Holidays and special events bring out a culture that is classic. The Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day parades in northern Michigan towns should never be missed. We went to a Labor Day parade in the Upper Peninsula last year that was one of the best that we've seen. There's nothing that's commercial. It's all home town stuff. Home-made floats,dressed up dogs, decorated bikes, tow trucks, and more. The winning entry last year was the pick up truck that carried a half barrel of cold beer. Runners ran back and forth from the truck to curb-side watchers. There were plenty of tootsie rolls for the kids - and cold beer for the adults. Only in the north woods would that occur.