2025 is the “Year of the Fitz” in Superior, made official with a proclamation from Mayor Jim Paine on New Year’s Day.

The Friends of the Fitz are a group both hosting events throughout the year and fundraising for a permanent historical marker on Barker’s Island.

Superior was the last port of call for the Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank nearly 50 years ago.

“Since it’s the 50th anniversary of the loss of the Fitz, I feel it’s our job to make sure that this ship and the crew members and also the Arthur Anderson and their crew who were brave enough to go back out into that storm to look for the Fitz, we want to make sure that they’re remembered,” Friends of the Fitz member and Superior historian Teddie Meronek said.

The Friends of the Fitz need to raise $7,000 for the marker. For the next 90 days, there is a match up to $3,500.