Fall Color Tour returns Sunday

By Robert Tomlinson
News Director

THREE RIVERS — An annual fall tradition in the Three Rivers and eastern Cass County area returns this weekend for another year of autumn activities.
The 2023 Fall Color Tour, put on by the Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce, takes place this Sunday, Oct. 8, at eight locations in and around the Three Rivers area, all offering free activities for the whole family and a chance to see the fall colors around the area.
“This is a great event for the community that gets people out and about to enjoy the beautiful countryside we have in the Three Rivers area,” Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Christy Trammell said. “We collaborate and bring everyone together and produce a nice color tour with a variety of host sites that offer a variety of activities that day.”
While there are fewer locations participating than in recent years – last year, there were two days and 12 locations – there is still a mix of returning participants and new participants to the schedule.
Liquid Therapy Canoe and Kayak Rental at 221 S. Main St. in Three Rivers, one of three locations inside the Three Rivers city limits, is scheduled to participate once again from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will be offering a campfire, discounts on rentals for up to four hours, and trips ranging from two hours to a full day, with views of the Portage River, Prairie River, Rocky River and St. Joseph River.
Also in the city limits, H&R Block at 57201 N. Main St. will be a participant once again. The tax preparation office will have pumpkin painting, games, cider and a small Trunk or Treat from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
One of the newest participants on the Fall Color Tour will be The Huss Project, located at 1008 Eighth St. in Three Rivers. Open from noon to 4 p.m., they will offer their signature farmer’s market, nature activities for the kids, and tours of their urban farm on the historic Huss School property.
Rob Vander Giessen-Reitsma, Executive Director at The Huss Project, said they were excited to participate in the Color Tour for the first time.
“It feels good to be a part of the color tour; we’ve talked about participating for a long time, but didn’t feel like we had enough activities to attract people to our location. This year, we feel like we’ve maybe gone over a hurdle and we feel like we have enough that would be interesting to folks to have them stop by,” Vander Giessen-Reitsma said. “We’re hoping we can show some folks what we’re doing here and what we’ve been working on.”
Outside of the city limits in the rural countryside, there will be a few returning participants to the color tour, starting with Meyer Broadway Park, located at the corner of Broadway Road and Roberts Road one mile west of U.S. 131. They will offer a number of giveaways that day, including a mountain bike, disc golf cart, and a pickleball starter set, as well as all of their other amenities, including 36 holes of disc golf, a seven-mile mountain bike trail, five-acre dog park, six miles of hiking, and a playground for kids. They will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Corey Church of the Nazarene will return for their second year on the Color Tour, open from noon to 4 p.m. at 10056 Water St. in Fabius Township, near the county line. They will have free hay rides through the woods, free food and a tractor show with the St. Joseph County Old Engine Association.
One of the longest-tenured returnees to the Color Tour will be Corey Lake Orchards, located at 12147 Corey Lake Road in Fabius Township, and will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. One of the two biggest stops on the tour in terms of turnout, they will offer local artists and vendors, face painting, live music, a happy hour with wine and hard ciders, a visit from Michigan Apple Queen Sylvia Freeland, fresh produce and fresh baked donuts, and a number of food trucks, including the Three Rivers Promise and Maple Row Sugarhouse, who will not have a separate site on the tour this year after several years in a row participating with their own location.
“We look forward to the Chamber’s Fall Color Tour event each year. Corey Lake Orchards has been one of the stops on the tour for a very long time, at least 30 or 40 years,” Brenda Hubbard, co-owner of Corey Lake Orchards, said. “Fall is our primary harvest time with our many acres of grapes and apples – it’s a busy time! And Fall Color Tour reminds us that the harvest season will soon be over! During this time and throughout the year we work to support our local service organizations and food banks with donations from the bounty of our farm’s blessings. … We truly have something for every member of the family.”
Finally, over in the Cass County area, two returning locations will provide numerous activities for the Tour. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., BJR Ranch at 23469 Marcellus Highway in Dowagiac will hold their annual Fall Festival as part of the tour, which includes a kids’ play area, a petting farm, a vintage market, food and vendors, and wagon rides to see the fall colors.
Finally, another of the biggest stops on the tour will be Marion Magnolia Farms, located at 57376 Twin Lakes Rd. in Cassopolis. Open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., they will offer food trucks, face painting, a petting zoo, hay rides, and over 60 vendors in their barns. The venue noted that a parking fee may apply for those visiting.
Overall, Trammell said there’s plenty to like an enjoy every year for the Fall Color Tour, and this year’s event appears to be no exception, despite crisp temperatures in the 50s forecasted for the day.
“It’s going to be a little chillier, but that can be nice weather for activity levels,” Trammell said. “There’s something for everyone.”
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@threeriversnews.com.