Jim Counter, left, has recorded “Kingsford 100” to help mark the city’s centennial celebration that starts Thursday at Lodal Park. The Kingsford musician will perform Friday night at the event and again at noon Saturday. Art Viens, center, and Jim Anderson are co-writers with Counter on the song. (Iron Mountain Daily News photo)

KINGSFORD — A new song rides memory lane for Kingsford’s centennial, reawakening “Woody” station wagons and inviting “fun-loving Flivvers” to the upcoming celebration at Lodal Park.

“Kingsford 100” by Jim Counter has characters ranging from inventor Thomas Edison, to aviation pioneer Mario Fontana, to ski jumper Mark Konopacke. It features Kingsford landmarks and businesses, Friday night football and, of course, charcoal grills.

Counter, a Kingsford musician who spent years performing in Nashville, got help on the lyrics from his uncle Art Viens, and Jim Anderson, news editor at The Daily News.

The song opens with the famous “Vagabonds” — Edison, tire king Harvey Firestone and industrialist Henry Ford — on a pleasant trip where “a city in the middle of God’s country” takes shape.

“It’s a happy history, a celebration song,” Anderson said. “Jim was able to make it fun, and pull heartstrings, too.”

Viens, a lifelong city resident, detailed many of the historical perspectives, including the 1920s conversion of farmland into a Ford factory that defined the community for decades. Former Olympians Konopacke and Willie Erickson soar as high as the twin smokestacks that once served the plant.

As for football, there’s pride in the state championship team of 1993, rhyming along the way with “family.”

Viens, a Kingsford sports historian, recalled Paul D’Arras as a top Flivvers’ running backs in the 1950s. D’Arras gets a mention, along with NFL standouts Dave Manders and Tim Kearney — “tougher than gristle” — and ’60s star Dick Berlinski “runnin’ like a missile.”

Later, the red, white and blue can be seen “waving above the armory” as Kingsford’s hundredth year is marked “remembering what heroes did.”

Brian Carncross at Carncross Productions in Aurora, Wis., helped Counter record the song as a keepsake for generations to come.

“Brian was instrumental in helping complete the song by way of editing, production, mixing and mastering,” Counter said. “It was a long process to the finished product,” he added, noting he started recording in February.

The mix includes Jerry Kippola of Ishpeming on steel guitar and Jim Hoke of Nashville on tenor saxophone. Bob Larson of Aurora, Wis., joins the answer lines of “everybody, welcome home” and “may there be a hundred more.”

As co-writers, Counter and Anderson have completed about a dozen tunes, including a tribute for Aurora’s centennial in 2017.

Kingsford’s celebration starts Thursday. Counter will perform Friday night on the main stage and then Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. Merchandise will be available for purchase on Friday and Saturday at the event.

“Kingsford 100,” “Real America,” “I’ve Been Everywhere” and other songs on Counter’s new album are available at Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon, and other streaming companies. The 13-song CD and USB drives are also available at Aurora Liquors and Tom & Jo’s in Aurora.

Lyrics for “Kingsford 100” are published on the inside cover of the city’s centennial book, “1923-2023, Volume 2.” The book can be purchased at Kingsford City Hall or by going online to kingsford100thcelebration.com.

For centennial tickets and information, go to kingsford100thcelebration.com or stop by Kingsford City Hall. Tickets can also be purchased in person at First National Bank of Iron Mountain-Kingsford, First Bank Kingsford, and Bob & Jerry’s in Kingsford.