Gazette file photo/Garrett Neese Participants in the 2024 Lumber Jack Days parade.

BARAGA — Baraga will celebrate its annual Lumberjack Days beginning tomorrow evening. The two-day celebration which began in 1969 has been a Keweenaw Bay staple for spending time together as a community and enjoying a parade, games and the crowning of the Lumberjack Days Queen. The theme of this year’s parade is “Party like it’s 1999.” On Friday morning, Superior Ave will be closed to thru traffic from Baraga Armory to M-38. The road will continue to be closed from Homestead Graphics to M-38 until the conclusion of the festivities that night.

Baraga County Lumberjack Days Committee Vice President Nick Lozier said preparations have gone smoothly. “Every year we try to improve it more,” Lozier said. “It’s gone quite well. We’ve got a veteran crew that knows the job. This year we met every two weeks leading up to the event so we should be good to go as long as it doesn’t rain.”

On Thursday Lumberjack Days kicks off at 6:30 p.m. the gates opening for the street dance in front of Wilkinson’s General Store on Superior Ave. This is also where the Lumberjack Queen will be selected amongst five candidates.

The Lumberjack Queen candidates this year are; Haley Dosmann, Ellise Dove, Shayla Elmblad, Megan Mayo and Katie Sarau.

The other royalty events will include the selection of the Grand Marshal, Princess and Prince. The Royalty introductions will begin at 7:30 p.m. to be followed up with the street dance with music provided by DJ Express. The Dogfather food truck will also be on hand to provide something to eat.

After a night of partying, the Fourth of July festivities begin bright and early with a pancake breakfast at 8:00 a.m. at Baraga Area Schools. A 5K and Fun Run starts at the same time at American Legion Post 444, with registration starts an hour earlier. Entry fee is $20 with all proceeds going to the Baraga School Cross Country Program. The Post will also have a flag raising ceremony at 11:45 a.m., and at noon the Children’s Parade will begin there.

There will be more children’s activities starting at 1:30 p.m. with a coin scramble at Superior National Bank. There will be two groups planned, one for kids 2 – 6 years old and a second group for 7 to 12 year olds.

Parade activities start at 2 p.m. lining up at the Baraga Armory. During lineup, all floats will be judged by the committee in accordance to the “Party like it’s 1999” theme. A winner will be selected and the parade will officially begin at 3:30 p.m.

Those wishing to participate in the Bean Bag Tournament must register at the street dance on Thursday night or outside the American Legion Post 444 between noon and 4 p.m Friday. The tournament fee is $20 with prizes for first through fourth place. The tournament will last for three hours.

Lumberjack Days will conclude a fireworks show over Keweenaw Bay sponsored by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. Lozier said he is expecting a good show which can be seen from miles away with multiple spots around Keweenaw Bay where they can be enjoyed, although Lozier recommends getting to the waterfront for the best views. In case of bad weather, the fireworks will be postponed until the next night.

“The Fourth of July has always been my favorite holiday. To see everyone come back to town to celebrate it is something special. It’s a celebration that is important to the people of Baraga and it’s always nice to be able to thank our veterans,” Lozier said.