Published: July 28, 2007 12:00 am      

Happy Birthday, Mighty Mac

BY SHERI McWHIRTER

smcwhirter@record-eagle.com

ST. IGNACE "" There's a party going on at the Straits of Mackinac shoreline, in the shadow of the 50-year-old Mackinac Bridge.

"This anniversary should be celebrated. It's one of those things. This place is important," said Ginny Smoot, a summer resident of Mackinac Island.

She and friend Lois Tower took a ferry ride to the Upper Peninsula to check out the birthday party events, which kicked off Thursday with the dedication of a new commemorative bridge token, honoring renowned bridge designer David Steinman.

Chief bridge engineer Kim Nowak said Steinman was a master of suspension bridge aerodynamics and the Mackinac Bridge was his crowning achievement among the more than 400 bridges he worked on around the globe.

Dick Nesgoda, of Tawas, said he well remembers the bridge being built. He's among the original ironworkers who toiled on the project five decades ago.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world. It's fantastic. It's a tribute to the ironworkers. That bridge is spectacular, just magnificent," he said.

Nesgoda said his labors don't seem to have occurred all that long ago. He beamed at reuniting with nearly 50 ironworkers who are attending the weekend's festivities.

"It's kind of a reunion for us. I haven't seen most of these guys in many years," said J.C. Stilwell, of Mackinaw City, another original ironworker.

Bill Gnodtke, chairman of the board for the Mackinac Bridge Authority, said it is fortunate so many of the original ironworkers will attend the weekend events, when they'll be able to discus the project and answer questions.

"And the bridge is as solid today as it was the day it was built. That's a testament to those workers," he said.

Free photographic slide shows will be at noon and 2:30 p.m. today at the Little Bear Community Center on Marquette Street in St. Ignace. Events on Saturday include parades in St. Ignace and Mackinaw City, plus ironworker demonstrations and question-and-answer sessions at Bridge View Park in St. Ignace.

"We want this to be a celebration for the bridge and everyone who is a part of it," Gnodtke said.

For more information about the bridge anniversary celebration, visit www.mackinacbridge.org.