Past presidential candidate and self-proclaimed Democratic socialist U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, was captured seated in the Washington cold on Jan. 20 wearing a mask, puffy winter coat, knitted mittens, a less-than-thrilled look on his face during President Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony.

The image upended social media and a flood of memes emerged within hours as users took the shot and incorporated it into memes that quickly trended on Facebook and Twitter.

People in Northeast Michigan put their creativeness to work.

Sanders’ photo was used in images of places like Cabin Creek Coffee, Dinosaur Gardens, and the Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan. The posts were quickly shared and others joined the trend, creating an avalanche of memes showing Sanders seemingly touring the area.

Courtesy Image Alison Jakubcin, left, made a meme featuring her and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders in front of the fish mural in downtown Alpena. Sanders’ image from President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been photoshopped into memes across the Web -- including into several iconic scenes from Northeast Michigan.

As Berniemania spread, some businesses and nonprofits used the meme as a way to reach out to customers and clients. The Huron Humane Society posted a meme featuring Sanders holding a pair of kittens, urging people to adopt a shelter cat.

Other memes incorporated the senator into family photos, with pets, or posing at local landmarks like the 45th Parallel sign at Squaw Bay.

Today, many posts about political figures often result in friction in the comment threads, but the Sanders’ meme, for the most part, prompted nothing but likes, shares and positive comments.

Sanders was elected to the senate in 2007, and is the longest- serving independent in U.S. congressional history. He caucuses with Democrats and ran and lost in the Democratic primaries in 2016 and 2020.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.

Courtesy Image Cabin Creek Coffee is the setting for a meme featuring the likeness of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sanders’ image from President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been photoshopped into memes across the Web -- including into several iconic scenes from Northeast Michigan.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ likeness is photoshopped into a scene from Dinosaur Gardens in Ossineke. Sanders’ image from President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been photoshopped into memes across the Web — including into several iconic scenes from Northeast Michigan.

Courtesy Image U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’s likeness enjoys an ice cream cone while relaxing outside Downtown Scoops in Alpena. Sanders’ image from President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been photoshopped into memes across the Web -- including into several iconic scenes from Northeast Michigan.

File photo Fish mural in downtown Alpena.

Courtesy Image The Huron Humane Society created this meme of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’s image to help promote the adoption of cats. Sanders’ image from President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been photoshopped into memes across the Web -- including into several iconic scenes from Northeast Michigan.

Courtesy Image The Lady Michigan is featured in a meme with the likeness of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sanders’ image from President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been photoshopped into memes across the Web -- including into several iconic scenes from Northeast Michigan.

Courtesy Image One of the shipwrecks in Thunder Bay is featured in a meme with the likeness of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sanders’ image from President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been photoshopped into memes across the Web -- including into several iconic scenes from Northeast Michigan.