Bay Area Sports Show to bring fishing, family fun to New Baltimore

This year’s Bay Area Sports Show and Fishing Tournament in New Baltimore will feature three days of live music and family fun.

The expanded event kicks off at 7 p.m. Thursday at Walter and Mary Burke Park on Front Street downtown. The beer tent will be open, and The Gobies will entertain crowds with live music from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Sunsation Powerboats will add to Thursday’s festivities with a Sun Run Street Party featuring more than 100 locally built boats on display. The event starts at noon and is open to the public. Fireworks will be launched at dusk.

“I know that Aug. 1 is going to be a big night in downtown New Baltimore,” Mayor Tom Semaan said, at a July 22 city council meeting.

The mayor described the Street Party as “Sunsation’s mini one-day Bay-Rama.”

“The streets are closed, boats are in town — now you’re going to have fireworks of 25 minutes long from the same company that you guys use at Bay-Rama and a gated off beverage tent,” Semaan said.

On Friday and Saturday, the park will be full of free children’s activities, from BB gun and archery ranges to a rock climbing wall, obstacle course and more. At the children’s fishing pond, kids can learn how to properly bait and set a hook, and reel in live fish. Face painting will be provided by Alyson Rose Nails from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.​

A children’s youth fishing clinic and contest is set for Saturday. Rods, reels and instruction will be provided free of charge by We Fixin to Fish, a nonprofit whose mission is to teach the basics and joys of fishing, and connect youth and families with nature in the sport of fishing. Fishing will take place along the pier at Walter and Mary Burke Park. Prizes will be awarded. There is no cost to participate. Registration starts at 10 a.m. by the flagpole.

An outdoor sports show will showcase a range of outdoor sports, powersports, and boating vehicles and equipment. Vendors will include Lafontaine of St. Clair, Unriehl Powersports, Schneider’s Motorsports, Freedom Boat Club, Macomb Powersports, Boater City Marketplace, Red Angle Fishing and more.

The popular food truck rally also returns Friday and Saturday. A variety of food trucks are scheduled to line Front Street, including Bubba’s BBQ, V’s Barista, JJ’s Fish & Shrimp, Detroit House of Mac, Pops Sweets on the Streets, Heath Woodfired Pizza, Grazing Gringos, Alley-Cats Snacks, Grampy’s Clam Shell and Carts a Go-Go. No admission fee is required.

The Bay Area Fishing Tournament will include up to 40 boats with payouts of $1,000 each for largest bass, pike, perch, walleye and three fish total, as well as youth categories with prizes for winners. It will likely be a full contest as only a few spots remained on July 22.

Big Shots Cornhole will host the second annual Bay Area Shootout cornhole tournament on Saturday. Registration costs $30 per person.

Live music will be performed each night. The Gobies will play danceable songs from rock to country on Thursday. Nashville recording artist Mac Watts takes the stage on Friday, followed by country party band Northbound on Saturday.

The Bay Area Sports Show and Fishing Tournament was launched in 2019 by the New Baltimore Parks and Recreation Department and No Limits Fishing Adventures Inc., a Clay Township-based nonprofit that provides fishing charters for children, adults and veterans with disabilities.

“All proceeds from our weekend event support local people with disabilities and their ability to enjoy the outdoors via the universally accessible playground in New Baltimore and with No Limits Fishing Adventures,” organizers said in a July 11 Facebook post.

Last year’s event drew more than 3,000 people.

Schedule of events

THURSDAY, AUG. 1

• Noon: Sun Run Street Party and apparel store open

• 2 p.m.: Dunk tank supporting the Michigan Special Olympics opens

• 7 p.m. to midnight: Beer tent open ($5 cover)

• 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.: Live music from The Gobies

FRIDAY, AUG. 2

• 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Vendor showcase open

• 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Food truck rally

• 4 p.m. to midnight: Beer tent open ($5 cover after 7 p.m.)

• 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.: Live music from Nashville recording artist Mac Watts

SATURDAY, AUG. 3

• 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Fishing tournament

• 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Vendor showcase open

• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Youth shoreline fishing clinic and contest

• 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Bouncers, archery skills, youth fishing pond and other activities

• Noon to midnight: Beer tent open ($5 cover after 7 p.m.)

• 1 p.m.: Cornhole registration opens

• 2 p.m.: Cornhole begins

• 5 p.m.: Tournament awards presentation

• 3 p.m.to 9 p.m.: Food truck rally

• 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.: Live music from Northbound

For more information about the Bay Area Sports Show and Fishing Tournament, visit bayareasportsshow.com.