Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
A GROUP of "dogs" recreate the famous dogs playing poker painting by artist Cassius Marcellus Coolidge during the Ontonagon Labor Festival parade on Monday. The float won first prize.
ONTONAGON - Beautiful weather, large crowds, music, floats and some surprises highlighted the 57th annual Ontonagon Labor Festival parade Sunday in Ontonagon.
The parade featured a special presentation, welcoming Highland Copper Company president David Fennell to Ontonagon County. Highland recently purchased the rights to mining projects in the Upper Peninsula, including the White Pine Mine.
William Fischer, president of the Ontonagon County Economic Partnership, presented Fennell with a framed picture of the "Welcome Highland to Ontonagon" signs featured in the windows of businesses in the downtown area.
In return, Fennell thanked the crowd and the people of the area for the "wonderful reception" he had received.
"I will be coming back frequently," he said.
Music from the Bessemer, Hurley and Ontonagon High school bands, Copper Country Clown Band and Marty's Goldenaires filled the route. A large crowd cheered Marty's at a concert after the parade.
In addition to music, the parade route was filled with floats, and judging was close. Two points separated the top four finishers, but the Dream Catchers captured first with its rendition of the famous dogs playing poker painting by artist Cassius Marcellus Coolidge.
The Norwich Country Club's depiction of the television show "Hee Haw" took second. In third place was a float featuring the theme "Duck 'Steinery,'" a spoof on the popular television show "Duck Dynasty." The float consisted of heavily bearded duck hunters in tall grass.
The fourth place float was entered by the Ontonagon Golf Club, and featured characters from the cartoon show "The Flinstones." Fred and Wilma Flinstone, Bam Bam and Barney Rubble and other characters rode the float.
Also on the Flinstones-themed float was county prosecutor Jim Jessup. Jessup, dressed a stone-age man, took the ice bucket challenge in honor of raising money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Jessup challenged several others to also do the challenge, including sheriff Dale Rantala.
The fifth place float was from the Perronville Penn.
The Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital float won the Jerome Hoefferle Trophy for the best commercial float in the parade. Eight residents of the long-term care unit were featured on the float, including Irene Hokans, who carried the sign noting she had reached 104 years old.
The Ontonagon Hockey and Figure Skating clubs' float claimed first in the youth division and the Ontonagon Historical Society Intern float was second in that division.
