Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
ACCEPTING A goodie bag from the Cardinal mascot of Wakefield-Marenisco K-12 School is Kylee Damgard, who was among graduating seniors who received a Thursday evening drive-by tribute by school officials and staff, law enforcement, city officials and other community members on M-28, next to Sunday Lake.
By P.J. GLISSON
Wakefield - Temperatures in the 40s did not lessen the enthusiasm of a Thursday evening drive-by tribute to seniors that were set to graduate from Wakefield-Marenisco K-12 School the following night.
The event took place on M-28, next to Sunday Lake, where lantern poles along the paved walking path feature banners with pictures of each pending graduate.
The departing students stood next to their respective banners as a casual parade of vehicles drove along the route with drivers and passengers waving and shouting out congratulations as everyone on the sidelines interacted with excitement.
Included were members of the Michigan State Police, the Gogebic County Sheriff's Office, Beacon Ambulance, Wakefield city staff, local businesses and many other community members.
Wakefield-Marenisco Superintendent Jason Gustafson - along with teachers, administration and staff - also were among the mix, and school board members were seen smiling and waving from the windows of a bus with a sign stating "Congrats WM Grads! #Cardinal Pride."
Some of the other miscellaneous cars also featured red, white and blue balloons and signs such as "Way to Go," "Good luck" and "We salute you." One car had a huge, red graduate cap on top of it.
Members of the Wakefield Volunteer Fire Department, who attended the event in fire engines, seemed to garner the liveliest reactions.
Just before the string of vehicles began its route, the Wakefield-Marenisco Cardinal mascot walked quickly down the sidewalk, distributing goodie bags to departing students and stopping to pose for photos upon request.
The drive-by tribute began last year when the COVID-19 pandemic closed the school for half of the spring semester, depriving students then graduating of their normal prom, banquets and other events.
