(Journal stock photo)

MARQUETTE — Over the past three decades, thousands of youngsters in the area have experienced the thrill of waving an American flag at a Fourth of July parade — due in a large part to Greg Lindstrom.

Lindstrom and his 1928 Ford Model A pickup have led the Marquette Fourth of July Parade for the past 33 years, with Lindstrom and his trusty 90-year-old Ford set to precede the parade again this year.

The Marquette resident has also driven his pickup for many years in the Ishpeming Independence Day parade, and plans to be at the front of it again this year.

The Give a Kid a Wave program is run by the Exchange Club of Marquette County, which — like all the other Exchange Clubs across the country — focuses heavily on Patriotism.

The club will also distribute flags at the Pioneer Days Parade in Negaunee next week and this year will be adding Skandia Days to the program, which will be held later this month.

While Lindstrom coaxes his Ford along the parade routes at a slow pace, members of the Exchange Club, their family members and volunteers from the community pass out American flags along both sides of the street. Each year the local club hands out roughly 9,000 to 10,000 flags at parades.

The intended recipients of the flags are the young kids along the parade routes, but many are handed to older veterans and others who are celebrating the holiday.

This year the local Exchange Club will be honoring Lindstrom — and his Model A — for his tireless efforts and dedication to making sure the Give a Kid a Flag to Wave program remains a fixture of local Fourth of July celebrations.

Parade watchers are encouraged to show their appreciation to Lindstrom for helping make the holiday special — especially for the young Americans of local communities.