Rosie the Riveter is coming to Ypsilanti with the city’s 6th annual Rosie the Riveter Craft Show. Hosted by Ypsilanti Township, the show will be located at North Bay Park and held on July 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Attendees will get to meet the original Rosies and service veterans, check out more than 90 craft booths from local artists and listen to live music. Food truck vendors will also be available. There will be a free raffle drawing happening every hour of the event, with each crafter donating one item per drawing throughout the day.
Ypsilanti is home to Rosie the Riveter, Rose Will Monroe, a factory worker at the Willow Run Aircraft Factory that built B-24 bombers. After being discovered by actor Walter Pidgeon, she was asked to appear in his propaganda film to support the war effort.
The shows founders, Brenda Stumbo and Robin Hine, created the Rosie the Riveter Craft Show to bring more community events to the city with representation of Ypsilanti’s history.
“Rosie the Riveter is a significant part of our history,” Stumbo said. “In fact, we hold the Guinness Book World Record in our area for the most people who dressed up as Rosie the Riveter in one place. It was at Eastern Michigan University.”
Ypsilanti has a strong history of local community support, and the annual Rosie the Riveter Craft Show has been a leading example of that. Participants in the show encourage all guests to learn about the history the show has to offer on the influential figure.
“They encourage attendees to sit and talk to them about what it was like to work in a factory and do things such as putting a plane together,” Stumbo said.
This event is free to the public. For more information, visit the Ypsilanti Township website.
