Mackinac Island Fudge Festival planned for August
UPPER PENINSULA, Mich. (WJMN) – In one corner of the globe where several of the Great Lakes meet, there is a dessert that reigns supreme. This sweet treat has become so ubiquitous with the area that the tourists seeking a sample have earned their own nickname. The decadent confection is Mackinac Island Fudge.
As a way to celebrate more than a century if making sweets, the Mackinac Island Fudge Festival is planned for August 23-25, 2024.
Details on the Fudge Festival can be found here.
Below are some facts and figures from the Mackinac Island Tourism Board about the history and production of fudge.
By the Numbers:
13 fudge stores located on the island
100+ years of fudge history on the island
10,000 pounds of fudge are made each day during peak season
10 tons of sugar are imported per week during peak season
10 tons of butter are imported each year
What to do with 24 hours on Mackinac Island
Interesting Facts:
As Mackinac Island evolved from a center of fur trade into a summer resort destination, Victorian-era vacationers began to identify the island with sweets. At first, the most common candy was maple sugar harvested by Native Americans. Other treats, including fudge, soon followed.
Fudge making on Mackinac Island began in 1865, the same year the Grand Hotel was built.
Fudge-making became a public event where craftsmen showcased their skills, mixing ingredients in kettles and pouring the liquid onto marble slabs, captivating visitors with theatrics and enticing aromas.
To attract customers during tough times, creative strategies like blowing fudge scents into the street were employed.
After World War II, economic growth and improved accessibility boosted tourism to Mackinac Island, leading to an increase of fudge shops and cementing the island’s reputation as a fudge destination.
Chocolate remains the most popular fudge flavor, though vanilla pecan gained attention when President Gerald R. Ford visited in 1975.
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