The world-famous Scottville Clown Band

For a small town, Scottville has an outsized claim to fame: the Scottville Clown Band, one of the most beloved and longest-running acts in Michigan. If you’ve been to a summer parade anywhere in the state, there’s a good chance you’ve heard them coming, sometimes called “the Big Noise from Scottville.”

It started back in 1903, when a group of Scottville merchants formed a band and clowned around in costume to entertain folks at local celebrations. The group faded during World War II, but a local merchant revived it in 1947 and gave it the name it still carries today. Ever since, the band has marched in zany outfits, played crowd-pleasers like “The Stripper,” and generally made a joyful racket at parades and festivals from one end of Michigan to the other.

Today its members come from all walks of life and from all over the map, and they play purely for the love of it. The band is a nonprofit that puts its energy into music scholarships and youth programs, and it built and looks after the Museum of Music at White Pine Village south of Ludington, where its own colorful story is on display. You can catch their schedule at scottvilleclownband.com.