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Ontonagon Laborfest Parade

ONTONAGON - The spectators to Sunday's Laborfest Parade were treated to both beautiful weather and a great parade. The parade featured terrific floats, great music and wonderful participants. There were collector cars, fire engines, veterans, kids and dogs.

 

Slide Show

 
Along the parade route there were vendors selling a variety of goods. The Boy Scouts from Troop 209 in Ontonagon were also selling ice cream. Later the Scouts would march in the parade carrying the National Colors.
Greenstone a local group of really fine musicians provided music for those gathered to view the parade. Saturday, the trio entered the crowds at the Laborfest car show and craft fair. Saturday the trio was sponsored by Peninsula Graphics. Sunday the great group entertained for free. They play a variety of acoustical music including blues, folk and bluegrass.  On the left playing guitar is Raoul Goulet, playing bass is Jim Ross, and on the right playing guitar is Gene Marion.
This year’s  Laborfest Parade marshals were the members of the SONOCO. In the Marshall’s lead car was John Pelkola. John was representing the founding members of Ontonagon’s  Ambulance Service.

This year's parade featured several wonderful marching bands: Under the direction of Music Director, Ben Mayer, hometown favorite the Ontonagon High School Band that led off the parade. They were followed by The Superior Pipe & Drums, a real crowd pleaser, with their great music and talented dancers.

Once again the blue and gold from Bessemer would wow them along the parade route. Year after year Mary Jo Mykkanen, the talented Bessemer Music Director, produces one great band after another. The Speed Boys and Speed Girls once more got to show off what separates them from the rest of the pack.  Unfortunately, this will be Mary Jo’s last year in the parade.  She will be retiring at the end of this school year.

Rounding out the parade was the Great Goldenaires from Bessemer. There's not too much to say about this great Drum and Bugle Crop that hadn't already been said. They're simply the best Rich Brown brought the group to perform and they did it as they always do. No one goes away disappointed.

Once again the parade committee placed a float with overly loud music right in front of the Goldenaires.  One has to wonder how the committee can make the same blunder year after year.

above - Cane Funeral Home's float "The Ungrateful Undead". The float won first place in the Commercial Float Division.

The parade had great music, and this year as in previous years had many terrific floats.  The floats were both colorful and exciting. Of course they were covered from stem to stern with cute little kids, who were just as excited to be in the parade, as were the crowd was too see them.

In addition to the children and cute animals in the parade there was also a political presence in the parade. State Representative Mike Lahti march the route handing out candies to the kids along the parade route.
 

Last year the Dem’s had the upper hand when they brought along a live donkey.  This year the Republican’s seized the attention of the crowd with a one of a kind dog.

A music, kids, politicians, and dogs, are the usual ingredients of a successful parade and this parade had it all.
Did we say there were kids and dogs?
 

Parade Video Clips

 
 

 

 

 

Photo Gallery

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