Mackinaw City float in Mackinac Bridge 50th anniversary parade. Look for lots of new photos from the Mackinac Bridge fiftieth anniversary celebration over the next few weeks and months. There should be a nice set from the Mackinac Bridge fireworks (that photo at the top of this page is not retouched), the complete parade in Mackinaw City, the Clydesdales & Steelworkers (bridgemen) statue dedication in St. Ignace, Michigan, and many other photos. Better yet, there will be sets of photos that your web master's father took of the building of the Mackinac Bridge, the 1958 Mackinac Bridge parade, Mackinac Straits auto ferries, and the parade during the 1963 bicentennial of the (then called) massacre at Fort Michilimackinac. Although there was heavy rain and fog in the Mackinac Straits area on the day before the celebration, Saturday July 28, 2007 was beautiful, warm and clear. On the evening of the dual St. Ignace/Mackinaw City fireworks, the water was mirror like as the sun set over Lake Michigan. A few minutes latter, a breeze started up creating a chop and keeping away the bugs that might have been along the shore A little after 10PM, there was a distant fireworks display on Mackinac Island, entertaining the thousands waiting for the show. As 10:30 approached, the crowd saw the rare sight of the 5 mile long Mackinac Bridge with no vehicles crossing. Traffic was halted during the fireworks. Finally the crowds saw the huge dual fireworks display. There was long applause afterward. Traffic from the enormous crowd was still working its way out of the community an hour and a half later.
copyright 2007 by Keith Stokes |
