Alto Harvest Festival and Car Show set for Sept. 13
Photo by Bruce Doll
The small town of Alto will hold their biggest annual event, the 44th annual Alto Harvest Festival and Car Show, on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, with activities for all ages. Hosted by the Alto Harvest Festival Committee, the festival runs from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm.
The Alto/Bowne Township Firefighters Pancake breakfast is from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., at the Alto fire station, located at 6260 Bancroft. Golf cart shuttles will be available to and from the breakfast. Opening ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. at Veterans Park, with the national anthem, the formal flag raising and the presentation of colors by the Alto American Legion Post 528.
The car show features between 175-200 cars. View street, muscle, antique and classic cars, trucks and motorcycles. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., show time begins at 9 a.m. and runs through 3 p.m. Goodie bags and dash plaques for the first 150 entries. Top 50 awards will be presented. There is a $15 entry fee. Door prizes, a grocery guess, and awards for those registered.
The Alto American Legion will be open to the public throughout the day and will have their food booth in front of their building. The Alto Lions Club will be offering walking tacos, popsicles and drinks. Faith Bible will be serving up hot dogs, polish sausage, chips and beverages. Hubbert’s Kettle Corn will have a variety of kettle corn and pork rinds.
During the day, you’ll find contests and activities for everyone, including returning favorites, such as the Blue-Ribbon Baking Contest. Entries may be dropped off at the library, starting at 8:30 a.m. Double entries are required; one for the taste-judging and one for Baking Bingo, which is a new twist on an old game. Instead of prize money you win various baked goods and baking essentials; this is a true Alto Harvest Festival original.
The craft and vendor show will feature up to 20 booths, beginning at 9:30 a.m. The Alto library’s gently-used book sale runs 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There will also be a children’s scavenger hunt, as well as a variety of activities at the Kids Zone, located on the green at Alto Baptist Church, with inflatables, Cheek-to-Cheek face painting, and a petting zoo. The Alto Lions Club will have free vision-screening on site, as part of the Lions of Michigan Foundation Project Kidsight, with the focus on pre-school and elementary school children.
Live music starts at 11:30 a.m. and runs through 2:30 p.m., featuring The Magic Bus, who are making their third trip to Alto. The Magic Bus Show is a “time machine” trip back to the Woodstock era. Parking available at the First Baptist church on Bancroft. Bring you own reasonably-sized chairs, as seating is at Veterans Park.
Alto isn’t hard to find; it’s located off I-96, Exit 52. Go south on M-50, following it to 60th Street; turn west on 60th Street. When you come to the stop sign at Bancroft, you have arrived in Alto. Parking is available on streets and First Baptist Church of Alto.
Like Alto Harvest Festival and Car Show, as well as Alto Harvest Festival Craft and Vendor Show on Facebook.
