The Kleiber Family Timeline

Category: Festivals and Fairs

Festivals and Fairs

  • Marshall Blues Festival 2013

    This was the ten year celebration of the Marshall Blues Festival and I think we have attended the last four. This year we did it a little differently as James and Dad stayed for the event with Mom. The music was great and the weather was absolutely perfect.

    Strolling around town we stopped in almost every store on mainstreet. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. A very pleasant experience as always in the town of Marshall.

    Marshall is located at the intersection of 94 and 69, about an hour and 40 minute drive from Detroit.

    One the way home we stopped in Jackson for dinner at a Chinese buffet on 127 (James really enjoys the Chinese buffets).

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  • 4th of July Festival and Parade 2013

    James and his family attended the 2013 Colon 4th of July Parade. The visit began at the park, then moved to the parade grounds where we watched the largest parade of emergency vehicles that we hav ever seen, then a trip to the magic shop, then the midway where James shot 8 holes of Putt Putt golf and played several games, lunch at the diner, then back to the midway where James won a cake in a cake walk, and then finally back home in time to do fireworks – after everyone had ice cream of course.

    The red, white and blue flowers were a gift for Mom from James!

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  • Abbotts 75th Magic Get Together 2012

    James got to help set up some of the booths at the Abbotts Get Together, an event which takes place each August. James has come to this festival since he was 3 and has always enjoyed it, however this is the first time he got to actually help out in the preparations. James helped out the weekend before then got to attend and enjoy the festivities the weekend after (his camp prevented him from attending during the week).

    A bonus surprise was that Jame’s pet doves were used on the Friday night show (tickets were $25 each for a Vegas quality magic show but James got in for free because of the work he did the weekend before).

    James enjoyed pizza in a place that had a girl floating in the window and posters from many of the past Abbott Get Togethers.

    Towards the end of the event, a huge rainbow filled the sky over the magic village of Colon which just thrilled James.

    The 2013 Abbott Get Together dates are Aug 7,8,9,10, this will be their 76th year doing this. We heard that some other magic shop was copying this event and putting it on a week earlier in Colon so make sure if you do attend that it is the Abbott Magic Get Together that you attend and not “the copycat” as James likes to call it.

    We would truly like to thank the staff of Abbott Magic for their hospitality and kindness during this event. We all had a great time.

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  • Marshall Blues Festival 2011

    This was the second Blues Festival we attended. A very very hot day, Mom went straight to the Festival while Dad and James snuck off to Colon to visit the magic shop there. Later we picked up Mom and walked the streets of Marshall listening to music. On the way home we decided to stop for Chinese at a restaurant in Jackson which we found courtesy of our phones GPS. All in all a very fun day.

    The pictures below are of the streets of Marshall during the Blues Festival, however most of the shops on main street are open throughout the year and we would certainly suggest a trip to Marshall anytime of the year.

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  • Abbotts Closeup Magic Convention 2011

    Here’s an interesting story, a couple years ago Mary went to a Evening Magic Show and the Master of Ceremonies was Stephen Bargatze, who grew up in Tennessee. Afterwards Mary told me she had a bus driver named Bargatze who drove her to school each day and she wondered if the two were related.

    Years later Stephen Bargatze (perhaps the premiere comedy magician in America) shows up at a Closeup Magic Convention so Mary made arrangements to photograph some of the show and got to meet Stephen who said the bus driver who drove her to school was actually his Great Uncle.

    Below are some of the pictures from the Convention, you can see Mary in 9 of the pics (another photographer was on the other side and took some pics) and we also included 6 pics Mary took.

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  • Marshall Blues Festival 2010 – Then Puppet Show

    It was a very hot July day and the traffic and construction tie ups were terrible, but we made it to the Blues Festival in Marshall Michigan for the first time. James and I stayed for a bit then went on to the park and a magic shop, while mom enjoyed the music while shopping for antiques on the Marshall main street. We left around 6pm as the place was just starting to get real crowded. Mary bought a cd of the music of one of the bands and we listened to it on the way home.

    That evening James watched a dinosaur movie then did his own version of it in his puppet theatre. Lots of entertainment this day!

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  • Trenton Festival 2010

    What a great time we had at the Trenton festival. James has been here several times in the past few years and he always has a good time. I think his favorite thing is getting the free balloons from the various shop keeps to participate. This year there were a whole bunch of inflatable moonwalks and slides that he could play in as well as the usual games that he is familiar with. He also got to put out a simulated fire with a real fire hose. After the event was over we went out for Chinese to complete a wonderful summer day.

    On the way home, we stopped by Aunt Louises old house and snapped a picture. sure looks different with those gates in the drive.

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  • Magic Capitol 4th of July Parade & Festival 2010

    The Fourth of July celebration in Colon is truly a marvel for the year. Our family and I had a wonderful time again. Our day began at 11am watching the parade go down main street from the high school. Our friends Walter and Mary Weaver were gracious host so we had a front row seat for most of the activities. There were many highlights of the parade but most of our group felt the flyover by the jets was the best part.

    Once the parade ended and we took a short break, then went down for the festivities which included many games and activities including a couple new ones. Our group then hooked up for a magic show at Abbott’s where we enjoyed a wonderful performance by Gordon Miller.

    Special thanks to Walter and Mary Weaver for having us. Thanks to Grandma for joining us as well.

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  • Oakwood Festival 2010

    James got to go to a festival two days in a row. The first day he went was Saturday when we stopped off at the Oakwood Festival on the way to a graduation party (Kirsten Maliszewski). The next day we picked up Aunt Peg and took her shopping, then went back to the carnival for some more fun. The pictures here are from the first day, the second day it was just Dad and James so no one took pictures which was fine with the both of us (Aunt Peg couldn’t join us because she was in pain with her legs.). The only ride we did different the second day was the Ferris Wheel and I would have to say James liked that the best.

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  • Abbotts Magic Get Together 2009

    The Abbott Magic Get Together has been going on for over 70 years. Located in Colon MI, the Magic Capital of the World, James spent a couple days about town watching the magic. Before we left, James drew us a map of the street complete with addresses so we would know where to come back to.

    For the last couple years I have been doing the Abbott Magic website and a string of other magic oriented sites. They are alot of fun and keep me busy during my free time. James helps with some of the picture taking, I’m sure he’ll do more when he gets a little older. Right now he enjoys the beach the most when we visit Colon, AKA “The Magic Capital of the World”. If you would like to see more from this event be sure to visit magicgettogether.com

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