Centennial Celebration

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GWINN - Centennial celebrations got started Saturday in Gwinn, with a parade and a classic car show, as the town marks 100 years since its founding.

Hundreds of people filled Gwinn's streets and Nordeen Park Saturday to watch the parade, check out classic cars, and enjoy games, vendors and food downtown.

The car show is run by the Gwinn Lions Club each year, and organizers said this year they saw more entries than usual.

"This is one of the biggest shows we've had in years, because of the centennial," said Bill Rowe, Lions co-chair for the car show.

The entries ranged from Model A's to 1960s hot rods, and six trophies were up for grabs for different eras and types of vehicles. The winners were selected by public vote, and prizes and entry fees were sponsored by area businesses.

"We have one we don't usually have this year, because of the centennial, and that's for the oldest car in the show," Rowe said. While cars as old as the 1920s were displayed, an official winner hadn't yet been chosen Saturday afternoon.

Classic car owners came from across the central Upper Peninsula, and as far as downstate Gaylord. Among the more unusual entries were a 1950 Willys Jeepster, owned by Clyde Steele of Gaylord, and a 1953 MG owned by Gary White of Gwinn.

The Lions Club has run the show for 16 years, Rowe said, and usually does it in connection with Gwinn's Fun Days.

Centennial events on Saturday finished up with class events for Gwinn High School graduates from the 1960s through the 1990s, a centennial party at the Up North Lodge, and fireworks at dusk over the baseball field.

There are plenty more opportunities to celebrate Gwinn's history as the week goes on, with today's events running from 7:30 a.m. to at least 10 p.m. A Lions Club chicken barbeque at Nordeen Park, airplane display at K.I. Sawyer, and class events for graduates from the 1920s to the 1950s all are scheduled today.

Monday's highlights include a free admission day at the West Branch Fitness and Community Center and the K.I. Sawyer Air Heritage Museum, a pie social, a Civil War-era cannon demonstration and a concert by the Marquette City Band.

On Tuesday, bus tours of the Gwinn area are scheduled, along with a town picnic and talent show. Wednesday will see a youth parade, garden tours, basketball game, drama production and youth dance. On Thursday, a luncheon for past school athletes will be held, and open golfing is scheduled at the Red Fox Run Golf Course. A cemetery walking tour and a performance by country band Trailer Hitch are also planned in the evening Thursday.

Next weekend wraps up the centennial celebrations, with a quilt show, bus tours, fast pitch softball game and a grand ball Friday. Saturday's closing ceremony will be followed by a reunion for the 87th Red Bull, 56th Cameron and 62nd Fighter Interceptor Squadron from the former K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base.

For a more detailed schedule of events, visit www.gwinnmi.com.