By DENNIS GRALL

Special to The Journal

ESCANABA – Tickets are available for the 45th annual Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet.

The banquet will be held May 14 at the Island Resort and Casino in Harris, 15 miles west of Escanaba on U.S. 2 and 41.

Tickets are $25 per person and must be purchased by May 9. They are available throughout the U.P. from members of the UPSHF executive council.

The banquet begins at 6 p.m. EDT in the room behind the casino proper. Also recognized will be four U.P. high school students who will receive college scholarships from the Hall of Fame.

The 2016 induction class is Herb Boxer of Houghton, the late Bob “Cubby” Carlson of Ontonagon, Larry Danbom of Calumet, the late Dave Ghiardi of Negaunee and Munising, Jeff Gressick of Menominee, Dorene Ingalls of St. Ignace, Byron “Sod” Johnson of Bessemer, Frank Novak of Marquette, Rich Salani of Hancock and Mandi (Long) Zemba of Menominee.

The Hall nomination deadline is June 1 each year. Once a person is nominated, the file remains active until they are selected. It can be updated at any time.

There are currently 268 nominations on file, with 147 in the pre-1970 division and 121 in the post-1970 division. Each year, seven inductees come from the post-1970 division and three come from the pre-1970 division.

New nominations, or updated information on previous nominees, should be submitted by June 1 to UPSSA executive secretary Dennis Grall, 2115 24th Ave. S., Escanaba, MI 49829. Nominations submitted via email will not be accepted.

For tickets, contact the following Superiorland Hall council members: in Manistique, Seb Rubick at 341-2400; in Munising, Dee Jay Paquette at 387-4673; in Marquette, Craig Remsburg at 228-2500; and in Negaunee, Rod Guizzetti at 475-4055.