Sugar on the bay

Sebewaing sits on the shore of Saginaw Bay, and for well over a century its anchor has been sugar. The sugar-beet factory here opened in 1902 and has been running ever since — it’s one of four Michigan Sugar Company factories in the region, and it’s the town’s biggest employer. Every fall, local farmers haul their beet harvest in for processing during what’s called the “campaign,” the same rhythm the town has kept for generations.

The town throws a Michigan Sugar Festival each June to thank the industry that built it — a classic small-town celebration with a parade, a midway, a famous chicken barbecue, and fireworks, going strong since the 1960s. Add a spot right on the bay for fishing and boating, a historical museum, and a walkable downtown, and you’ve got a quiet Thumb town with a sweet claim to fame.