Cheeseburger Summer Is So Back - The Caseville, MI Cheeseburger Festival
Article★ Emily Galeas ★ @emilygaleaswrites★ 3 Minutes
Cheeseburger season is kicking off in a big way in Caseville Michigan, a small tourist town notable for their famous annual Cheeseburger Festival. This 10-day event features live music performances, food trucks, cocktails, and of course, a cheeseburger at every restaurant and business to try out.
We attended the festival on a Saturday, one of the (naturally) busiest days of the festival. The sun was shining, and the weather was pleasant given what Michigan has faced throughout this summer. Out of all the cheeseburgers we had the option to try, we decided on Beachy’s. Beachy’s is one of many family-owned restaurants in Caseville, run by viral TikTok personality Kyle (@kylebeachy). The entire operation consists of Beachy’s Restaurant and Bar, the coffee shop “Beachy’s Bake & Brew”, and a small set of personalized shops to look through; affectionately named “Beachyville”.
The chain of family-owned restaurants is known for dominating the Cheeseburger Festival every year, and with Beachy’s popularity on social media, we knew that it would likely be a chaotic night. However, we walked straight into their outdoor tent set up, got through the monstrous line with ease, and got our food within ten minutes of placing our order. I will say, Beachy’s (like many other establishments in Caseville that evening), was cash only without access to an ATM on the restaurant property, which is something to think about before joining the line.
Pricing is always unknown when it comes to these types of events, especially in a tourist town like Caseville. However, our meals were relatively normally-priced given the current going rate for food pretty much anywhere in America right now. For a regular cheeseburger (condiments were set up buffet-style to take as you please), and a side of fries, my entire meal was about 16 dollars. The cheeseburger was pretty standard, getting to pick my own condiments was appreciated given the chaos of the event, and the fries were certainly some of the best restaurant fries I have had in years. If you are going to head into Caseville to try Beachy’s, the fries are an absolute must. They also had a variety of canned sodas and water to purchase with your meal.
Post dinner, it was time to hit the dance floor. Beachy’s outdoor seating also features a relatively large "amphitheater" of sorts, accompanied by a DJ stand. Each night of the festival seemed to feature a different live music act. Saturday night, a traveling band called “Road Dawgs” played a banging set from about 8:30 all the way to midnight with twenty minute breaks in between. Between sets, during said twenty minute breaks, Beachy’s hired a DJ to keep the night moving.
Now that the cheeseburgers had been eaten, everyone began flocking to Beachy’s bar, where a small variety of cocktails, seltzers and beer were available to purchase. This aspect of the experience really fell flat for me, as the cheapest cocktails you could purchase were 11 dollars, and the signature drink of the night, the Pirate Punch, totaled to 14 dollars. Knowing that this is a widely popular event in a tourist town, overpriced drinks are to-be-expected, but they are never appreciated. Especially with the current economic situation, it was a little painful forking over my debit card for an 11 dollar Vodka-Cran, but overall, it did not ruin my experience.
The live music was nothing short of spectacular if I’m honest, high-energy, a good mix of oldies and newer classic tracks that kept everyone interested, and a variety of genres and artists. The entire set was strictly covers. However, when it comes to playing a small festival and not directly selling your own tickets, covers really are the best options to keep people on the dance floor. The ‘Road Dawgs’ covered everything from AC/DC to Janice Joplin, Paramore to 4 Non-Blondes.
The length of the festival is also something to behold. Normally, I find it very difficult to go to these niche events due to scheduling conflicts and late notice. It can be difficult to travel a semi-long distance for a festival at the drop of a hat. However, this festival lasts over a week, in fact, it spans an entire 10 days long!
Overall, my day spent at the Cheeseburger Festival was a solid nine out of ten. The community was incredibly welcoming, the live performances were fantastic, and there was never a lack of something to do. The only thing that I would deem as “something to look out for” is the prices, however high prices are pretty expected at these types of small-town events. If you want to support local businesses, eat good food, jam out and dance with friends, the Annual Cheeseburger Festival in Caseville, Michigan is the place to be!
