Ontonagon Labor Day Festival attendees exploring all vendors that had set up shop on River Street Saturday. (Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette)

ONTONAGON — Monday concluded the 68th Annual Ontonagon Labor Day Festival. This year’s festival saw thousands of attendees enjoy the multitude of vendors, restaurants, live music, games and raffles the village had to offer on River Street. The vendors featured artists and services from all over the western end of the Upper Peninsula as well as representatives from the county services and members of the Republican and Democratic political organizations to discuss local issues.

For children there was a petting zoo and bouncy house to enjoy, but there were other more interactive activities attendees could participate in for all ages.  

Those who were desiring something to instigate critical thinking and problem solving could head over to the Ontonagon Theater of Performing Arts (OTPA) to participate in the Who-Dun-It Mystery Walkthrough Event. The theater was set up to look like a crime scene following the murder of a fictional band’s drummer before a concert.

In the theater, multiple mannequins were set up to represent members of the band and witnesses which were accompanied with plaques that had statements made by the suspects. Around the mannequins were placed items that may or may not have been used to loosen the stage lights which had killed the drummer.  

Participants in the event would tour the theater and study each plaque and the overall environment, and then had to guess who had committed the murder and if they felt ambitious enough, the tool used to loosen the stage lights. After a tour of the theater, the participants wrote down their guesses and turned in the cards to await the answer which would be revealed in Sunday’s parade. Participants received a buy one, get one, free ticket to any theater event, and those who guessed the culprit and the tool he or she used, would receive a free ticket for any theater event for the 2025 season.

The OTPA’s float revealed that the murderer was none other than the band groupie.

Director of the Ontonagon Theater Eric Hopper switches up the OTPA’s events every year for the festival between a mystery walkthrough and an art show. The interactive nature of this year’s event had participants exploring the theater, which Hopper hopes would drive interest for participants visiting the theater again in the future.

“This theater to me is the crown jewel of Ontonagon and it has been built and maintained by volunteers,” Hopper said. “It’s really special and a testament to the community and what can happen when a community comes together to support something.”

For those who wanted to get hands on with something, they had the opportunity to try a new activity for the Ontonagon Labor Day Festival courtesy of Razor Axe Throwing. The Marquette-based company brought a trailer with boards which could handle the constant tosses of axes and knives. After payment was made, participants could step up and test their level of skill with throwing weapons. The activity was available for all ages, with children allowed to participate if their parent or guardian was by their side. The activity drew a crowd at times, and it appeared to be a favorite activity of many of the attendees.

Sunday afternoon was highlighted by a parade which included multiple floats all exhibiting the creativity and zaniness of the Ontonagon community with a couple of floats based on Grease and Gilligan’s Island. Monday, the festival wrapped up with the Labor Day Bridge Walk and now the countdown begins for next year’s 69th annual festival.