On Saturday we took part in the Pioneer Days celebration here in Negaunee, and in between visited family up in Big Bay.
Pioneer Days is actually a week-long series of events in Negaunee that starts after the July 4 holiday. It culminates in a parade and fireworks on Saturday. Mercedes and Regan arrived with Auntie Jaimie just in time to head out to the parade.
The Pioneer Days parade is a little bit of everything; it starts off with military veterans, and then everything from local businesses to civic groups to high school reunions to emergency vehicles – and everything in between. There were fire trucks from at least 7 different municipalities! And of course, candy, candy, candy… we have enough candy to last us at least a year. I managed to shoot quite a bit of video and a couple dozen photos. It’ll be a bit before I catch up on that front, though.
Later in the afternoon we took our first trip to Big Bay. It’s about a 50 minute drive; folks who think of Marquette, Michigan as near the end of the world obviously don’t know about Big Bay. County Road 550 is 25 miles of mostly modern road, but occasionally bumpy and twisty. The twisty is fun, the bumpy is mostly not, but at the end of that road is a proud little community that does up their own birthday celebration in a way much bigger than the population numbers might otherwise suggest. (Incidentally, this year is special because it’s the town’s centennial.)
Unfortunately we missed seeing my brother. He had to get back to town for a class reunion, and Shaelin’s nap went more than a little too long. However, my dad, his sister (and my aunt) Carol, and my sister and her family were all there. The girls played in the water for a bit – more video and photos – and then Michelle and I took the girls on a little canoe ride. I used a kayak paddle to push us along while Michelle kept all three of our girls and Hanna entertained. And suddenly, it was 6:20 p.m. and we had to start thinking about leaving!
Fireworks were on tap for the evening. We got to the customary spot in plenty of time to get good seats and let the girls play for a bit. Mercedes and Regan appreciated the beach for a while, then all of them got to go on a pony ride thanks to Grammy. Mom topped it off with bona fide Sno Kones. Regan, bless her dear little heart, managed to dump hers onto the blanket within minutes, but I managed to rescue most of it for her. Unsurprisingly I had to finish up what the girls didn’t want so they could go play some more. And finally, the main event. I got a few photos and experimented with shutter priority on the camera. Hopefully I managed to get a few shots that are worthwhile. The only sad part about the whole affair was that I pushed the timer button when I was trying to get a shot of the finale. I missed on that one, and missed good.
The girls were asleep almost before they hit the pillow. What a day!