Onaway chooses Arla Veihl grand marshal of July 4 parade
by Peter Jakey–Managing Editor
A woman with a cheerful demeanor who is less than a year away from her 100th birthday will represent the greater Onaway community during today’s (Thursday) Fourth of July grand parade when the city celebrates its 125th birthday.
Arla Veihl, 99, of Tower has been selected as the 2024 grand marshal and will lead the annual parade along Washington Avenue and State Street starting at noon.
BORN IN a black, tar paper Onaway house that’s no longer there, Arla was raised in Onaway, twirled a baton in the band at her alma mater, Onaway High School (OHS), until graduating in 1944 about the time troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. She spun the same baton when Maxon Field was dedicated.
No doubt she was a popular choice because she cut a lot of hair in her day and did a lot of perms in her humble home in Tower, because when it came time to raise kids, work had to come to her.
“I would cut all of my boys’ hair and my husband’s to save money,” she said with another happy outburst.
Arla is proud to still be living at home where she still does her laundry and dishes. She has a terrific memory and is still a fierce card player, especially in the game of rummy.
WHEN ASKED if she had been working on her wave the reply was an emphatic “yes! I’ve got a bad shoulder, but I’ll make’r.”
“She was surprised,” said her son Greg of the honor.
“I could not believe it,” said Arla.
Longevity runs in the family as her sister Dorothy Mahoney lived to 102 and her mother made it to 93.
SHE HAS a remarkable spirit considering the loss of her son, John, in Vietnam. The 1966 OHS grad was only 20 and had only been there for four months. He was buried on Memorial Day in 1968 at Forest Lawn Cemetery. Her husband Woodrow has been gone since 2015, but was at her side when a new plaque was dedicated in 2011, because John’s last name had been misspelled on the war memorial for many years.
She will pass by the memorial with her grandson, Lane, at the wheel. Following the parade, it will be off to a family barbecue with a lot to celebrate.
The events of Onaway’s 125th celebration continue today with a 5K walk/run from Holy Cross Lutheran Church starting at 8 a.m. The Dancing Hippo Craft Show is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the lawn of the historic Onaway Courthouse Building.
People will be able to pose with a 1937 Onaway Fire Department truck from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and there will be a freedom ride at 10:30 a.m.
The kids’ parade from the Chagnon Funeral Home to State Street Dairy starts at 11 with lineup at 10:30 a.m.
LINEUP FOR the grand parade starts at 10 a.m. on M-33 with online registration forms available at the Onaway Community Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.
American Legion Forest Preston Jr. Post 317 will have a food and beverage stand in front of Brian’s Auto Sales starting at 10 a.m.; Onaway Methodist Church will have an ice cream social from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and George C. Garms Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5857 will have its annual barbecue.
Saturday, the Dancing Hippo returns while t
The rubber ducky race is from noon to 2 p.m. at Ocqueoc Falls with the lucky duck getting $500.
In the Box performs from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Maxon field tent and the Onaway Speedway will not only be hosting bump ‘n’ run racing and a gut-and-go demo derby starting at noon it’s where the fireworks show will be at dusk.
Saturday will be the patriotic stroll from 9 a.m. to noon to promote local business. Plus, people can search for Stanley the Surgeon in local shops and register for drawings at 12:30 p.m.
Additionally, there will be a horseshoe tournament at the American Legion Post starting at 10 a.m., a rib cookoff at Ma’s Diner with judging at 1 p.m. and a Hats and Horses Derby at Amy’s Arena starting at 4 p.m.
