STEVENS POINT – As the school year ends and days get longer, summer events and activities ramp up for the season.
From community festivals to celebrations, there are many ways to spend your time in the Stevens Point area this summer.
Check out a few of the biggest events happening this summer in the Stevens Point area.
Point Pride
Stevens Point will host Point Pride events June 14 and 15.
The Point Pride Crawl will be held from 4 p.m. to midnight June 14 at participating bars in the downtown area.
The Point Pride Festival will be held at the Dreyfus University Center at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point June 15. The festival will include live entertainment on both the Main Stage and Encore Stage. Event organizers encourage attendees to bring lawn chairs, even though the event will be held inside, "to keep that cozy feel alive."
For more information, visit stevenspointpride.com/stevens-point-pride-2024.
Juneteenth Celebration
CREATE Portage County will host a Juneteenth Celebration from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 22 at Pfiffner Pioneer Park, celebrating the ending of slavery in the United States.
The event is free and family friendly, including vendors, performers and more.
For more information, visit createportagecounty.org/calendar/2022/6/18/juneteenth-g4dm2-ffcrj.
Riverfront Rendezvous Community Festival
The Stevens Point Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department will host the 40th Riverfront Rendezvous Community Festival July 4-6 at Pfiffner Pioneer Park.
The festival features three stages of entertainment and offers free activities for families. There are no tickets or entrance fees, but visitors will not be able to bring any carry-ins, animals or fireworks into the park. Headliners on the main stage include Spin Doctors, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades and Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band. Riverfront Rendezvous also includes a horseshoe tournament, a cornhole tournament, and fireworks will start at dusk Saturday.
For more information, visitstevenspoint.com/409/Riverfront-Rendezvousor findRiverfront Rendezvous - Stevens Pointon Facebook.
More about Riverfront Rendezvous: Riverfront Rendezvous announces entertainment lineup for festival's 40th year in Stevens Point
Iola Car Show & Swap Meet
This year's Iola Car Show & Swap Meet will be held July 11-13 on the show grounds in Iola.
The event's 52nd annual theme will be "The Meeting of the Muscle" and will feature special guests like Henry Winkler, Donny Most and Anson Williams from "Happy Days," as well as Jon Provost from "Lassie" and Stan Livingston of "My Three Sons."
The car show offers 2,500 show cars, 4,000 swap space, 1,600 campsites, food, special guests, concerts and more.
For more information, visitiolaoldcarshow.comor findIola Car Showon Facebook.
More about Iola Car Show: Iola Car Show named one of 10 best car shows in the country by USA TODAY 10Best
Portage County Fair of Amherst
The Portage County Fair of Amherst will take place July 18-21 at 5404 Fairgrounds Road in Amherst.
The fair will feature carnival rides, truck and tractor pulls, a demolition derby, a volleyball tournament, fair food, games, a cake auction, a cornhole tournament, vendors, raffles, games and more.
For more information, visit amherstfair.com or find Amherst Fair on Facebook.
Pedal Point Rally
The Hostel Shoppe will host its fifth annual Pedal Point Rally July 19-20 at 3201 John Joanis Drive.
The rally will include marked bicycle rides with rest stops, local tours with activities, live music Friday night, catered dinner, bike and trike demos, a taco food truck on Saturday, kids games and more.
This event raises money for the Spokes Fighting Strokes organization, helping stroke survivors through recovery. The organization was founded by Dan Zimmerman, who suffered a stroke in 2005. His mission through the organization is to show every stroke survivor recovery is possible.
For more information, visit hostelshoppe.com/pages/pedal-point-rally.
Discover Downtown
Discover Downtown will be held July 20 in downtown Stevens Point.
The event will include businesses holding sidewalk sales and will feature live music on the square, food and more activities.
For more information, visit downtownpointwi.com.
PaddleQuest
PaddleQuest will be held Aug. 10-11 starting at Bahamas on the River, 1766 Portage County HH in Stevens Point.
The annual event features teams of two or three people who paddle in canoes, kayaks or stand-up paddleboards who will compete in games, puzzles and competitions across the two-day fantasy event. This year's event is called "Homecoming."
For more information, visit paddlequest.org or find Paddle Quest on Facebook.
More about PaddleQuest: Inside PaddleQuest, the kayak race that has pirates, time travel and lots of beer
Portage County Fair
The 98th annual Portage County Fair will be held Aug. 30 through Sept. 2 at the Rosholt Fair Park, 186 W. Forest St. in Rosholt.
The fair will feature live music each day, a parade starting at noon Saturday, carnival rides and more.
For more information, visit villageofrosholt.com/rosholt-fair-park-2024-events.
Riverfront Jazz Fest
The Riverfront Jazz Festival will be held Aug. 31 through Sept. 1 at the Pfiffner Pioneer Park amphitheater.
The weekend event will feature local jazz musicians and more live jazz music.
For more information, visit createportagecounty.org/jazzfest or find Riverfront Jazz Festival on Facebook.
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Contact Caitlin atcshuda@gannett.comor follow her on Twitter@CaitlinShuda.
This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Stevens Point area events you don't want to miss this summer
