Union City in Branch County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Carp Rodeo

Union City Heritage Water Trail

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1. Carp Rodeo Marker

Union City Heritage Water Trail #25
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Inscription.
Union City’s infamous “Carp Rodeo” festival, a fundraiser for lake improvements, had several reincarnations around the area. The earliest ones were believed to have been held on Haughly Drive in the 1960s. In the 1980s, you could find the part in tents on Riley Rd. on the Ripstra property near the dam. In the 1990s, the Lake Association purchased the property here, naming it Betty Coates Park for a long time community volunteer. It was home to the event for several years and a couple of generations. The carp rodeo often featured carp fishing, hog roasts, dancing, horseshoe, softball and mud volleyball tournaments along with a little beer consumption. The last one was held here in 2003. The land became private property again in 2004.

Erected 2016 by Union City Heritage Water Trail. (Marker Number 25.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 2003.

Location. 42° 3.71′ N, 85° 9.01′ W. Marker is in Union City, Michigan, in Branch County. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Union City MI 49094, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Indigenous Residents (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Elkhorn Lodge: Home of "Skinny" Bullock

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(about 800 feet away); Gerald Davison's Hilltop House (approx. ¼ mile away); Head of St. Joe Navigation (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Arbogast Bridge (approx. 0.4 miles away); Alumni Field (approx. half a mile away); "Municipal Pond" Becomes Union Lake (approx. half a mile away); The Park Street "Spencer" Bridge (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Union City.

Regarding Carp Rodeo. There are 28 of these markers comprising the Union City Heritage Water Trail on the Coldwater River and the St. Joseph River launched in 2016 for the village's Sesquicentennial. These markers can be viewed by paddling the 5 mile stretch of river from the JP Palmer Launch in the Village of Union City to the Riley Dam on the SW Corner of Union Lake. Most of these markers CANNOT by accessed by foot as they are on private property along the river. Please do not trespass. More details can be found at www.uchwt.com

Credits. This page was last revised on April 9, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 184 times since then and 37 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on April 9, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.

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