The festival is still just under a week away from its conclusion and there is still a lot of talent in store and big fish to be caught.

The entertainment in the big tent began on Friday with a performance by Bob Seger tribute band Fire Lake which was a hit with the crowd who sang along with the many hits from the Michigan legend.

On Saturday night heavy metal fans formed long lines outside the Veolia Big Tent to see Quiet Riot, which filled the big tent to capacity. The band posted a clip from its performance on its Facebook page after the concert showing the large crowd and thanking Alpena for the opportunity to visit and perform.

Sunday was Family Fun Day, a chance for families to enjoy a day at the festival and learn more about local firefighters, police officials and their equipment. The kids also enjoyed doing special activities and special entertainment that was offered.

News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Angie and Ken Douglas look at some of the large fish weighed in on Monday during the Michigan Brown Trout Festival in Alpena. The couple is visiting Northeast Michigan from Arizona.

There are more concerts in the big tent slated for this weekend. One Friday, JUMP — America’s Van Halen Experience will perform. JUMP is a Van Halen tribute band that mirrors Van Halen’s onstage talent and showmanship.

The concert is also being used as a fundraiser for Friends Together and tickets are available online on the band’s website at jumptribute.com.

On Saturday, the country duo Thompson Square will perform in the big tent. Big crowds are expected for each of the concerts.

On the fishing side of the tournament, the first brown trout was added to the leaderboard on Monday, as Shawn Muszynski caught a 9.6 pound brown but there are also many monster lake trout atop the board for that fish’s species.

Austin Szatkowski reeled in a lake trout weighing 25.75 pounds to take the top spot and Marshal Suszek netted a 25.20 laker to earn second place in the standings so far.

So far, Martin Skiba is at the top of the leaderboard for salmon with a salmon weighing 20.80 pounds.

Jenny O’Connor landed a 8.90-pound walleye over the weekend to lead that category and it may weigh enough to land a prize check at the end of the tournament.

This week there is a lot more fishing to be done, as all of the fishing wraps up on Sunday.

On Wednesday, the youth offshore tournament allows the kids to bring their fish to the scales and win prizes and on Thursday, the annual Ladies Classic will be held. The two-day Super Tournament is Saturday and Sunday, while the walleye extravaganza is Saturday.

A complete list of events, entertainment, and fishing tournaments is available at the festival’s website, browntroutfestival.com.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.