ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – As always, Friday was Ladies Day at the U.P. State Fair. Women lined up as early as 7:00 a.m. to be some of the first inside the Ladies Day tent.
“Oh, it’s a tradition in my family, me and my two daughters,” Ethel Mizejewski said as she stood in line. “We come every year. We tried to be the first ones, but we’ve only been first once in 26 years.”
The event draws a crowd of over 300 every year.
“Ladies Day is just such a wonderful time for the ladies of the U.P. to get together and either meet for the first time at their table or come with friends and be able to visit and eat and have a good time,” said Barbara Lindstrom, ambassador for the Delta County Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to mimosas and manicures, ladies enjoyed raffles and door prizes donated by 25 local businesses, including Northern Sun Winery, Richardson Jewelers, and Elmer’s County Market.
“Everyone that I asked to participate said yes, so that’s a really good indication of the wonderful community that we live in,” Lindstrom said.
The main event was a flying flapjack breakfast, courtesy of mobile catering company Chris Cakes of Michigan.
“We have two Guinness Book of World Records, ‘highest tossed and caught’ and ‘most pancakes made in an hour,'” said owner Melanie “Patty Cake” Muir.
Chris Cakes can feed 250 people per hour with one grill.
“The food is good and the delivery is special, and everyone has fun,” Muir said.
Once in a while, a flapjack doesn’t quite make it to a plate. However, Muir says they never go to waste.
“We land them pretty accurately,” she said. “Generally there’s not too many dropped, and those that do, we feed to our 4-H pics.”
For many at Ladies Day, the best part is just getting to spend a morning of fun with other women.
“Guys always have guy things or sports and all that, and this is just one thing that the ladies do all together,” said Mizejewski. “We have fun and talk and get our nails done and stuff. It’s great.”
“I think it’s important to have things that we have every year,” said attendee Jan Hurkmans. “It’s like a tradition. We learn things, meet a lot of people, and get to visit with old friends. It’s very nice.”
New this year, the U.P. State Fair featured something for the men as well Friday evening.
“The men always said, ‘How come we don’t have anything for men?'” said Ladies Day volunteer Linda Peters. “We decided to switch it up this year.”
The Island Resort & Casino hosted blackjack and a golfing simulator. The entire day was dubbed “Flap Jacks to Black Jacks.”
WZMQ 19 is a proud sponsor of the 2023 U.P. State Fair.
