Local News
Love a parade
Thousands line strees of Houghton and Hancock as bridgefest kicks offBy Garrett Neese DMG Writer
POSTED: June 14, 2008
Article Photos
The festival, now in its 21st year, began Friday night and concludes Sunday.
This year’s parade had more than 100 entries, said Bridgefest president Amy McCloskey.
“There were colorful floats and a lot of personalities and entries,” she said. “It was nice.”
The one drawback, she said, was those arcs of candy. State law now requires parade participants to hand them to the crowd.
“We’re thinking about safety,” McCloskey said. “We want this to be safe and fun.”
Along with candy, people handed out beads, stickers, leaflets, and in Keweenaw Memorial Medical Center’s case, flying discs. That paved the way for one of the more distinctive looks of the parade, as a handful of people made the independent discovery that they could wear them on their heads.
Elsewhere in the parade, watchers were treated to Scottish dancing and high school and university bands.
Chris Zollner of Dollar Bay was with her grandchildren, Katy Fontaine, 5, and 3-year-old twins Cole and Quinn.
“We had to babysit our grandchildren, because everybody’s active in the parade,” she said.
That includes her daughter, Kelly, who directs the Houghton High School band.
Near the end of the parade, unicyclists Jason Cattelino, Bob Evans and Ben Bachran weaved around the street, juggling balls and bowling pins.
Jeremy Mattila of Houghton was sitting with his wife, Katie, and their children Brody, 2, and Madison, 4, at their customary parade spot along Shelden Avenue.
“We just like coming out and seeing everybody, seeing all the people and getting all the candy,” he said, pointing to his children. “They just enjoy something different.”
Garrett Neese can be reached at gneese@mininggazette.com
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