Meijer State Games of Michigan Joins Heikki Lunta in Negaunee to Host Opening Ceremony
The winter festival in Negaunee, Michigan teams up to welcome participants, sponsors, and partners as the parade of athletes carries the torch and lights the cauldron.
Grand Rapids, Mich., Dec. 17, 2024 ─ The Opening Ceremony for the 2025 Meijer State Games of Michigan – Winter Games will now be co-hosted with a traditional winter festival held in Negaunee, Michigan called Heikki Lunta. The Opening Ceremony will take place in downtown Negaunee on Friday, February 7 at 5:45 PM and will be followed by the rail jam. This event is free to the public.
The Meijer State Games of Michigan and the Heikki Lunta festival partnered together to enhance the pre-existing community events and create an even better experience for participants and attendees.
Opening Ceremony will include community speakers with the athlete parade walking the torch down Iron Street to light the cauldron and signify the start of the 2025 Marquette Winter Games. All attending the Opening Ceremony will be welcome to join in the walk to the cauldron to ignite it and signify the start of the Games. Following the cauldron lighting, the rail jam will begin.
From 4:00 – 5:30 PM will be the athlete bag grab, where State Games participants can pick up a welcome bag for competing. Additionally, the Meijer State Games of Michigan, in partnership with Krist Oil, will be handing out a free meal voucher to the first 100 veterans prior to Opening Ceremony.
The Heikki Lunta festival is a celebration of all things winter with snowshoe tours, dining specials, a social district, ice fishing, fireworks, and more. The festival goes from Friday, February 7 to Sunday, February 9, and is hosted in downtown Negaunee.
The Negaunee City Manager, Nate Heffron, “is extremely excited to bring together these two community events. It was an easy decision to have the Meijer State Games join us and celebrate winter events, athletes, and our communities. This partnership amplifies what we have been doing with Heikki Lunta and highlights the numerous winter recreation opportunities in our region”.
There are volunteer opportunities during the opening ceremony and throughout the Winter Games weekend. Peninsula Fiber Network is the sponsor of the Marquette Winter Games volunteers. Volunteers will receive a free Meijer State Games of Michigan giveaway and free meals (if working over a lunch period) during the Games. For more information please visit: https://www.stategamesofmichigan.com/winter-games-volunteer
The Meijer Winter State Games sponsors include Meijer, Eagle Mine, Peninsula Fiber Network, WZMQ 19, Travel Marquette, Staybridge Suites, Krist Oil, Northern Michigan University, Great Lakes Sport Commission, SAIL Disability Network of the Upper Peninsula, and Special Olympics Michigan.
About the Meijer State Games of Michigan: The Meijer State Games of Michigan is a multi-sport, Olympic-style event for athletes of all ages and abilities. Each year, 50+ sporting events take place and over 8,500 athletes compete in the Meijer State Games of Michigan. Like the Olympics, the State Games features an opening ceremony for athletes. The flagship event of the West Michigan Sports Commission, the Meijer State Games of Michigan is a member of the National Congress of State Games and is one of 30 State Games programs in the United States. Since 2010, the Meijer State Games of Michigan has hosted over 110,000 athletes and contributed more than $42 million in estimated economic impact. For more information, visit StateGamesOfMichigan.com.