up shop at MacRay Harbor, and musical acts will perform on the beach at Belle Maer Marina, just off Belvidere Bay and east of the Selfridge Air National Guard Base. There’s just one catch: You need to arrive by canoe, kayak or the watercraft of your choice. Cars won’t have access to the marinas for the family-friendly celebration of water fun and safe boating.
11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, MacRay Harbor, 30675 N. River Road, Harrison Twp. 586-468-1900. www.aquapalooza.com. Free.
As usual, food, music and children’s activities will be a big part of this weekend’s 41st annual Arab and Chaldean Festival in Hart Plaza, but organizers are especially proud of the cultural exhibits they’ll use to educate and illuminate festivalgoers about life in the Middle East. This year’s exhibits cover topics ranging from calligraphy and Arab medicine to the history of Yemen and Chaldeans’ contributions to world culture. A Sunday night fashion show will showcase attire from the region.
Noon-midnight Saturday-Sunday, Hart Plaza, 150 W. Jefferson, Detroit. 248-960-9956. www.arabandchaldeanfestival.com. Free.
For the second year in a row, Plymouth’s lush Inn at St. John’s is playing host to the Concours d’Elegance. The 34th annual car lovers’ extravaganza will bring together 300 rare and exotic vehicles from all over the world for a tony affair that usually recalls a lawn-party scene from “The Great Gatsby.” Among the features of this year’s show: a Corvette vs. Jaguar showdown and a display of station wagons from the Jet Age, which began in the early ’50s. You’ll also see classic Trans Am racers, luxurious old Duesenbergs and the largest Pierce-Arrow ever built.
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, the Inn at St. John’s, 44045 Five Mile, Plymouth. 248-643-8645. www.concoursusa.org. $25 adults, free to children 12 and younger.
Drawings by Florida artist Carol Ferony will be featured at the Orchard Lake Fine Art Show. / Orchard Lake Fine Art Show
On the cover: Maker Faire Detroit, a celebration of creativity, is this weekend. / Gary Malerba
http://www.freep.com/article/20120726/ENT05/307260022/Play-Best-best-Concours-d-Elegance-Sterlingfest-Arab-Chaldean-Festival