Lowell is region's capital for 107th annual Labor Day parade

For Bob Leonhardt, Lowell's Labor Day Parade is a family affair. All but one of his sons were there, either in the parade or beside him. The missing son was Brian Leonhardt, who died Jan. 6, 20216, while fighting in Afghanistan. 'I come here every year,' Bob Leonhardt, of Portage, said. Brian was serving in the Army National Guard's 713th Engineer Company out of Valparaiso when he and three others were killed in action. Two of Bob's sons were riding motorcycles Monday with the Patriot Guard. Another son drove a truck hauling a carpenters union float. A fourth was beside him under an awning along the parade route. 'The whole family gets involved in this,' Leonhardt said. 'People nowadays take for granted that we are a free country,' he said. 'Somebody had to fight for that.' Leonhardt was just getting out of high school when the Vietnam War ended. He tried to enlist in the Air Force, but they rejected him over a bad knee. Instead, he became a Merrillville firefighter. 'I remember the welcome home our veterans got' from Vietnam, he said, so when he sees veterans wearing a hat indicating their service in Vietnam, he makes it a point to not only thank them for their service but also to welcome them home. A veteran in Florida told him, 'You know, you're the first person who ever said that to me.' Paul Rosenwinkel, of Lowell, is president of Indiana Fallen Heroes and senior ride captain of the Indiana Patriot Guard. He's also Brian Leonhardt's uncle. 'When you lose a family member, your life changes,' he said. 'We wanted to honor him and all veterans,' he said, so he got involved in efforts to honor his nephew's memory and others who have died in service to their country. When he began, 139 placards were bearing the names of Hoosier fallen troops. 'We're currently over 400,' he said, 'and sadly growing.' Rosenwinkel missed heading to Vietnam by just two days. His mother celebrated with him. 'She immediately went to the kitchen and got a bottle of champagne, and we shared that.' Rosenwinkel lost a lot of friends in the war, he said. Through the Indiana Fallen Heroes and the Patriot Guard, he helps pay tribute to others' service. John Wilkerson, dressed up in an Uncle Sam hat and beard, served as a paratrooper in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970. 'I dress up every year for this,' he said. Last year, he was the Grinch. The American Legion founded the 107th annual parade. It's now the longest-running Labor Day parade in the state. This year, the route was about two miles long. Dorothy 'Dotty' Gwyn Maas has been in the parade for 58 years. This year, she was riding instead of walking. 'She might as well get a nice, comfy seat,' her good friend Sandy Linden, of Lowell, said while behind the wheel of a golf cart. 'I'm so proud to do it and represent Lowell and the veterans,' Gwyn Maas said. Her husband retired from the Air Force in 1965, when they settled in Lowell. She worked for the police department as a radio operator, then retired to become a real estate agent before retiring a second time. Gyn Maas has a long history of public service to her community. 'I belong to I don't know how many different things,' she said. Levi Evans, of Morgan Township, and Ashton Maul, of North Judson, were walking with the Sea Cadets for their fourth year. 'You get to see everyone cheering for you. It helps you see how much the community appreciates the Sea Cadets, Evans said. The opportunities to learn 'are out of this world,' Evans said, and worldwide. 'I just think it's the coolest thing in the world to participate in a parade this big,' Maul said. The parade had 116 official entries. August Chesner, a Lowell High School senior and marching band member, figured his tuba weighs about 20 pounds. 'It's heavy,' he readily said, but he's ready. 'I've been practicing the art for a while.' In keeping with the theme of the holiday, tradespeople from a variety of unions showed up to participate in the parade. 'It's amazing to see all these people here,' ironworker Andy Thomas, of Ogden Dunes, said. 'Every trade is represented.' 'There must be close to a thousand people in this parking lot for organized labor,' he said. Thomas is training director for Local 395's apprenticeship program, which has 80 apprentices this year. 'It's a good outlook for the next five to 10 years,' he said. Local 395 President and Business Agent Chuck Curry said about 100 of the tradespeople were affiliated with the ironworkers. 'Labor should be recognized,' he said. 'A lot of people struggle, a lot of people barely make it, and that's what organized labor is for,' he said. Zack McWilliams, of Hebron, is with Operating Engineers Local 150. 'I just really liked heavy equipment,' he said, so he joined a year ago. The union offers a pension, health insurance and more. That includes a company that helps with car loans, finding some of the best rates around, said fellow Local 150 member Griffin Tully, of Lowell. Mark Modrzejewski, of Lowell, is a plumber with Local 210 doing mostly commercial work. 'It's nice to see that we still have the support of all the trades coming out,' he said. Modrzejewski has been a plumber since 2017. He makes a good living, and he's able to help out family and friends with an important skill, he said. 'It's a nice day to represent our craft and get our families involved,' he said. 'It's a lot of fun seeing how happy everyone is' along the parade route.