ISHPEMING -- It's like an assembly line as one after the other grabs, stacks, and stuffs goody bags for the Model A Ford National Convention.
With only one week until the convention, members of the Superior A Club are finishing their preparations.
Superior A Club president, Steve Pellinen, says they will be there for as long as necessary.
"Well, we need to have 500 of these goody bags put together because registration is closed for that already. So we'll have enough in case we get some late comers," said Pellinen.
It's a week-long event starting June 18, filled with seminars, tours, and judging. So far there's more than 300 Model As registered, with more than 900 people from across the nation coming.
For some, like Dennis Stanaway, the connection with a Model A goes way back.
"We had a Model A, I sat in a Model A, I can remember being in the 1954 centennial in Ishpeming riding in that car. So, I just remember it. I remember the flags waving in the radiator cap," said Stanaway.
It's the first time the national convention comes to the U.P., the birthplace of the Model A. There's even word that Henry Ford's great grandson will be attending as well.
"These people are staying here for over a week. They're filling up our hotels, our motels, in Marquette and Ishpeming, spending money on gas, restaurants. The list goes on and on and on, so it is going to have a huge impact on our area."
It is estimated the convention will funnel more than a million dollars back into the local economy.
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