Auburn Hills Summerfest Celebrates Community Character
(Crystal A. Proxmire, July 13, 2025)
Auburn Hills, MI – Summer kicked off in Auburn Hills with Summerfest – a fun event featuring a classic car show, a pet parade, vendor booths, concerts, a petting zoo, splash pad fun and more. A large poster was there for the community to color in.
Animals from Jungle Island Zoo were part of the attraction, with kids and adults getting to pet llamas, goats, pigs, and even a boa. The Zoo is located south of Toledo. “We love doing this, and we hope it shows,” said the man with the snake. “Our animals are really happy.”
Among the vendors were two men with a passion for 3D printing – Brett Jewel of Troy and Bruce Bennett of Auburn Hills.
“It’s always hard to find holiday gifts, so that’s how it started,” said Jewel. “Now it’s a love. It’s not just patterns, it’s playing with the colors. It’s artwork.” His booth was full of little toys, and sensory items.
Bennett tends to focus more on the invention side of 3D printing, doing custom engineering and design work, mostly hardware for automotive projects where parts are no longer available. He also helps inventors through the Oakland University’s OU Inc. business accelerator program.
In addition to vendors with art and items for sale, community groups were invited to be part of Summerfest. Cindy Schurman of the Rochester/Auburn Hills Community Coalition was on hand along with student Ridhi Sannak who will be attending Adams High School in the fall. Sannak’s task was talking with youth and parents about the dangers of substance use.
When asked why she is passionate about preventing drug and alcohol use and abuse, she said “It’s not something kids should be doing. If your friends are tying to get you to drink, they’re not good friends in the first place.”
The Coalition offers drug takebacks, NARCAN training, literature on marijuana and vaping, resources for mental health and wellness, suicide prevention resources, and information for parents to deter them from enabling underage drinking.
Summerfest was just the start of summertime fun in Downtown Auburn Hills. There is a Friday night music concert series as well as Reels by the Riverside. For more info on Downtown Auburn Hills events visit them on Facebook.
