There will be plenty of fun lined up for young and old alike this weekend, as the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce’s Summer in the City Festival returns to downtown Dowagiac.

The 32nd annual summertime extravaganza will kick off at 7 p.m. Thursday with a free concert by American Idol contender Jared Knox and the Hagar Bombs at Beckwith Park. The festival kicks into high gear on Friday and Saturday, with a variety of new and returning activities taking place throughout downtown Dowagiac. The festival will close at 2 p.m. Sunday with ACTION’s Community Praise Jam at the Beckwith Park gazebo.

Among the highlights of this year’s festival include the returning Summer on Tap craft beer tasting, sponsored by Sister Lakes Brewing Company. The event will be from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, and will take place in conjunction with a free concert by Nashville singer-songwriter Kari Lynch, who will take the stage at Beckwith Park at 7 p.m.

Another returning event will be the fourth annual Taste of Dowagiac, which will be from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday. Participants will be able to sample hors d’ouerve-sized dishes from the following downtown eateries: Baker’s Rhapsody, Beeson Street Bar & Grill, Caruso’s Candy Kitchen, Earl’s BBQ, Round Oak Revisited, Saylor’s Front Street Pizzeria, Wood Fire Italian Trattoria and The Wounded Minnow Saloon. Tickets cost $10, and may be purchased at any of the host businesses.

Also on Saturday will be the third annual Dowagiac Amazing Race, hosted by Chemical Bank. Around a dozen teams will participate in the race, which kicks off at 11 a.m. and will sprawl through various locations throughout Dowagiac. Teams will solve various riddles and challenges in order to advance and make it to the finish line, located downtown.

One of the focuses of this year’s festival was increasing the number of activities for children, in response to feedback from parents who attended Summer in the City the last several years, said chamber president Kim MacGregor.

In addition to returning favorites like the children’s games, organized by the Dowagiac Area Federal Credit Union, and Friday’s Princess Party and Parade, hosted by the 2017 Miss Dowagiac court, organizers have brought in new children’s rides, such as the Dixie Twister and a rock climbing wall. The rides will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

“It worked out really well for us this year,” MacGregor said. “I’m really excited to see how the kids respond to them.”

Sidewalk sales, another staple of the festival, will return this year as well, opening at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday along Front Street.

Shuttles will be available during the weekend to help ferry visitors to and from parking lots downtown.

With these activities and more lined up for the weekend, there will be something for everyone during Dowagiac’s biggest festival of the year.

“Come on down and check out the city, the new kids rides and activities,” MacGregor said. “It will be a great time.”

For a complete schedule of events visit the Dowagiac chamber website at dowagiacchamber.com.