Durand Railroad Days Carnival Returns This Weekend

As a kid living in the cold grasp of a Mid-Michigan winter, I was always looking forward to spring. Not for the warmer temperatures, and not for the local ice cream shops opening for the season, but for the arrival of the carnivals.

Why Carnival Season Feels Special in Mid-Michigan

I used to watch out my bedroom window as the carnival caravan rolled into town to set up massive machines, food trucks, and game stations that would only be around for a single weekend. It was like having a little piece of Cedar Point or Michigan’s Adventure right in your backyard.

Excitement is once again in the air as one of the earliest carnivals of the season gears up to kick off this weekend. Durand’s annual Railroad Days carnival and festival returns with food, live music, and a midway full of rides, all with Durand’s historic Durand Union Station right there in the background.

Memories of Growing Up With Michigan Carnivals

My Maltese grandfather was an immigrant who moved to the U.S. in the 1950s. He worked for General Motors and was a phenomenal engineer. In fact, if you drove an early 1980s Buick LeSabre, my Nannu was the guy who designed your bumpers.

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Carmel “Chuck” Fenech was the first person to introduce me to the science and engineering behind some of my favorite rides to this day. He took me on two particular rides that still get me all revved up: the Loop-O-Plane and the Rock-O-Plane. The forces those classic carnival staples put riders through are thrilling, exhilarating, and simply awesome.

Durand's Railroad Days Continues a Mid-Michigan Tradition

A newer ride from the 70s and 80s called the Zipper somewhat combines the two classics, and it is just one of the many rides available this weekend in Durand.