Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
David Manki, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, leads a color guard as they march north on Sunday Lake Street in Wakefield during the Fourth of July parade on Monday.
By ZACHARY MARANO
Wakefield - Light showers on Monday afternoon weren't enough to stop the Fourth of July celebrations in Wakefield, with the parade starting at Cormier's Corner and proceeding on Brotherton and Sunday Lake streets.
City and area residents lined the streets of downtown Wakefield to watch the parade from camping chairs and bleachers, while children prepared to gather any candy thrown from the parade floats.
Before the general parade started, a group of children travelled from the fire department to the old city hall on Sunday Lake Street. Many entrants in this children's parade were riding bicycles and tricycles draped in patriotic reds, whites and blues.
Next came the Klassic Kruisers Car Club, followed by officers and vehicles from the Gogebic County Sheriff's Department, Michigan State Police-Wakefield Post and Wakefield and Marenisco police departments.
David Manki, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, led a color guard consisting of men and women clad in the uniforms of several branches of the U.S. armed forces.
There was music aplenty during the event with three school marching bands participating in the parade. First came the Wakefield-Marenisco School District band, then the Bessemer high school band and finally the Ironwood high school band.
There were many floats in the parade, many of which were connected to the city's theme for the Fourth of July: "Generosity - Diversity - Unity." People had the opportunity to vote for their favorites. The Wakefield/Bessemer Rotary Club won the grand prize for their "Bee Kind in Generosity, Diversity, Unity" float with a giant homemade bee's nest.
Other parade floats included the Gogebic Miners Softball team's float - which featured an inflatable Uncle Sam in a Miners T-shirt - the tractor-pulled Wakefield-Marenisco class of 1972 float, and a giant cow was featured on the Northwoods General Store and Coffeehouse float.
Bringing up the rear were Marty's Goldenaires, who performed in the middle of the road near the intersection of Hancock and Sunday Lake streets after the parade as a crowd gathered around them in a circle to hear the drum and bugle corps.
