Dexter Daze Celebrates 40th Anniversary With Weekend Festival

Dexter residents from all walks of life are gearing up for a weekend of fun wholesome entertainment, as the community's kicks off on Friday.

"It's a big party," Laurie Kokmeyer said. “Every time you go there - especially at the social tents - you get to see people from all different generations. You run into old friends and neighbors who have moved away, or haven't attended the festival for a few years. We like to think of it as a reunion."

This year's festival includes includes a parade, live bands, more than 100 artists and artisan booths, a chicken barbecue, a social tent, kids games, and a special vintage baseball game featuring the . The team will play at 1 p.m. Saturday at Gordon Hall against the Monitor Base Ball Club of Chelsea.

"This is our final scheduled home game of the year, so we're hoping to have a strong turnout," captain Donovan Hill said.

Also on Aug. 11, arts and crafts booths will be set up along Main Street from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., tours of Gordon Hall will take place from 1-3 p.m. and a pole vaulting competition will take place at  from 1-7 p.m.

As in years past, there will be several yard sales throughout the weekend. There is no charge to host a yard sale, and homeowners can have their sale posted for free on the Dexter Daze website.

There are  taking place at this year’s event. The Dexter Kiwanis Club raffle and the Dexter Rotary Club playhouse raffle will both be held Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. The Kiwanis grand prize is $10,000, second prize is $1,000 and third prize is $500. Tickets are $10 each or five for $40. Rotary raffle tickets are $5 each or five for $20 and are available at local businesses, including , , the , , , and .

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Mill Creek Park will be held at the corner of Main and Jeffords streets Saturday immediately following the parade at 10 a.m.

For a complete schedule of events, visit http://www.dexterdaze.org/schedule.html. For more Dexter Daze stories, check out Patch's local coverage.