JESSE LAND, owner of Oddfellows in Iron Mountain, displays some of his non-alcohol options that will be available at Brew Fest on Saturday. Shown with Land are Iron Mountain Downtown Development Authority Event Coordinator Kenzie Williamsen and DDA summer member Aaliyah Milbrath. The festival will run from noon to 5 p.m. at the Systems Control Stage. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — The Systems Control Stage comes to life today and will see more music during Brew Fest on Saturday as the Iron Mountain Downtown Development Authority begins its 2024 events season.

The Out to Lunch summer concert series kicks off with the alternative folk duo, Flagship Romance of Louisville, Ky., playing from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Upper Peninsula Audiology is returning as this year’s major event sponsor, with 41 Lumber as the first week music sponsor.

The free weekly concerts run each Thursday through Aug. 8, with the exception of the Fourth of July.

“We have a great lineup set and will again close with the popular DayDreamers of Marquette,” DDA Event Coordinator Kenzie Williamsen said.

When it comes to booking the Out to Lunch entertainment each year, Williamsen explained they look for musicians who are local or other past performers that got good crowd response.

“We also want to bring in three to five different groups during the year as well,” she added.

Married singer-songwriters Shawn Fisher and Jordyn Jackson will return Saturday to perform a variety of “laid back tunes” from noon to 5 p.m. at the annual Brew Fest. The Tourism Association of the Dickinson County Area is the music sponsor.

“The Brew Fest audience is more relaxed and enjoys listening to background music while socializing or playing games,” Williamsen said.

This year’s event, presented by Bacco Construction Co., hosts 13 vendors that will offer more than 60 varieties of beer, mead, hard cider, hard seltzers, wine, liquors and non-alcohol beverages.

Brewers taking part include Alpha Michigan Brewing Co., Shorts Brewing Co., Tripelroot Brewery, 51st State Brewing, Bell’s Brewery, Ore Dock Brewing Co., Barrel & Beam, Upperhand Brewery, Starcut Ciders, Iron Fish Distillery and Fox River Brewing Co.

Lo Duca Bros. will offer its wine and Oddfellows has joined to provide several non-alcoholic sampling options.

Williamsen reminds the public that attendees must be 21.

Tickets are $40, which includes a complimentary Brew Fest sampler glass and 14 tasting tokens. Admission for designated drivers is $10, plus access to non-alcoholic beverages.

They have teamed up with Sandstone Terrace, 220 Iron Mountain St., to continue the evening with music by Nashville country artist Jordan Blanchard from 6 to 9 p.m. at the rooftop venue, Williamsen said. Admission is $5.

After once the first big festival of the season is done, they immediately go into preparation for Italian Fest, set for noon to 11 p.m. Aug. 10. The day will feature music, Italian food and friendly competitions.

This year’s event, sponsored by LiUNA Local 1329, will bring in three popular groups. Jan & Geno will open with their Italian music. Headlining will be local country band Bad Axe Rodeo. Joining them on stage will be Norton, Chartier & Co. playing a variety of classic rock music.

Williamsen thinks the success of the DDA’s largest festival speaks for itself, so they didn’t want to make major changes.

They do hope to add a type of “guest book” next year. “It will be fun to bring it back year after year and have attendees look for their names,” she said.

The DDA will celebrate Oktoberfest’s 10-year anniversary from noon to 10 p.m. Sept. 28.

“In addition to planning some special activities for the event, we have brought in another three great bands,” Williamsen said, adding First National Bank & Trust returns as its major sponsor.

The Daydreamers of Marquette will bring their lively party tunes to the stage to set the tone for the afternoon.

New to the region, Backstage Pass of the Wisconsin valley area will play a variety of hits to get everyone moving.

The evening will conclude with Sixx Gunns Loaded, a classic ’80s rock band from the Appleton, Wis., area.

“There will be no polka band this year; however, this line-up will be awesome — we are excited,” she said.

Williamsen noted how fast festival season passes, with only 16 weeks from Brew Fest to Oktoberfest.

“We are already discussing entertainment that we would like to see for our 2025 season,” she said.

In the fall, the DDA brings back the Pumpkin Walk on Oct. 26 and Girls Night Out on Nov. 14.

In partnership with Marshfield Medical Center-Dickinson and First National Bank & Trust, plans are in the works to grow the walk.

“Girls Night Out has really found its own groove and we had a lot of great reviews last year,” said Williamsen, adding they will end the evening with the Wine and Unwind at Oddfellows.

The Christmas Walk will wrap up their 2024 season Dec. 6. The DDA, along with First National Bank & Trust, will welcome the community to the downtown plaza area for the tree lighting. Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit with the children.

If funding and time allows, they would like to see more holiday decorations downtown for the walk.

In addition to live music for each program and festival, they bring in several local food vendors offering a variety of specialty food geared toward that event.

She stressed how important volunteers are to the success of each of the festivals. “It takes about 40 to 60 volunteers at each of our three major festivals,” Williamsen said. “They are so important, because if I didn’t have them, it wouldn’t work.”

Anyone interested in lending a hand at any of the events can contact Williamsen or go to the website to sign up.

As she goes into her third summer as event coordinator, Williamsen said she now has a baseline of what attendees are looking for.

“We try to make each one of our big festivals a little different,” she said. “For example we don’t just want a repeat of Italian Fest, just with different colors, for Oktoberfest.”

This year, the DDA made the decision not to continue with Third Thursday program that was created to allow working customers to shop downtown businesses.

“We tried to continue that with adding special events and music,” Williamsen said. “But we felt we were competing with the establishments already offering live music on Thursday evenings instead of working with them, so we stepped back.”

Williamsen noted that in case of inclement weather, the music for Out to Lunch will move to the Braumart at 106 E. B St. in Iron Mountain. The DDA will post updates on Facebook the day of the event if the location changes.

The events committee is talking about other activities they can do, she said.

The Farmers & Artisans Market, which opened last week, will have 30 to 40 vendors from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday through Oct. 12 in the parking lot at A and Iron Mountain streets.

“Our flowers have been planted and look great,” she said. “With Rize joining in as the beautification sponsor, it has been a huge help.”

Williamsen looks forward to its 2024 event season and encourages the community to come and join the fun.

“I’m really excited about this year and I think our attendees will be, too,” she said.

For more details on festivals or the OTL lineup, go to the DDA website at https://downtownironmountain.com.