RC ready to host 30th Nautical City Festival
This year marks the 30th annual Nautical City Festival, but Rogers City has sponsored a summer celebration each year since 1956. The festival runs now through Sunday in Rogers City. In the early days, the festivals were centered around the Independence Day holiday. For five years, starting in 1961, Rogers City had the Limestone Festival, which ended in 1966 with a return to the Fourth of July celebration.
In 1971, the year of the Rogers City centennial observance, festival organizers started naming parade grand marshals. Noted outdoor writer and television personality, Mor Neff, was the first grand marshal. The next year, the affair was named the Rogers City Pioneer/Limestone Festival. For four following years, it was known as the Summer Festival, until the first Nautical City Festival was celebrated in 1977.
The first queen was crowned in 1958 when Carol McLennan was named the Limestone Queen. The list of those who earned the title of Miss Rogers City or queen of the festival of the year includes: Jane Yarch, Dolly Smarszcz, Cheryl Hopp, May Ellen Plume, Beverly Kuznicki, Lila Wenzel, Pat Derry, Janifer McCreery, Kathy Kuchinski, Jeannie Florip, Candy Hornbachers, Anne Szymoniak, Janelle Bellmore, Lori Paull, Judy Heward, Nancy Wenzel, Carla Lamb, Gwen Schultz, Shawn McGahey, Dana Belusar, Kathleen Mulka, Irene Mulka, and Pauline Mulka. The list continues with Mary Jo Pilarski, Kimberly Morrison, Wendy Felax, Holly Selke, Elly Lewis, Pennie Schulwitz, Madeleine Neri, Nikki Wisniewski, Amanda Haselhuhn, Lisa Radzibon, Kellie Socia, Melissa Bisson, Andrea Sobeck, Lindsay Lawes, Heather Pines, Erin Fleming, Kari Schaudt, Elizabeth Lync
Past Grand Marshals include Danny Rose, Harry Grambau, Millie Mertz, Jim Quinn, Karl Vogelheim, Harry Whiteley, Alex ?Shine? Selke, Anthony Przybyla Sr., Dr. Renwood Flagg, Leonard Sorgenfrei, Johnnie Wirgau, Helen Paradise, Del Conley, Don Hampton, Dennis Bannasch, Fran Gross, John Florip, Pastor Harold Molzan, Bill Barrett, Anita Wenzel, Cecil Hodgetts, Wes and Joan Grant, Harold and Martha Hopp, Bazz and Clara Modrzynski, Red and Rosemarie Trafelet, Henry and Char Asikainen, and Mary Morrill.
The list of Grand Marshals continues with Helen Warwick, Mildred Sager, Cele Miller, Marie Garratt, Emil ?Moe? and Helen Plath, Bob Wodkowski, Jim Przybyla, Ken Piechan, Mike Peltz, and the 2006 Grand Marshal, Anthony ?Tony? Przybyla, Jr.