Annie has been the force behind the Ishpeming Firecracker 5K held at Al Quaal Park each Fourth of July. About two decades ago, Annie could be seen with shovel, pick, rake, or another hand tool working on improving the trails in the park, not to mention driving a dump truck of fill material to distribute on the trails. The Firecracker was started by Fred Minnich of Ishpeming and after assisting with the race for a few years, Annie took over as race director. Annie is already planning for next year as that will be the 25th Ishpeming Firecracker 5K. She plans to turn the duties of directing the race over to others after next year’s race. This year’s event had 216 finishers from 11 different States.
Please congratulate Annie the next time you see her!
