Plaidurday fills downtown

By TOM LAVENTURE

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Ironwood - First Friday October could have doubled as the feast of flannel as people filled Aurora Street to take part in "Plaidurday".

Hundreds of people in all colors and combinations of plaid shirts, coats, hats and other apparel filled Aurora between Lowell and Suffolk streets as photographers and videographers clicked away from rooftops and camera drones zoomed above. It was part of an effort to get all of the Upper Peninsula communities to participate in the "worldwide celebration of plaid," according to the Happy Plaidurday Facebook page.

"It's grown already just in this one year," said Nancy Smith. "It's so nice to see people interested in the downtown and wanting to be out here."

Smith, 79, said she was born in Ironwood and Plaidurday was a way to conclude her summer stay before heading back to Arizona. She said it was a fun event.

"It's fantastic," said Blaise Erickson, of Ironwood. "It's good to see something revitalize the downtown."

Erickson, 83, said he recalls there were street cars running downtown when he was a child. The day World War II ended the streets were packed with people and the mines and trains were blowing their whistles."

Chloe Achatz, a student at Gogebic Community College, said the plaid celebration was new to her - but fun. It was something she hasn't seen this before in her hometown of Toledo, Ohio.

"I thought it was cool," Achatz said. "I like how everybody congregated for an event."

First Friday is a monthly event to draw people downtown with entertainment, films, food and other activities. Many downtown businesses stay open later to capture the crowds.

At the Historic Ironwood Theatre the First Friday film was "The Goonies!"

The crowds were out earlier than usual this month as Aurora Street was filled with residents who watched the Luther L Wright High School Homecoming Parade prior to the Plaidurday event. There was also the afternoon re-dedication of the Hiawatha statue renovation on Burma Road.