Attractions

On the campus of Hillsdale College , the Sage Center for the Arts and the Howard Music Hall hosts a variety of arts and cultural events open to the public. The “Arts Performance Series” features musical concerts, dance groups, theatre companies, and art exhibits. The Tower Players, through the Hillsdale College Department of Theatre and Speech, present faculty-directed productions; the Tower Dancers stage an annual concert. The college also has several performing ensembles including including choirs, jazz, big band, orchestra, and a wide variety of chamber ensembles. The College Community Wind Symphony is open to students and members of the Hillsdale community by audition or recommendation. Everyone enjoys the performances by the Hillcats— Hillsdale College’s faculty jazz ensemble. The Daughtrey Gallery , located in the Sage Center for the Arts, features professional exhibits as well as works from Hillsdale College faculty and students. harvest season. The fair proudly celebrates Hillsdale County’s agricultural heritage with a foundation built upon 4H/FFA children who bring animals, crafts, baking, photography, and more to display as exhibits during the fair. It also features a carnival and daily grandstand entertainment including live music concerts and horse pulling contests which over the years have resulted in several world record pulls. One of the oldest buildings on the grounds is the Grange Hall, listed as a State Registered Historic Site.

The Gospel Barn , located between Hillsdale and Reading, is a unique music venue featuring some of the finest gospel singing groups and musicians in America. Established in 1973 by Howard Rizner, the Hillsdale Arts Chorale provides quality choral music performances to the Hillsdale community October through May. Each summer, Mrs. Stock’s Park in downtown Hillsdale is home to a series of family-friendly movies on a giant blimp movie screen and free live music concerts.

Members of the Hillsdale County Art Guild display their works at businesses and public meeting places throughout Hillsdale County. Since the early 1990s, ArtWorks of Hillsdale has supported the performing and visual arts through a myriad of activities geared to highlight Hillsdale County artists, musicians, and vocalists. The Hillsdale County Community School of the Arts sponsored by ArtWorks annually holds a String Festival for Hillsdale County youth.

The Hillsdale County Fair —billed as the “The Most Popular Fair on Earth”—has drawn visitors from the tri-state area to the community since 1851. Held annually beginning the third Sunday after Labor Day, it brings a fitting close to the

Fortunate to have many of its original buildings still standing and in use today, architectural gems can be found throughout Hillsdale County. The Downtown Hillsdale National Register Historic District has many well-preserved, mostly Victorian era buildings. Hillsdale City Hall, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church, and the First United Methodist Church are State Registered Historic Sites. The Hillsdale County Courthouse , located in the heart of the district, is a State and National Registe r Landmark.

Another important State Registered Historic Site is the Will Carleton Poor House restored by the Hillsdale County Historical Society. Today it is a museum honoring Will Carleton, Michigan’s poet laureate for four decades who immortalized the building in his poem “Over the Hill to the