Northern Michigan Events: On August 11th experience the quirky side of Northern Michigan! Dress up your pooch in their very finest un-salty dog attire for the 16th annual dog parade and prepare for a day filled with fine wine, food and fun in Northport (just a short drive from Traverse City!)

The start of the 16th annual Northport Dog Parade is from Mill Pond on Third Street in Northport at 1 pm. After the parade commences, at 2 pm head to Haserot Park for the kick off of the 25th annual Northport Wine Festival.

The Northport Wine Festival and the Northport Dog Parade are sponsored by the Northport-Omena Chamber of Commerce. This year the wine festival will exclusively feature the wines of the Northern Wine Loop, 11 wineries and cideries located in the northern tip of the Leelanau Peninsula.

“We’re delighted to pair with the Northern Wine Loop this year to create a new and different wine festival for Northport,” says Northport-Omena Chamber of Commerce President Lisa Drummond. “We’re excited about the great wines they offer and we’re looking to a fun day in beautiful Haserot Park listening to the music of the Windy Ridge Boys and enjoying all that Northern Michigan has to offer."

“We’re also pleased to be able to continue the Northport Dog Parade, which was started by and run since 1997 by Old Mill Pond Inn owner David Chrobak,” Drummond said. “Each of these events are a unique part of Northport’s summer celebration.”

The dog parade participants – both canines and their human handlers – will take to the streets in costumes representing this year’s “Old Un-Salty Dog” theme. Prizes are available to those participants who pay the $5 pre-registration or $10 day of registration to be in the parade. Winning costumes will be judged at the parade’s start – Northport’s Mill Pond – from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Prizes will be awarded at the parade’s end – the pavilion at G.M. Dame Marina Park.

At the wine festival the Chamber is starting a new tradition with a People’s Choice award for favorite wine and food pairings. Each winery will serve wines that pair especially well with the food offerings of participating restaurants and visitors will be asked to vote on their favorite wine and food pairing.

The wineries of the Northern Wine Loop include Bluestone, Boathouse Vineyards, Circa Estate Winery, Forty-Five North Vineyard & Winery, Gill’s Pier Vineyard & Winery, Good Neighbor Organic Winery, Leelanau Cellars, Raftshol Vineyards, Silver Leaf Vineyard, Tandem Ciders and Verterra Winery.

Great food will be provided by area restaurants including The North End Eatery, knot Just a Bar, Stubb’s, Deep’s Corner Store and the Bluebird restaurant.

Leelanau Cellars, one of the first wineries in established in Leelanau County and based in Omena, is the gold sponsor of the Northport Wine Festival. Leelanau Cellars owner Mike Jacobson, a long time Northport summer resident and the founder of Leelanau Cellars in 1974, has participated in all of the 25 Northport Wine Festivals. “This is a wine festival that has been so well received by residents and visitors alike,” says Jacobson. “Focusing on wineries that are geographically located in the northern end of the county creates the opportunity for a unique tasting experience for wine lovers at a festival that is a significant local event.”

During July members of the Northern Wine Loop are raising funds for A.C. Paw through their Pours for Paws campaign. Funds raised for A.C. Paw will be presented at the Northport Wine Festival.

Northport-Omena Chamber of Commerce was organized in 2005 to help develop, enhance, sustain and serve commerce in Leelanau Township. To learn more about the Chamber and the Northport-Omena area, please visit the website at northportomenachamber.org. For more information on the wine festival click here.