SAULT STE. MARIE — Sault residents and visitors will soon get their once-a-year chance to get up close and personal with freighters passing through the Soo Locks during Engineers Day.

Engineers Day, celebrated on Friday, June 28, is an annual event to celebrate the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the many people that keep the Soo Locks running smoothly.

“The very first Engineers Day was in 1975 and it was just such a huge success that we continue to do it every year, and then it’s grown and evolved over the years as well, just with expanding and incorporating more of the other entities within the city and the county,” said Soo Locks Operations Manager LeighAnn Ryckeghem.

The Soo Locks are not only one of the most significant landmarks in the city, but they are also a vital piece of infrastructure supporting the shipping and automotive industries across the country.

The event is celebrated at the end of June every year to mark the birthday of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is turning 249 this year.

“If people haven’t been to the Soo Locks before this is a unique opportunity that we allow once a year, and it really is an engineering marvel, and it has a very strong significance to the national economy and national security. So it has some rich history here, and you get to get a different glimpse of it during Engineers Day,” said Ryckeghem.

As a way to give back to the community and show support for the year-round work they do, the corps opens the doors of the locks to the public to allow for up close viewings of the locks, which are normally closed to the public expect for a few guided tours.

While visitors won’t be able to walk across the New Lock project that is currently under construction, they will get the chance to see to the Poe Lock, which will be letting through 1,000-foot or longer ships, and walk across the smaller MacArthur Lock.

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Thousands of visitors come to the Soo every year to see the locks and other events taking place throughout downtown on Engineers Day, including a line of vendors up and down Portage Avenue and in front of City Hall.

The City of Sault Ste. Marie, the Sault Ste. Marie Convention & Visitors Bureau, the United States Coast Guard, the Lake Superior State University Center for Freshwater Research and Education and more are working with the corps to host open houses and other events throughout the day.

The locks will be open to visitors from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Canal Park and the viewing platform will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the Soo Locks Visitor Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The other events throughout downtown will have their own schedules.

This year, the locks will be implementing a new security requirement. All visitors to the locks carrying bags will have to use see through clear bags no larger than 12 inches long, 6 inches deep and 12 inches wide. All people will be searched upon entering the locks. Weapons, drugs, pets (except service animals) and bicycles are not permitted.

“The Soo Locks are a vital part of our community’s history. Engineers Day lets us celebrate the history and ingenuity behind the Soo Locks,” said Linda Hoath, executive director of the Sault Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Over the past few years, we’ve helped grow Engineers Day into an event that involves the whole downtown. We look forward to welcoming visitors and residents alike to downtown for Engineers Day.”

— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Walk on the Soo Locks this Engineers Day