Charles and Lori Normand from Wausau, Wis., both had looks of excitement on their faces as they registered for the 24th annual Iron County Memorial Weekend ATV Rally on Friday morning.

Avid outdoor enthusiasts, the Normands, along with other family members have participated in Iron County's annual ATV rallies for the past five years, and the group keeps getting bigger.

Lori's brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Betty Trempe, and their son Jaymeson were on hand for the rally, along with Normands' son, Joshua, his wife Betty, and their sons, Tucker and Gavin.

Charles said Joshua brought four to six friends along, as well.

Charles said Joshua has also been attending the rallies for the past five years.

The Normands attended the Pre-Party in a field just off Wisconsin 77 on Friday afternoon prior to the annual ATV parade through downtown Hurley.

Coordinator Bob Walesewicz of the Hurley Chamber said the field party "is a reunion of ATVers -- a chance to reconnect with folks they may not have seen for a while. It's also a great time for local ATVers to get together, as well."

Hundreds of ATVers participated in Friday's parade that was termed "a practice run" for Iron County's attempt to recapture the Guinness Book of Records title for the world's largest ATV parade in 2010.

Iron County captured the title in 2005 with 687 entrants in its Friday night parade.

That record was then broken by the Harlan County Ridgerunners ATV Club from Evarts, Ky., with 1,138 entrants."

The Normands look forward to the Rally each year.

Lori said she and her husband plan for upcoming events in the spring. "Each year we plan for this event. It is one of our major runs. We look forward to it."

"This is our first major run of the year," Charles added.

"We come here for the scenery, wildlife, and the camaraderie of the ride," he said.  "It is an all-around good time.

"It is a time to get together with friends, relatives, and family and also to meet new riders," Charles said.

He said the family looks forward to riding the ATV trails in Iron County -- "The adventure of it -- the unknown. Some years there's mud. Some years you run through the dust bowl."

Both Lori and Charles agreed area residents and business owners are friendly.

"Iron County is awesome. They invite us to come up for this every year. It is an open invite," Lori said.

"You can come in dirty and it doesn't matter," Charles said. "They have hoses to wash the machines if they need it. This county embraces ATVing and other outdoor activities."

Residing in Marathon County, Charles said he and his family and friends come to Iron County for ATVing because Marathon County limits ATVing "to one area of 16-20 miles of trails in one confined park."

Charles and Lori also participate in Tomahawk's motorcycle ride for muscular dystrophy each fall.

"As part of that ride, "We ride to Iron County on Saturday because of the scenery, the waterfalls, the lakes and because the county is so open. It embraces you," Charles said.

Noting that the Normands other son Dakota is in the military, stationed at the Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, S.D., Charles said the group is rallying this year "in support of our troops, past and present, and all military services."