Local organization gearing up for Fourth of July celebration

ISHPEMING — One local committee was given a check to ensure their annual Fourth of July parade goes off with a bang.

The Ishpeming Fourth of July committee received a check for $2,000 from their title sponsor, mBank Tuesday, that will help pay for the parade downtown.The funds will go towards the entertainment and the bands that walk in the parade. The annual parade has become a tradition in the area and the committee is working hard to keep it going every year.

“We’ve been doing this now for about 38 years and I guarantee every year we do it on the fourth of July, not on the 3rd, not on the 5th. With our parade, we have a larger place where a lot of bands come into, so we’re proud of that. I think we have six marching bands that come in and we pay them to walk and that’s always a big hit with everybody,” said Paul Ponetti, President of the Ishpeming Fourth of July Committee.

The planning for the parade started last September and will cost about $20,000 with $10,000 of that going towards fireworks, and the rest going to the parade.