SAULT STE. MARIE — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning the Soo Locks Engineers Day with visitors allowed across the locks, the first since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Visitors are welcome into the Soo Locks facility and across the locks 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. June 24. “Visitors are welcome to cross the gates, but the buildings will remain closed,” area engineer Kevin Sprague said in a news release.

Along with welcoming visitors into the Soo Locks complex, the Soo Locks Canal Park, the viewing platform and Visitors Center will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The city of Sault Ste. Marie is also closing a portion of Portage Avenue to focus on downtown city merchants and vendors. Downtown Portage Avenue will close to vehicle traffic and open for pedestrians and vendors from Ferris Street to Osborn Boulevard from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 24.

“The Soo Locks are so important to our history and our community,” said Linda Hoath, director of the Sault Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, in a news release. “This annual event helps us celebrate that.” Engineers Day 2022 will bring back some traditional partner events such as the U.S. Coast Guard open house from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the craft show at the City Hall grounds from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The new Lake Superior State University Center for Freshwater Research and Education will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To register to be a vendor along Portage Avenue at no cost, contact the bureau at 906-6323366 or admin@saultstemarie.com.