Lake County comes to life during the celebration of two large festivals in the month of July. Bay Days (Silver Bay/Beaver Bay) and Heritage Days (Two Harbors). Both towns celebrate a weekend of fun, family-friendly activities that are worth checking out. Both festivals take place in mid-July, oftentimes on the same weekend. Making Lake County the place to be on the North Shore!
Bay Days
Bay Days celebrates the community of Silver Bay and Beaver Bay in the heart of Lake County. The festivities kick off on Friday night with a parade that runs from the Mary McDonald center to downtown. Friday night visitors will also find Family Fun Night with face painting, balloon animals, and kids activities, capped off with fireworks at dusk.
Throughout the weekend there are free concerts on the main stage downtown, games, contests, street vendors, and food carts. On both Saturday and Sunday mornings the fire station hosts a pancake breakfast. One Saturday there’s a Bay-to-Bay 10K run that takes runners through wooded paths and up and over scenic cliffs. A street dance, lighted boats display at the marina, and more. Check out the Classic Car show and logging expo on Sunday. A full schedule of events can be found on the Bay Days website.
Heritage Days
For four days in July the city of Two Harbors celebrates Heritage Days each year starting on the Thursday after the 4th of July holiday week. Visitors will find a schedule full of arts and craft shows, live concerts and entertainment, a street dance, and two parades. Everything kicks off with a Medallion Hunt, tours of the Edna G tugboat, a 5K run, and kids activities that include a Kiddie Parade.
There’s also a golf scramble, visit from the Lake Superior Zoomobile, and a Lutefisk toss on Friday. Saturday brings activities options such as a pancake breakfast at the fire hall. Also a classic car show, and the large Heritage Days parade in the afternoon. On Sunday you can enjoy breakfast at the airport, and a full line-up of bands and performances at the Heritage Days Stage and the Bandshell. For a full list of events, check out the Heritage Days website.