Feeling like summer's almost over? Well, not in Michigan!

No matter where you live, play or travel in Michigan this summer, festivals and county fairs are fair game in your hunt for family fun. So pack up the kids, camera and sunscreen and hit the road for the Michigan summertime experience of your life!

Michigan boasts 88 county and local fairs and two state fairs, and nearly half of these occur in the months of August and September. State, county and local fairs provide a renewed contact with agriculture for a population that grows more urban by the minute.

Fairs offer a tie to our agricultural heritage while showcasing modern technologies employed by today's Michigan farmer. According to the Michigan Association of Fairs and Exhibitions, over half of the state's population passes through fair gates each season to renew their rural ties. Throw in corn dogs, midway rides and community arts projects, and you are sure to have all the ingredients for fond family memories.

Michigan also offers hundreds of festivals and events year-round in communities across the state. The variety of festivals and events in Michigan is spectacular. You can almost choose a reason to celebrate, then pick a Michigan festival to match your choice. Okay, maybe that's stretching it a little - but not much!

Among other reasons, festivals celebrate:

• Regional agricultural crops (Coloma Glad-Peach Festival, August 1-3, or the Linwood National Pickle Festival, August 15-17);
• Local artists and entertainers (Victorian Art Fair in West Branch, August 9-10, or the Mendon Riverfest, August 14-17);
• Special holidays (Hamtramck Labor Day Festival, August 29 – September 1);
• Regional heritages (Kalamazoo Scottish Festival, August 23, or Celebrate Wyoming, August 7-10);
• Historic events (Cascades Civil War Muster in Jackson, August 23-24, or the Celebration of Emancipation at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, August 2-3); and,
• The season (Milford Memories Summer Festival, August 8-10, or Elkton AutumnFest, August 29 – September 1).

If you missed a festival or fair in June or July this summer, don't worry -- it will be back next year. In the meantime, don't miss the opportunities to stretch the summer fun well into fall and winter at the fairs, festivals and events still to come this year. And, while you are out and about enjoying the fairs and festivals, don't forget to stop by a farm market or U-Pick operation  for some of Michigan's local agricultural bounty.