Fans of the giant fish invited to Fort Gratiot Light Station Park
By Barb Pert Templeton
The “Gentle Giant of the Great Lakes.”
It’s one of the nicknames for the lake Sturgeon, a fish that can weigh up to 150 pounds, grow over seven feet, and live over 100 years.
Today, many are swimming in Lake Huron, the St. Clair River, and Lake St. Clair and over 10,000 Lake Sturgeon call underneath the Blue Water Bridges home which makes it possible to see these gentle giants at the upcoming Blue Water Sturgeon Festival.
Blue Water Sturgeon Fest 2025 will be on Saturday, June 7 from 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Fort Gratiot Light Station Park in Port Huron. Admission is free.
Visitors can experience a close encounter with the Great Lakes’ largest fish with a live sturgeon touch tank, hands-on activities, workshops, Native American drum ceremony, food, music and more.
The 13th Annual Sturgeon Festival is this weekend on Saturday, June 7 in Port Huron.
Blue Water Healthy Living caught up with Sheri Faust, executive director of the Friends of the St. Clair River to pose some additional questions about the popular festival.
Blue Water Healthy Living: How long have Friends of the St. Clair River been hosting the Sturgeon Festival?
Sheri Faust, executive director Friends of the St. Clair River: Our first Sturgeon Festival was in 2013, held on a Sunday afternoon at Vantage Point in Port Huron to a crowd of 600 people. This is our 13th year.
BWHL: What’s the idea behind the event?
Faust: The Blue Water Sturgeon Festival is centered on providing close encounters with lake sturgeon, known as the “Giants of the Great Lakes”. Sturgeon Fest celebrates the decades of work that has helped to heal the St. Clair River and protect one of its largest, longest-living creatures – the lake sturgeon. For 136 million years sturgeon have been swimming the Great Lakes, but humans brought them to the brink of extinction. Lake sturgeon are now protected and acres of new spawning grounds have been created. It’s a great conservation come-back story we take pride in connecting people to.
A Sturgeon hand-release ceremony is held at the conclusion of the Sturgeon Festival when visitors place them into the St. Clair River.
BWHL: Is this a fund-raising event even though admission is free to the public? Is that due to sponsorships?
Faust: Since we hatched the Sturgeon Festival, it has become our largest fundraiser providing significant year-round support. Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, Sturgeon Festival admission at the Fort Gratiot Light Station Park is free. For those who want to experience Sturgeon Fest on the water, tickets can be purchased for our Huron Lady Sturgeon Cruises at 11am and 1pm.
BWHL: What’s new on the 2025 Sturgeon Festival calendar?
Faust: We have two popular entertainment acts returning this year – Nature’s Discovery, a live animal show about Michigan’s native wildlife, and Bandwagon, a lively band performing on the stage. There are many other entertainment options going on throughout the day that people can check out at sturgeonfestival.com.
BWHL: Is there an activity that is most popular with those that attend the festival?
Faust: The star of the day is, of course, lake sturgeon. Visitors can experience a live sturgeon encounter at our sturgeon touch tank located on the Lighthouse Park beach. You can get up close with large sturgeon and ask questions to the Michigan DNR biologists that study and survey them.
BWHL: Are their food vendors at the park so visitors can get some lunch? Is there a charge for that?
Faust: We have 4 food trucks that will be at the festival where people can purchase everything from hot and cold beverages, to snacks and hearty lunch items.
BWHL: Do you have any idea about how many people attend this festival each year? Do you think/know some families or groups that return year after year?
Faust: We love to welcome new visitors to our event each year and love to see how far people travel to experience the uniqueness of our event. Last year, 2,200 people from 11 states attended. The Sturgeon migrate to the Blue Water Area each spring to spawn, so for 13 years visitors have gathered on shore to celebrate their comeback.
BWHL: Who are the people that make this event possible?
Faust: The festival would not be nearly as successful without our volunteers we affectionately call our Sturgeon Squad. Success relies on forty volunteers to help with the festival and Sturgeon Cruises. Please reach out if you are interested in joining our Sturgeon Squad.
BWHL: What will the proceeds from the event be used for by the Friends of the St. Clair River group?
Faust: All 100% of the proceeds from the Huron Lady Sturgeon Cruise ticket sales support our year-round operations and programs. Other funds raised support our mission to protect and restore the St. Clair River watershed through community education, environmental monitoring, hands-on stewardship and advocacy.
BWHL: What is your favorite part of the festival each year?
Faust: Watching children hand-release our captive-raised baby sturgeon back into the wild in a beachside ceremony at the end of the festival.
The Fort Gratiot Lighthouse is located at 2802 Omar Street in Port Huron.
