EMPIRE VILLAGE Trustee Linda Payment and several children and grandchildren man the pirate float the family enters in the Empire parade every year. The Anchor Days annual parade in Empire was missing its fire truck, which usually leads the parade. That’s because it went out on a call just before the parade started, said Christine M. Neiswonger, Empire Township clerk. In all, there were about a dozen entries in this year’s parade, which took place on Saturday.

The crowd was a little smaller than usual, Neiswonger said, which is probably because of very hot weather.

“Even balloons were popping in the heat,” she said. “People were probably all at the beach where they should have been, cooling down.”

Paul Skinner, president of the Empire Area Chamber of Commerce, was busy selling raffle tickets for a Chevy Volt — a parade entry — that will be given away to a lucky winner. Tickets are $100 each with proceeds helping to fund completion of the 27-mile-long Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail.

KINGSTON PALMER, 4, of Empire, waves to the Anchor Days parade coming down Front Street on Saturday. The Lions Club also sponsored a chicken dinner as it has for at least 10 years, said Dick Daniel, club secretary. The dinner attracted a good crowd, Daniel said, serving up a total of 304 meals. That count is a little lower than last year, when about 350 were served and the group ran out of chicken. Proceeds from the annual dinner go to support Lions Club programs.

AMY WHITE, right, leads a group of Zumba dancers on Saturday in the Anchor Days parade. Zumba is sponsored by the Empire Area Community Center.

GLASSBLOWER ALBERT Young, of Ferndale, gives a demonstration of his technique Saturday during Arbor Days at the Sleeping Bear Gallery in Empire.