Gazette File Photo These folks are seen enjoying a pleasant autumn afternoon on the Houghton Waterfront during last year's Brew Street. This year the event is part of Canal Colors.

HOUGHTON — Fall kickoff events in Houghton are rolled into one weekend this year for the Canal Colors Festival. Events making up the festival include of Brew Street and Plaidurday on Friday and the Keweenaw Color Run and Fall Fest on Saturday. Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy season themed celebrations and support the Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw.

The festival begins Friday with two events hosted by Visit Keweenaw. Brew Street begins at the Keweenaw Brewing Company’s (KBC) back decks at 6 p.m. Houghton’s Lakeshore Drive and the eastern third of the parking lot behind KBC will be shut down so visitors can enjoy drinks and listen to live music. Each pint purchased at Brew Street will feature a one dollar donation to a fundraiser for the Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw.

The museum is currently featuring an exhibit on brewing in the area, so visitors can enjoy a tour of the museum and learn about the history of the practice from noon to 5 p.m. on Thursday and Saturday. Brew Street will continue Saturday with the KBC offering a variety of non-alcoholic drinks. Food trucks will also be available.

Unlike in previous years, those in attendance at Brew Street will not have to travel to participate in this year’s Plaidurday, which will take place at Lakeshore Drive at 7 p.m. Visit Keweenaw Public Relations and Events Coordinator Jesse Wiederhold said the picture location has been moved from the high school to downtown and the time changed to hopefully pull in more participants for the picture.

“We broke the record in 2023 so now we’re focused on building out that downtown experience,” he said. “Hopefully some more folks can come later in the evening with a photo not being in the middle of the day.”

The world record brought the most people together wearing plaid, totaling 1,745 individuals. Wiederhold is expecting this year’s Plaidurday to be something very special.

“As the sun sets and with our canal colors, it’s going to be beautiful on Lakeshore that night, we’re expecting some fair weather. So this site is going to be one to remember. The Houghton High School photo was really cool, but having the photo opportunity down on Lakeshore [with] the sandstone building and the water just going down the canal is just going to be very picturesque,” he said.

The events on Saturday begin at 9:30 a.m. with the Keweenaw Color Run hosted by Keweenaw Young Professionals and Visit Keweenaw. Participants will walk a 5K route while being blasted with colored powders for a eye catching spectacle. In order to have all colors stand out, it is recommended participants wear white or lightly colored clothing.

The route begins at 600 E Lakeshore Dr and heads east to the stairs at Prince’s Point. Afterwards the route will head west on College Ave back to the beginning of the route. An accessible route is also available, which begins at the same point but instead of going up the stairs at Prince’s Point the route will turn towards Phoenix Drive to Cliff Drive and then head west along College Ave to the starting point. Those interested in joining the Keweenaw Color Run can sign up the day of, or sign up at Brew Street.

The last event of the Canal Colors Festival is the City of Houghton’s Fall Fest at the city pier. Fall Fest runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and offers a variety of season themed activities. Visitors can enjoy a tractor ride along the waterfront and browse multiple vendors selling wares and seasonal baked goods. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. visitors can enjoy a free cup of cider, but those waiting until the last hour have the opportunity to press their own apples into cider. The containers for the self-pressed cider must be brought by the participants. Games will also be available, and a new feature to Fall Fest this year are live animals.

Houghton City Clerk Amy Zawada said Fall Fest brings a sense of community for the season. “It’s a fun, festive atmosphere,” she said. “There’s a big sense of community down there, and it’s fun to partake in these fall activities. Maybe your kids wouldn’t get a chance to go on a tractor ride otherwise, and this is kind of the perfect opportunity to do those things. And really, it looks like the weather is going to be beautiful as well.”

Wiederhold said, through all the activities, the colorful leaves are the main attraction. “We did learn, scientifically speaking, we are the sunniest in the Midwest, east of the Mississippi,” Wiederhold said. “That really makes our fall colors be the brightest. Truly, we do get more sun and more intense climate during the summer and fall than other places in the Upper Peninsula. So we’ve got science to prove that we are truly the most colorful. So we need to celebrate that and champion that.”