Three icons of Mason County in one setting: the Scottville Clown Band, the SS Badger and Stearns Park.
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — The Scottville Clown Band kicked off the 2026 Pure Ludington Sunset Beach Bonfire Series Thursday evening, entertaining a crowd of hundreds gathered at Stearns Park Beach for the season’s first bonfire.
The performance marked the first time in the Scottville Clown Band’s 123-year history that the organization had performed on Ludington’s beach. As the band played along the Lake Michigan shoreline, the SS Badger departed Ludington harbor, creating a memorable scene featuring three of Mason County’s most recognizable icons — the Scottville Clown Band, the SS Badger and Stearns Park.
The annual bonfire series is presented by the Ludington Area Visitors and Convention Bureau. Personnel from the Ludington Fire Department tended the bonfire throughout the evening.
The Pure Ludington Sunset Beach Bonfire Series is held on the last Thursday of June, July and August at the south end of Stearns Park Beach.
The series continues Thursday, July 30, from 8 to 10 p.m. with entertainment by Ravon Rhoden. The final bonfire will take place Thursday, Aug. 27, from 8 to 10 p.m. and will feature Tim Krause. Admission is free.
__________________________
Please Support Local News and Sports Coverage
Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news.
The payment can be paid monthly through PayPal: Click this link.
To sign up for an annual subscription, email editor@mediagroup31.com. In the subject line write: Subscription. Please supply your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number (indicate cell phone). We will not share your information with any outside sources.
For more than one email address in a household, the cost is $15 per month per email address.
We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).
Payment must be made in advance prior to subscription activation.
We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
_____
This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2026, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.
.png)
