Ontonagon parade salutes veterans
Damian Wolf/For the Mining Gazette Bees from the Norwich Country Club float are the buzz of the Ontonagon Labor Day Parade on Sunday.
Damian Wolf/For the Mining Gazette Bees from the Norwich Country Club float are the buzz of the Ontonagon Labor Day Parade on Sunday.
Damian Wolf/For the Mining Gazette The Stein Club shares its “Tanks to our veterans” message to parade goers.
Damian Wolf/For the Mining Gazette Bees from the Norwich Country Club float are the buzz of the Ontonagon Labor Day Parade on Sunday.
Damian Wolf/For the Mining Gazette Bees from the Norwich Country Club float are the buzz of the Ontonagon Labor Day Parade on Sunday.
Damian Wolf/For the Mining Gazette The Stein Club shares its “Tanks to our veterans” message to parade goers.
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ONTONAGON - The crowd rose to their feet from folding chairs, beach chairs, village benches and curbs as they enthusiastically clapped and cheered in honor and appreciation of the men marching before them.
The Ontonagon Labor Day Parade Sunday was led by past servicemen from the local American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Prisoners of War and Disabled American Veterans.
A paradegoer yelled, "I love America!" as parade marshal John Dewitt, founder of The Moving Wall, a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., passed by.
About three dozen units participated in the afternoon procession down River Street with hundreds of parade watchers trying to beat the heat, seeking what little shade the downtown district afforded.
"This is the hottest one I remember," a Wisconsin mother of three who was visiting her place in Ontonagon said. "Some years we've had to wear winter coats."
Her young sons were well-entertained by a variety of floats, including those from MI-TRALE, U.P Hockey, Hamilton's North Coast Adventure Rentals, 906 Services, Forest School and Ontonagon Golf Club, while filling a bag's worth of candy and other items. Vehicles with lights, horns and sirens from Ontonagon Volunteer Fire Department, Sonco Ambulance and Aspirus Medevac were also crowd favorites.
Bands – Bessemer and Hurley, WI, high schools, the Copper Country Clown Band and Marty's Goldenaires – kept the patriotic spirit of the crowd going. The Norwich Country Club's bee-themed float, named first place in the open division, spread the "Support your Pollinators" message while entertaining the crowd with fun tunes and dancing bees.
The parade also featured plenty of off-road vehicles, golf carts and heavy equipment, such as earth-movers, tractors and even a forklift.
The Stein Club, in the parade's penultimate position, rolled a tank-shaped float down the street in memory of World War I veterans with Marty's Goldenaires' drumline heard in the distance.
Since the 1950s, Ontonagon has hosted an activity-filled Labor Day weekend; this year's event occurred without a hitch, except maybe a little sunburn.