The Muskegon Winter Sports Complex and Watermark Live are hosting Party in Your Parka, a winter festival celebrating Michigan’s inauguration into United States Union. The luge track (pictured) will be open.

The festival is a multi-faceted event that will showcase many different areas of Michigan’s culture and art scene.

The celebration begins at 10 a.m. on the grounds of the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex, 462 Scenic Dr., North Muskegon with winter activities such as ice skating, sledding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing and more.

The Sports Complex is one of three open luge tracks in the country and is located in the Muskegon State Park. The luge track will be open at scheduled times throughout the day for the public to ride, as well as scheduled spectator events for their annual Media Luge Run and their Luge Club Leagues.

Starting at 11a.m., an all local Michigan art fair will open showcasing an eclectic variety of handmade art and products, all from Michigan based artists. There will be a display of art ranging from visual art, clothing, jewelry and more.

The goal is to spread the message to support the local artists and small business owners of our state because they are a big part of our culture, our economy, and our uniqueness. The Made In The MItten art fair will also house a free kid’s activity area with face painting, a Petoskey stone workshop, and a fun coloring station. The art fair closes at 5 p.m.

The Winter Sports Complex has been working hard to revive the World Snurfer Classic.

The Snurfer was developed by Muskegon resident Sherman Poppen in 1965. The Snurfer Classic will be a competition ranging of all levels and will kick off at 1 p.m. Register to participate in the competition at msports.org.

From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., the grounds will host the celebration with Modern Entertainment providing music, along with the Media Luge race and a Birthday ceremony just for our great state of Michigan.

The main stage area will also be offering local concessions from Muskegon’s Fatty Lumpkin’s Sandwich Shack and hot beverages from Drip Drop Drink as well as Michigan made beer all from Bell’s, Founders, New Holland, and Saugutuck Brewing companies. Fun s’mores packages will be available for sale to cook over multiple fire pits located in the Luge Lounge area. Proceeds from the packages will go to support the Party In The Parka event to help keep costs low for visitors and turn this celebration into an annual event.

As part of this free event, there will be a live set by Grand Rapids band The Crane Wives that will close out the night from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. located in the Luge Lounge area. The Crane Wives are a “three-part harmony group that possess an eclectic instrumentation and a knack for dynamics, they create organic music that is both accessible and innovative. Each live show features contagious energy as well as original music that ranges from whisper quiet ballads to danceable groove.”

Party In Your Parka will also be offering a shuttle service hosted by Modern Transportation. Throughout the day the shuttle will run from downtown Muskegon’s Shoreline Inn to the Blockhouse and then a final stop at the Sports Complex before its return back to the downtown area.

Shuttle Passes can be purchased for $5 and are good for the entire day. Passes can be picked up at these Muskegon Area businesses: Fatty Lumpkin’s Sandwich Shop, The Watermark Center, Better Choice Global, The Shoreline Inn, and Drip Drop Drink (inside Muskegon’s Winter Market). The Passes will also be available for sale on the shuttle.

The whole vision of the Party In Your Parka event is to spread awareness about the amazing things our state provides us.