86th annual Algonac Pickerel Tournament to provide entertainment for all

The 86th annual Pickerel Tournament put on by the Algonac Lions Club is set to run from July 3 to 7 in Algonac.

The Pickerel Tournament will include activities and events for all ages, including a carnival midway and beer tent, parades, contests, entertainment, fireworks and more.

Fishing contest registration opens at 8 a.m. from July 3 to 6, with daily fishing prizes awarded July 3 to 5 and the winners announced July 6.

The Pickerel Tournament events will kick off at 5:30 p.m. July 3 with the Kids Parade in downtown Algonac. Registration will take place at 5 p.m. at the parking lot at 401 Pointe Tremble Road.

Algonac Lions Club Marketing Director and Social Media Chairman Dwayne Hrynyk said the Kids Parade will start at the Woodside Bible Church parking lot, go through the back roads of the city, and end up at the carnival tent at Smith Recreation Park. He estimated that the parade sees from 110 to 120 kids each year.

Once the parade reaches the carnival tent, Mayor Rocky Gillis and Algonac City Council members will officially start the Pickerel Tournament from the main stage, Hrynyk said.

Each Kids Parade participant will receive a raffle ticket. After the festival is opened, the Pickerel Tournament Queen court, which is comprised of five candidates, will be introduced and then each candidate will pick two of the raffle tickets so that 10 prizes will be given out to the parade participants.

There will also be a donut eating competition on the main stage at the time.

July 4 will feature a celebrity dunk tank near the main stage at 3 p.m. and a watermelon eating contest on the main stage at 6:30 p.m.

Voting for the Pickerel Tournament Queen will begin at 4 p.m. and end at 7 p.m. July 4, and the crowning of the Pickerel Tournament Queen will take place at 8 p.m. on the main stage. This year’s queen candidates are Avery Baker, Audrey Beindit, Kileigh Bell, Grace Mann and Sarah Valdivia.

On July 5, the fireworks will take place at 10 p.m., with the rain date being on July 6.

July 6 will kick off with a kids fishing tournament at 8 a.m., with prizes at 11 a.m. From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., parade registration will take place at the Lions Club Hall, and the parade will begin at noon on M-29.

Hrynyk, who is the chairman of the parade, said that there are about 75 to 80 entries in this year’s parade and that the Michigan Festival and Events Association ranked the Pickerel Tournament parade as the no. 1 largest and most entertaining parade in St. Clair County.

“Let me tell you, we have the best of the best of the best acts this year,” he said. “It’s going to be a fabulous parade.”

He said the parade will include the Keystone Cops, Shriners, the Detroit Fire Department Clown Team, fife and drum groups, musical floats, Rosie Riveters and more.

After the parade, a Family Fun Day at the carnival tent at Smiths Recreation Park will run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., with free pizza and refreshments, as well as clowns, a juggler, face painting, a stilt walker and balloon animals.

Additionally, on the main stage, there will be an adults-only hot dog eating contest at 5 p.m., and at 6 p.m., the all-terrain vehicle raffle drawing will take place and the fishing tournament and cutest baby and pet winners will be announced.

On July 7, the Algonac Pickerel Run annual 5K run/walk will take place at 8 a.m. on the boardwalk. Participants are encouraged to dress in red, white and blue, and medals will be provided to all racers once completed. Registration can be found at runsignup.com/race/mi/algonac/algonacpickerelrun.

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., a car show will take place at Riverfront Park, with registration at 7:30 a.m. There will be dash plaques for the first 150 cars, a Class of ’86 Award, a Queens Choice Award and a Kids Choice Award. There will also be door prizes and a rumble at noon. Dash plaques and other prizes are courtesy of LifeCare Chiropractic.

The cost of entry is $15 per vehicle. For more information, call 810-794-5000.

During the run and car show, the Algonac Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary’s annual pancake breakfast will take place at the beer tent and will serve pancakes, French toast, eggs and sausage. The event start at 8 a.m. and will last until supplies run out. Donations will be accepted.

At 10 a.m., the Brian Cuthbertson Memorial Antique and Classic Boat Parade, sponsored by the Algonac-Clay Historical Society, will begin at Pearl Beach Pier behind Johnnie Lega’s Restaurant & Tavern and end at the ACHS Community Museum in a 2.7-mile route.

The public will have the best viewing opportunities at the pier, Riverfront Park and the ACHS Community Museum, a flyer for the event states. Registered boats will have assigned numbers displayed on their windshields and spectators can download the list of registered parade boats with vessel information at achsboatparade.org.

At noon, bingo will return with a bingo fundraiser hosted by the Marine City Maritime Days committee in the festival tent. Cards will go on sale at 11 a.m. The cost of 10 games will be $10, or cards can be purchased individually.

Hrynyk said that organizers have had many requests to bring bingo back, so it will be brought back for a test run this year.

Several events will take place throughout the weekend, such as the beer tent. Entertainment in the beer tent will include DJ Pete’s Beats on July 3, Under Pressure on July 4, 86 Noodles on July 5, and featured band Parallel Fifth on July 6.

“It’s a really good band lineup this year,” Hyrnyk said.

Daily 50/50 drawings will take place July 3 to 6.

The carnival midway will also be open July 3 to 6. It will close at 6 p.m. July 6 if the fireworks take place on July 5. If the fireworks take place on July 6 due to being delayed, the midway will close at 11 p.m. It will not be open on July 7.

Hyrnyk said that about 35,000 people came out to the Pickerel Tournament last year, and that last year’s event went off without a hitch. He noted that this year’s event has better security and planning and should go smoothly, as well.

“The Algonac Lions would like to thank the city of Algonac, Algonac (Department of Public Works), Algonac Fire Department and St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office,” Hyrnyk said. “Without them, we couldn’t do this Pickerel Tournament. They’re a huge part of this Pickerel Tournament.”

For more information, visit algonaclionsclub.com or facebook.com/algonaclionsclub.