International Bridge Walk
Encyclopedia
International Bridge Walk is an annual event held on the last Saturday in June where participants can walk from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
, to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
, via the International Bridge
. Begun in 1987, it represents the friendship between the two Saults and both countries, and is held in conjunction with Canada's national holiday, Canada Day
.
The walk begins at the Norris Building parking lot of Lake Superior State University
with speeches from officials of both Saults and the singing of "O Canada
" and "The Star Spangled Banner". Participants begin walking about 9:00 a.m. and proceed west on Easterday Avenue and to the on-ramp near the bridge's toll plaza and finish at a casino parking lot in Canada. Buses are provided for U.S. citizens to return to the U.S. The walk concludes at 10:30 a.m. and no one can walk the bridge after that time.
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
, to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...
, via the International Bridge
Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge
The Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, often known just as the International Bridge, spans the St. Marys River between the United States and Canada connecting the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It serves as the northern terminus of Interstate 75...
. Begun in 1987, it represents the friendship between the two Saults and both countries, and is held in conjunction with Canada's national holiday, Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
.
The walk begins at the Norris Building parking lot of Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University is a small public university in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It is Michigan's smallest public university with an enrollment around 3,000 students. Due to its proximity to the border, notably the twin city of Sault Ste...
with speeches from officials of both Saults and the singing of "O Canada
O Canada
It has been noted that the opening theme of "O Canada" bears a strong resemblance to the "Marsch der Priester" , from the opera Die Zauberflöte , composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and that Lavallée's melody was inspired by Mozart's tune...
" and "The Star Spangled Banner". Participants begin walking about 9:00 a.m. and proceed west on Easterday Avenue and to the on-ramp near the bridge's toll plaza and finish at a casino parking lot in Canada. Buses are provided for U.S. citizens to return to the U.S. The walk concludes at 10:30 a.m. and no one can walk the bridge after that time.