Michigan’s Ironmen
The International Ironworkers FestivalPicture the Straits of Mackinac. Now picture the Straits without the Mackinac Bridge.
That’s how it was in the early 1950s, before the bridge existed, back when travelers crossed the five-mile span between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas by boat.
Over 3,500 ironworkers labored to make that journey easier and faster, building the Mackinac Bridge, which opened in 1957.
But the project wasn’t without its difficulties and challenges, all of which united the bridge ironworkers into a true, lifelong team that celebrates their achievements every year in Mackinaw City.
WORKERS REUNION
Tim Roman is the president of the Ironworkers’ volunteer committee; he started working on the bridge himself when he was just 20 years old. Decades later, he found out about the festival, which started informally when some ironworker pals were goofing around and decided to race-climb up a column on the bridge.
The socializing proved welcome, the festival grew, and Roman became a regular attendee. By 2007, he’d accepted a job to help coordinate the event — to, as he put it “keep the fire burning.” By 2011, he was appointed president.
Fundraising and planning takes place year-round for the festival, which takes many volunteers and hundreds of manhours to make happen. It’s also a reunion of sorts, as men who worked on the bridge, as well as many other ironworkers from across the United States and Canada, meet up for this annual event.
FAVORITE FRIEND
This 33rd Ironworkers Festival arrives with a sad tone, as the group recently lost one of their own. Bernie Neobel, who passed away at the age of 84, competed at the festival right up through last year, Roman said; he particularly enjoyed the Rivet Toss. Neobel will be honored in several different ways at this year’s event.
“It’ll be very strange this year without him. It’s a tough year for us,” Roman said. “But a lot of the guys knew him. Some are coming from pretty far away, and we have several things planned to honor his memory.”
One of those ceremonies will take place at the Walk of Iron (walkofiron.com) monument in Mackinaw City, the city’s tribute to the construction of the Mackinac Bridge. A specially engraved brick will be added to the collection of brick pavers installed to honor individual ironworkers.
The point of the festival, of course, is to pay tribute to men like Neobel and to educate festival guests about all of the hard work the ironworkers did. So it will continue on with many of its popular events this year, including crowd favorites, the Column Climb and the Rivet Toss.
VINTAGE TECHNIQUES
The Column Climb calls upon the ironworkers’ physical strength; prior to aerial lifts and safety harnesses, they had to solely use their hands and feet to ascend the bridge’s tall columns.
“It’s a 35-foot race to the top,” Roman said. “The world record in the Column Climb is six seconds. It’s all about strength and technique; you lock your feet and arms similar to climbing a ladder, but without the rungs.”
The Rivet Toss is just as tough, but in a different way; one ironworker picks up a cold rivet (a bolt for holding together two pieces of metal) and throws it up to a guy with a “catch can,” who nabs it out of the air. Each team gets 60 seconds to throw and catch as many rivets as possible; the high mark is 30.
“That’s actually a technique they used when building the Mackinac Bridge,” Roman explained. “But the rivets that were actually used then would’ve been heated in the forge before they were thrown up. So back in the day, they were thrown red hot!”
COOL CAMARADERIE
In addition to these highlights, the Ironworkers Festival will offer the Spud Throw (long wrenches — not potatoes — that are called spud wrenches), as well as competitions is Rod Tying and Knot Tying, plus entertainment from longtime festival regulars and country-rock group The Rambling Band.
Vendor booths and heavy-equipment artisans (chainsaw artists and blacksmiths) will round out the event, and food will be offered by a range of vendors and food trucks including BC Pizza and C&C Creations, the latter of which will offer a full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu.
The event is both a welcome chance for these work comrades to catch up and for the public to get a better idea of what it took to build the bridge.
“The sportsmanship and camaraderie is always great every year, and the festival gives us the chance to showcase our craft, which is part of what it took to build America,” Roman said.
The 2016 International Ironworkers Festival will be held August 12–14 in Mackinaw City, behind Mackinaw Area Schools. Admission is free; fees to join the competitions (open only to current and retired ironworkers) vary. For more info, visit ironfest.com.
