Who’s ready to hang out with some Sturgeon for a few hours on June 3rd? You’ll get your chance at the Blue Water Sturgeon Festival. The one-of-a-kind festival, a spring tradition in the Blue Water Area, is planned for Saturday, June 3rd, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Fort Gratiot Light Station. Festival admission is free.

This year’s theme is “Sturgeon and Friends”. Along with the sturgeon, visitors to the Festival will get to encounter sea lamprey, Michigan native frogs, turtles, and snakes, and presentations about St. Clair County’s protected Black tern.

There is also a live animal show presented by Nature Discovery, a live sturgeon touch tank, hands-on activities, Native American drum ceremonies, vendor booths, a hand-release of baby sturgeon into the wild, sturgeon adoptions, food trucks, live music, and more.

The highlight of the Festival is the sturgeon release. Sturgeon are nicknamed the “Great Lakes Living Fossil”, as they have been swimming around local waterways for millions of years. The giant fish can grow to more than six feet long and weigh more than 100 pounds. The sturgeon in the St. Clair River in particular are evidence of a successful campaign to protect the endangered species.

Sheri Faust, President of Friends of the St. Clair River, said, “The festival celebrates conservation of the Great Lakes largest fish, which are a mascot for the Great Lakes’ recovery. At Sturgeon Fest you don’t have to leave the city to meet an endangered species! We can look back on years of conservation success and see lake sturgeon making a comeback because of spawning habitat created in the St. Clair River.”

Sturgeon Cruises on the Huron Lady are available as part of Sturgeon Fest. Cruises leave at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.  Tickets are $35. Click here for more information about the cruise.