07/25/2025
Huge thanks to Orion Township, Michigan for the feature! Come out and see us this weekend starting TONIGHT for Tommystock 2025
Tommystock 2025 begins tonight and runs all weekend long, and before the party starts, we're excited to share some folklore about how this celebration came to life...
What began as a gathering around a summer bonfire quickly grew into one of Orion Township's most cherished annual traditions: Tommystock.
Held at Camp Agawam on the shores of Tommy's Lake, this grassroots music and community festival is more than just an event—it's a celebration of connection, memory, and the magic of feeling "up north" without ever leaving home. Tommystock also serves as a fundraiser for the Friends of Tommy's Lake and Camp Agawam, the nonprofit that organizes the event each year and dedicates all proceeds to preserving and enhancing Camp Agawam (such as the recent Firebowl improvements!).
The roots of Tommystock are deeply tied to personal stories and the land itself.
One summer evening, a group of friends gathered around a bonfire by Tommy's Lake, mourning the loss of a neighbor's father and gazing across the water at the campgrounds we now know as Camp Agawam. That night, sparks flew (beyond those from the fire).
"That summer evening was magical," recalls Friends of Camp Agawam Secretary, Missy Berwick. "I get tears in my eyes when I think about it and the impact it has had on generations—friends, family, young and old—all enjoying that simple 'up north' feeling right in our backyards."
The name itself is pure lakeside legend. Friends of Camp Agawam Board Member, Mark Davis, remembers:
"We were standing at the end of the dock, looking back at the hundred or so people on the hill. Local musicians were playing around the campfire and the hill was crowded. Someone said it looked like a small Pine K**b. Someone else said, 'Yeah, but kind of like Woodstock.' Then I think it was JC (Friends of Camp Agawam President and Orion Township Trustee, John Carson), who said, 'Tommystock.'"
That name stuck.
The following year, when the Township purchased Camp Agawam, JC suggested the crew of Tommy's Lake natives move their annual Labor Day party "across the lake."
"A week later, he told us, 'I rented the entire park,'" Mark recalls.
And just like that, a tradition was born.
"We put together the first Tommystock in 30 days," he adds. "And it's much the same as we know it today."
Today, Tommystock continues to capture the same spirit of that first fireside gathering—music echoing through the trees, families and friends sprawled across the lawn, and the peaceful reflection of Tommy's Lake at the heart of it all. It's a celebration of community, history, and the joy of being part of something homegrown and heartfelt.
Tommystock isn't just an event. It's a feeling. A LOcal tradition that brings music, laughter, and LOve to the shores of Tommy's Lake each year.
Orion Township Parks & Recreation
