ONTONAGON – Downtown Ontonagon was full of people Sunday afternoon for the annual Labor Day parade.

Sunday’s parade was the culmination of the Ontonagon Labor Day Festival, held Friday through Sunday. Other events included an auto show, 5K and 10K run, children’s parade, live music and fireworks.

The parade boasted trucks, marching bands, local organizations and appearances from luminaries like U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman.

The Ontonagon Theater used its float to reveal the answer of the mystery whodunit put on as part of the festival Saturday. (Congratulations to everyone who guessed the director.)

Local clubs also tried to one-up each other and entertain the crowd with elaborate floats.

The Norwich Country Club built a multi-stage tableau for its float “From the Roaring 20s‚Ķ to the Boring 20s,” juxtaposing the party at a speakeasy with a woman sitting at home in a recliner watching a COVID-19 press conference.

For the Stein Country Club’s float, “69 Years of Clowning Around,” members put on clown suits, shot confetti into the crowd, threw candy and squirted them with water.

The club decided on a clown theme for the year after also considering a tribute to the number of little bars in Ontonagon.

“We wanted to do something for the kids,” said Stein Club member Tom LaBine.

The Stein Club helped start the Labor Day celebration in Ontonagon, said Tom’s brother, Dan LaBine. The club put in a week of work on the float, putting in a final push Sunday.

“They say there ain’t nowhere else around that people actually build floats and dress up and do it like Ontonagon,” Dan LaBine said.

Marty’s Goldenaires entertained the crowd with mini-concerts during the parade, and again with a longer set once the parade ended.

They began with a set of patriotic numbers, including songs for each of the four military branches.

Dawn Richter of Shell Lake, Wisconsin, slow-danced on the street with Tom DeCarlo, a World War II Navy veteran.

“The Goldenaires is my favorite band. I just love them,” she said, as the band began playing “Georgia On my Mind.”

Dave Bradley of Iron Mountain has been coming to the parade for 15 years. His wife is from Ontonagon. Marty’s Goldenaires is his favorite part. But his family also enjoyed other parts of the festival, like Saturday night’s fireworks display.

“We saw the car show – I always check that out,” he said. “The wife and kids do the vendors and stuff. We always make a weekend out of it.”

The Stein Club Clown Band greets the crowd with candy, confetti and squirts from water guns during Ontonagon’s Labor Day Parade. Garrett Neese/ Daily Minning Gazette

Garrett Neese/ Daily Minning Gazette. Marty’s Goldenaires perform for the crowd at the Labor Day parade in Ontonagon Sunday.

Garrett Neese/ Daily Minning Gazette. Dawn Richter of Shell Lake, Wisconsin, dances on the street with World War II Navy veteran Tom DeCarlo during Marty’s Goldenaires’ concert following the Ontonagon Labor Day parade Sunday.

Garrett Neese/ Daily Minning Gazette. Photos by Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette
The Norwich Country Club’s float “From the Roaring 20s … to the Boring 20s” came complete with a golf cart paddy wagon.

Garrett Neese/ Daily Minning Gazette. Photos by Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette
The Norwich Country Club’s float “From the Roaring 20s … to the Boring 20s” came complete with a golf cart paddy wagon.

Garrett Neese/ Daily Minning Gazette. Floats and trucks make their way down River Street during Ontonagon’s Labor Day parade.