Communities plan July 4 celebrations

By LISA M. HOFFMANN,Staff Writer

IRON MOUNTAIN - Parades, music, games and fireworks are planned for the celebration of Independence Day this year.

The Fourth of July scheduled includes:

IRON MOUNTAIN-KINGSFORD

This year's Iron Mountain-Kingsford Independence Day parade will step off at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, July 4. The theme for the parade, organized by Americans for Constitutional Enforcement (ACE), is "Reliving 1776."

Retired sheriff Don Charlevoix, accompanied by his wife, is this year's grand marshal. They will be riding in a convertible in the parade.

The route is the same as in recent years: beginning at North Boulevard and Pyle Drive in Kingsford, proceeding north on North Boulevard to Woodward Avenue, then east on Woodward Avenue to Carpenter Avenue, then north on Carpenter Avenue to H Street in Iron Mountain, then east on H Street before dispersing onto Stephenson Avenue or the Midtown Mall parking lot.

An Independence Day "Reliving 1776" rally will take place at the conclusion of the parade. The Tea Party rally will be held at Midtown Mall at 11 a.m. For more information on the rally, contact Richard Abraham of ACE at (906) 774-1147.

The Dickinson County Area Band will perform Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Lake Antoine County Park. The band, under the leadership of Kingsford High School Director Ben Sherk, will play a concert of patriotic music, marches and light concert selections. The band's schedule for the summer includes concerts on Wednesday evenings through the month of July.

The band will also play on Sunday, July 12 along with the Dickinson County Chorus. Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. at the band shell; patrons are asked to bring their own chairs.

Fireworks in Iron Mountain will be lit from Millie Hill at dusk on Saturday.

Additionally, the Dry building across from the Cornish Pump Museum will be open from 7 p.m. until the conclusion of the fireworks. Friends of the Museum will sell food, including porketta, Italian beef sandwiches, hot dogs, popcorn, soda and cookies.

There will also be rummage sale items.

"Come early for good parking in a great location relaxing for an evening of fun," said a Friends spokesperson.

This is a fund-raiser by Friends of the Museum for the World War II CG 4A Glider Project.

NORWAY

Show patriotism for America by participating in Norway's Independence Day parade on Saturday. The parade will be on Main Street and begin with a Kiddies Parade at 6:30 p.m.

Line-up for the Kiddies Parade will be on 10th Avenue (northside of City Hall). Line-up of all other participants will be on 11th and Railroad Avenues.

No registration is required. All participants are requested to arrive at least 45 minutes prior to the start of the parade.

For the safety of viewers, participants in the parade are asked not to throw anything from their entries. Officials ask to have someone walk alongside and hand out the items.

Horse clubs should provide a clean up person to follow the horses.

Call Wally at 563-5746 with any questions concerning the parade.

After the parade, the Norway City Band will perform a concert at the Band Shell, located next to City Hall.

This will be followed by the fireworks display by the Norway Volunteer Fire Department at dusk.

For the safety of all participants and viewers, there will be no parking on Main Street during the parade.

If there is inclement weather, the parade and fireworks will be held on Sunday, July 5, said Fire Chief David Bal.

POWERS-SPALDING

A parade with a Patriotic Theme at 10 a.m. on Saturday will begin the Powers-Spalding Independence Day Celebration. Registration will be at the Lions Club building on Old Highway 41 in Powers. Best floats will get cash prizes.

A celebration at Veteran's Memorial Park in Powers will follow the parade. Food, refreshments, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, kids games, camping, a fishing derby and air rides for the kids will be held.

There will also be a fishing derby sponsored by Normenco Sportsman's Club. Garden and lawn tractor pulls will begin at noon. The Cadillac's will play music all afternoon.

Fireworks will be at dusk at North Central Area School. No carry-ins will be allowed.

The events are sponsored by the Powers-Spalding Lions Club.

HERMANSVILLE

The 17th Annual Hermansville Independence Day Celebration will be on Saturday at the Hermansville Beach and Park. Once again, the Floriano-Stecker American Legion Post No. 340 and the William Anderson Sportsmans Club are co-sponsoring the event, which they have done for nearly 40 years.

Among the many events planned is a parade, which is set to start at 11 a.m. Line up and registration of floats will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Earle Drive near Stewart Manufacturing.

Prizes will be awarded for floats, antique cars, classic cars, best decorated ORV and two best decorated bicycles. All children in the parade will receive a prize.

Vietnam helicopter pilot James Vernon will fly over the Hermansville area at 11:30 a.m. Vernon is an active member of the Legion Post. He is also active in the Vietnam Veterans Association and is on the Vietnam Veterans Museum Board.

Fireworks will be at dusk by Meyer Township Fire Department. No sparklers, fireworks or alcohol will be permitted at the fireworks, which are sponsored by American Legion Post 340 and William Anderson Sports & Recreation Club. Dennis Trudell is in charge of soliciting funds for the celebration and has sent letters to organizations, individuals and business firms. He can be reached at 497-4111.

Afternoon music will feature "Night Train" and the Whitens & Friends Family Orchestra. There will be food stands, rides and games for the children. The Sportsmans Club will be in charge of the Mud Runs at the Hermansville Lake. Registration is from 8 a.m. to noon. The entry fee is $15. The mud runs include stock, modified and pro stock classes. Cash prizes and trophies will be awarded. Racing will start at noon.

Running order will be determined by draw numbers.

The IXL Historical Museum and the Vietnam Veterans Association museum will be open during the day. The Hermansville Car Club is holding the annual car show on the IXL Museum grounds from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Judging will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.. Last year, there were more than 100 entries in the car show.

"The Avenue of Flags," 92 of them, are on display at the Meyer Township Cemetery and will be on display until July 9.

"What a beautiful sight to see the flags blazing in the sun," said Frank Rodman of the Floriano-Stecker American Legion.

In the evening, the Meyer Township Volunteer Fire Department will do a fireworks display. Rodman said last year, the fireworks drew many favorable comments.

Fire Chief Pat Dani and members of the Meyer Township Fire Department will once again put up the American Flags in the community.

Records at the IXL Historical Museum note the first July 4 celebration in Hermansville was in 1912. It is reputed to be the oldest celebration in the area.

FOSTER CITY

FELCH-HARDWOOD

The Fourth of July parade will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday in Felch. All participants will line up on Kelly Road no later than 10:30 a.m. and continue to the Felch Community Center.

Fireworks will be at dusk at the Felch Community Center.

CHANNING

A parade will be at 10 a.m. Saturday on M-95 in downtown Channing. The theme is "Remember When." A picnic at Eddie Lake will start at 1 p.m. There will be a beer stand, brat stand, Bingo and kids games.

IRON RIVER

Registration for the West Iron County July 4 parade will begin at 8:30 a.m. on the west side of the West Iron County High School.

Members of the auxiliary units of the Legion Posts No. 17 and No. 21, as well as V.F.W. Post No. 3134 will be on hand to help with registration. Parade units will form on the south side parking area of the high school.

The parade committee requests all units use the street between the school and Kermit's Bar as the main entrance to the parking lot.

The West Iron County July 4 parade will begin at 10 a.m. with mass colors of the veterans organizations, proceed through Old Stambaugh, down Stambaugh Hill to U.S. 2, left to Genesee Street through Iron River to Fifth Street where the parade will disband.

Anticipated units in line of march will be the W.I.C. High School Band, boys and Girl Scout units, antique vehicles, decorated floats, bicycles and area fire department and local auto dealers.

After the parade, World War II veterans on their floats will be dropped off and await pick up at the Iron County Armory. Any Iraq/Afghanistan, War on Terrorism Veterans, Active/Inactive/Guard or Reserve are encouraged to march in uniform in the parade if possible.

Due to ever increasing costs for fireworks and insurance, W.I.C. cheerleaders and pom dancers will canvass the crowd to solicit donations to cover the cost of the parade and fireworks.

Announcing the parade units from the reviewing stand will be Chet Benson of Iron River. Prizes will be awarded in the parade to all categories - adult organizations, commercial, individual organization or group, youth comic group, individual decorated bikes, antique vehicles, youth organizations, adult comic group, individual horses and comics and saddle clubs. Everyone is urged to enter their unit in the July 4 parade to show patriotism.

Following the parade, there will be games and free ice cream for all children at the W.I.C. Fire Department Station on Ninth Street in Iron River, sponsored by the W.I.C. volunteer firemen. Fireworks will begin at 10 p.m. under the supervision of W.I.C. Fire Chief Alfred Perlongo and his volunteer firemen. If there is inclement weather, fireworks will be at 10 p.m. on July 5.

Parade marshals this year will be John Kinner and John Trottier, both of Iron River. Trottier is a World War II veteran who served four years in the U.S. Navy. He was assigned to amphibious units participating in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily and D-Day invasion of Normandy before being assigned to the Pacific Theatre until V-J Day.

After the war, Trotter spent 62 years belonging to Alfred Branchini Post 17 of Iron River. Serving as commander, adjutant, 12th District Commander, adjutant of the West Side Veteran's Council since 1953 and a member of V.F.W Ottawa Post No. 3134.

Trottier has also served on numerous committees and planned many Memorial Day and July 4 parades. He also served on many funeral details over the years throughout the county and has felt it is an honor to serve his community.

Kinner was a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant who served with the 1st Air Commando Unit in the Chinese/Burma/India Theatre, earning several decorations and citations, including the Asiatic Pacific award with three bronze stars. After the war, Kinner has belonged to the Ottawa V.F.W Post No. 3134 for 48 years, serving as commander for three years, adjutant for 25 years, district commander three times, treasurer West Side Veterans Council for 36 years, Michigan Veterans Trust Fund for 25 years and a member of Reino Post 21 American Legion for 29 years.

Kinner has also served on numerous committees and planned many Memorial Day and July 4 parades. He also served on many funeral details over the years throughout the county, has traveled hundreds of miles on behalf of veterans and has been a member of the Iron River Elks for 30 years.

ALPHA

The village of Alpha's 4th of July Celebration will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday with an opening ceremony on Main Street. Master of the ceremonies is Bob Black; invocation will be by Robert Ball; and East Side Veterans Honoree of the day is John Plowe. Featured events are the Forest Park Marching Band and a flag raising by the Alpha-Mastodon Fire Department. The parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will be led by the Iron County Sheriff's Department.

Cash prizes will be awarded for best-trimmed bicycles and best costumes. All children participating in the parade will receive a cash prize.

Following the parade, everyone will receive a free ice-cream cone and Crackerjacks. Concessions will be available at the pavilion with brats, hotdogs, soda and beer. Musical entertainment will begin at noon with performances by the bands "Crossroads" and "Dark Star." All events are being hosted by the Alpha-Mastodon Fire Department.

A pie social and bake sale, sponsored by the Alpha Museum, will be held at the Alpha Senior Center at 9 a.m.

A coin scramble for ages one through six will be held at 11 a.m., registration for a horseshoe tournament begins at noon, kids races ages three to 14, wheelbarrow races, sack races, three-legged race, egg race begin at 1 p.m.

A horseshoe tournament will begin at 2 p.m. and an egg toss game for ages 12 and up begins at 3:30 p.m.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners.

In addition, there will be an open house at the Alpha Museum from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The annual museum drawing will be at 3 p.m.

A spectacular fireworks display will be held at dusk, hosted by the members of the Alpha-Mastodon Fire Department's Trained and Certified Pyrotechnics Team.

DUNBAR, Wis.

Northland Camp & Conference Center's 2009 Freedom Celebration will be held on Friday. The celebration begins at 6:30 p.m. Although parking is $3, admission is free.

The event features a fireworks spectacular, billed as the largest fireworks display in northeastern Wisconsin at dusk, King's Brass, internationally renowned brass ensemble providing patriotic selections, Petit Team Bluegrass, toe-tapping favorites with a Smoky Mountain flair, and speaker Steve Scheibner, originally scheduled to fly one of the plane hijacked on 9/11; he now serves as a pastor in Topsham, Maine.

Free sparklers, concessions, historical characters, a 30-foot inflatable slide, dunk tank, 18-hole miniature golf, inflatable bouncy ring, face painting and carnival games are also features of the event.

Northland is located at W10085 Pike Plains Road in Dunbar.

FLORENCE, Wis.

Fireworks will be at dusk over Fisher Lake in Florence on Saturday.

SPREAD EAGLE, Wis.

A special Badwater Ski-Ters Water Ski show will be held on Saturday at 2 p.m. Admission is free.

Shows are held rain or shine every Wednesday and Sunday night through Aug. 12 and Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. on the Badwaters of the Menominee River. Shows are on the Wisconsin side of the Menominee River at Vagabond Park in Spread Eagle.

WAUSAUKEE, Wis.

The Annual Freedom Celebration in Wausaukee will be held on July 4. A softball tournament will begin at 8 a.m. Friday and Saturday at Ballas Field on Fairgrounds Road.

A parade will follow at 11 a.m. and progress down Main Street from the south of U.S. Highway 141 near Highway 180 to Fairgrounds Road.

Parade participants must be lined up by 10:30 a.m. in the area behind Exxon and J&R auto.

Festivities after the parade will take place at the Marinette County Fairgrounds on Fairgrounds Road.

Events planned are kids games, drawings, food/beer sales, bands, demonstrations, a dunk tank, Darryl's fishing tank, Blow up Bouncer, and bake sales.

The Presbyterian Church, the Wausaukee Fire Department, Lions Club, Rescue Squad, American Legion Post, Baseball Association and local businesses are sponsoring the event.

The American Legion and Lions organizations will be serving food. The fire department will be serving liquid refreshments. The Presbyterian Church will have homemade pie and ice cream.

Cheerleaders will hold a bake sake at the Exxon on Friday and a brat fry at Hovers on Saturday.

Local non-profits will set up booths and businesses will be open at their regular establishments. Crafters will have booths set up at the fair grounds for their merchandise.

Bands scheduled by the American Legion are Alvin Styczynski's Famous Polka Dance Band from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. A dance recital will be held at 2 p.m.

Bands are also scheduled at Newingham's Supper Club and the Chippewa Bar. Wausaukee Bowl will sponsor a DJ.

WUMPA truck pulls will start at 4 p.m. NWA Pro Wrestling, sponsored by the Wausaukee Rescue Squad, will begin at 6 p.m. at the ball field.

Advance tickets are available at the Wausaukee Rescue Squad building and Chippewa Bar. The price is $8 for general admission, $5 for children under 10 and $15 for front row seats. The day of the event the tickets will be $15 front row seats, $10 general admission and $5 children under 10.

Paris Nights Karaoke will be held at the ball field from 9 p.m. to midnight.

A fireworks display will be shot from Ranger Mountain at dusk. Money for fireworks was donated by Wausaukee Housing Authority, Village of Wausaukee, Town of Wausaukee, Bank North, Wisconsin Public Service, and Bank of Florence.

CRIVITZ, Wis.

The Crivitz American Legion Parade will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The theme of the parade is "America the Beautiful."

Parade spectators are encouraged to arrive early to allow ample time to park and get a spot along the parade route. The parade route will begin on the corner of Hall Hay Street and Henriette Avenue (County A) and proceed west along Henriette Avenue, turn south on George Street, east on Main Avenue and finish north on Louisa Street.

All parade participants exit the parade route traveling east on Henriette Avenue toward the train tracks.

A flag raising will be at the Army Tank Monument at 12:30 p.m. with a picnic to follow in the park. A food booth by Knights of Columbus and a brat fry by Crivitz VFW. Refreshments will by the American Legion with musical entertainment by Sig Loomis Polka Band.

In addition, festivities include an eight-team softball tournament and a flea market at St. Mary's Parking lot in downtown Crivitz.

The Crivitz Ski Cats will present "Happily Ever After" water ski show at 6:30 p.m. at Lake Noquebay Park.

The Twin Bridge water ski team will also perform Thursday and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on High Falls Flowage Boat Landing 3 Road.

Fireworks will be at dusk at the Crivitz High School.

LONG LAKE, Wis.

The sixth Annual Long Lake Volunteer Fire Department, Auxiliary Picnic and Parade will be from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday. The theme this year for the parade is Mardi Gras.

Cash prizes will be awarded for best entry as follows: $100 for first, $50 for second and $25 for third. Entries will be judged based on the Mardi Gras theme.

Food will be available for purchase at noon.

GOODMAN-FENCE, Wis.

The fourth annual Fun Fest has been planned by the Lake Hilbert Association. The event will be held Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Lake Hilbert Township Park.

Hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwurst, nachos and cheese, Walking Tacos, beer, soda and water will be available. There will be games and prizes for the children.

The VFW and Americans Legion Auxiliaries will present a flag retirement ceremony on Saturday.

Bring worn, torn flags for retirement.

Fireworks will be held at dusk on Saturday. The town of Goodman will again sponsor the fireworks.

Annual park admission is $10 per car or boat. A daily ticket is $5.

In addition, the Goodman-Armstrong Rescue Squad will sponsor an EMS 5K Walk/Run on July 4.

Lisa M. Hoffmann's e-mail address is lhoffmann@ironmountaindailynews.com.