DOLLAR BAY - Although Breene and CJ Carter stood at the edge of the road with bags wide open anticipating a toss of sugary sweets, it's not the candy that brings the siblings to the Dollar Bay Fourth of July parade.
"I don't know my favorite part," 6-year-old CJ said watching a passing antique car in the parade Wednesday.
But for 8-year-old Breene, it was pretty clear.
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Stacey Kukkonen /Daily Mining Gazette
Kids are seen riding red, white and blue decorated bikes in the Dollar Bay Fourth of July parade Wednesday. For more photos, visit cu.mininggazette.com.
"I think hearing all the music," Breene said, tapping her feet against the cement street.
Music was plenty in the afternoon parade, which had already made rounds through Lake Linden earlier in the day and began again near the school in Dollar Bay.
Hundreds of parade-goers lined main street in Dollar Bay to watch the passing parade, which included appearances by the Lake Linden-Hubbell Marching Band, Dollar Bay-Tamarack City Marching Band, classic cars, politicians and various other entries.
A police car with flashing lights followed by a Hummer representing the 1431st Sapper Company first made an appearance in the parade, followed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 6028 Dollar Bay, Keweenaw Detachment No. 1016 Marine Corps League, Knights of Columbus, BHK Head Start, VFW Post No. 4624 Hubbell, Houghton County prosecuting attorney candidates Michael Makinen and Pam Dobbs, Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, farm machinery, church groups, local business and kids on bikes, among many others.
During the parade, the smell of barbecue chicken filtered throughout town as volunteers nearby prepared more than 1,600 chicken meals on the long cement grill near the park.
Taylor Patchin, Danielle Benson and Taylor Bakkila from the Dollar Bay girls' basketball team were some of many volunteers who donned plastic gloves and filled to-go boxes with chicken and all the fixings.
"Here's a roll," Benson said, placing it in the box and passing it along.
Kimberly Peltier, who was helping organize the event, said the chicken barbecue is a popular Independence Day feature for eventgoers.
"It's the best chicken ever," she said as a line formed at the to-go table. "The firemen do such a good job."
Peltier credits the secret recipe for the draw every year and the firemen spend most of the morning and early afternoon preparing the chicken.
"The funds raised go to the firemen and then Dollar Bay athletics," she said.