Christmas City of the North Parade honors essential workers

DULUTH, MN. (KBJR) -The Christmas City of the North Parade is just around the corner. The floats will march down Superior Street Friday night.

Each year, KBJR 6 honors someone special by making them the event’s Grand Marshal.

This year, we’re celebrating our region’s essential workers. It’s a group you nominated by submitting stories of heroes in your own community.

Duluth Essentia ICU Nurse Erin Nygaard remembers the day she and her team were tapped to work the ICU for covid patients, something she said no amount of training could ever prepare them for.

“When the pandemic started, the medical intensive care unit we were designated covid ICU. When it first started, we really didn’t know much about the virus. So we knew kind of what we heard people were dying, and a lot of health care workers were getting it. Our unit jumped in,” said Nygaard

More than a year and a half later, Nygaard and her team are still working tirelessly within the covid ICU unit saving lives.

But now, they are preparing for new roles to be the Grand Marshals of the Christmas City of the North Parade Friday.

The team is one of the groups of essential workers chosen to be Grand Marshals of the Parade.

KBJR 6 puts on the Christmas City Parade each year.

Todd Wentworth, the KBJR 6′s General Manager, said this is just a small way to honor those who have done so much for our communities during the pandemic.

“As we try to climb out of this pandemic, just a small way for our station to pay tribute to some people that helped drag us through this pandemic. It’s not over with yet. But to take a moment and say thank you,” said Wentworth.

Nygard said she can’t think of any other people who deserve that honor more.

“They are the bravest hardworking people I have ever met. They step up to the challenge; they fill in gaps wherever we have needs they do anything they can. So it truly is an honor to be recognized,” said Nygard.

Mayor Emily Larson is expected to proclaim Friday Essential workers day in Duluth.

The Christmas City of the North Parade starts at 6:30 p.m. Friday. You can cheer on all the Grand Marshals as they march down Superior Street.

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