Dearborn 43rd annual Homecoming Festival

Friday was the first day of the 43rd annual Dearborn Homecoming Festival. The festival runs Aug. 2 through Aug. 4 at Ford Field Park.

“It’s a Dearborn tradition and its purpose is in its name. This is a homecoming for many a folks who might have left the city, graduated," Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud explained.

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The mayor said tens of thousands of people are drawn to the three-day festival every year. He said many are coming back home from all across the country and all over the world.

The Kadaf family, who lives in Dearborn, said they’ve made this an annual family tradition.

“It kind of brings the community together from all different walks of life, different people that live in the area, people from outside of the area. It’s just a good time,” Jeahad Kadaf said.

His daughter, Yasmeen Kadaf, said, “I love it because I love doing all the rides and how they bring out new ones every year and getting to go with people.”

Aya Kadaf echoes her father’s sentiments in enjoying a sense of community.

“I think that’s really more meaningful than just like all the rides and stuff. So, I like when everybody comes together, especially for like the fireworks show and stuff. Everything’s beautiful," Aya Kadaf said.

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The fireworks pop off Saturday and Sunday night and are expected to draw large crowds along with the bands like The All-American Rejects.

“I didn’t grow up in Dearborn, but I found out about the festival. I thought it’d be a good way to get to know people that live around, get to experience different cultures and a lot of different food I see here,” Myiah King said.

There's an array of food from a variety of cultures, including Arab American, Italian American, Polish American. If you like corn on the cob, Dearborn’s firefighters have you covered.

Beyond the music, the rides, and the food, the festival serves an even greater purpose. The mayor said much of the money raised over the next three days are going to non-profits that are instrumental in Dearborn.

Hammoud said, “So, the Fordson Alumni club, the Goodfellows and the Exchange Club, and they are three organizations that give back to the Dearborn community in many ways all year long.”