Iron River prepares for veterans tribute ride, VFW stop Saturday

Iron River’s stop will turn a Memorial Day weekend ride into a public salute on Main Street, with the Iron River-Ottawa VFW Post #3134, the Iron River Fire Department and local residents all pulling the procession into town. Organizers are asking people to line US-2 with American flags and greet the riders as the convoy comes through, then gather at the VFW for a deck-side stop that will include hotdogs, conversation and a show of support for veterans.

The 2026 Veterans Tribute Ride is scheduled for Saturday, May 23, with registration set for 8 to 10 a.m. at Riverside Auto Sales in Iron Mountain. Riders will kick stands up at 10:45 a.m. and make their first stop at 11 a.m. at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain for a special program, where participants will shake hands with veteran residents before continuing on to Sagola, Crystal Falls, Iron River and Florence, Wisconsin. The ride will finish with an after-party at Venue 906 in Kingsford around 3:30 p.m.

In Iron River, the arrival is being staged to make the stop visible from the highway and from downtown streets. The fire department will join the escort at Bates Amasa Road, and firefighters plan to position a ladder truck with a large American flag so riders pass beneath a ceremonial arch on the way to the VFW. To make room for the gathering, the street area from Klint Safford Memorial RV Park down to the post will be blocked for dedicated parking, giving riders and visitors a clear path into the event.

The stop carries both a social and financial purpose. Riders will be asked to pay $20 per bike, while active-duty personnel in uniform may ride free, and all proceeds will go to local and surrounding-area veteran organizations. The Veterans Tribute Ride has become a regional Memorial Day tradition, drawing more than 200 bikes in 2024 and raising $25,000 for veteran charities across the Upper Peninsula. It was identified as the 18th annual ride in 2022 and the 20th anniversary event in 2024, underscoring how deeply the procession has rooted itself in Iron County and the communities along the route.