The Grand Marshal of the Salem Little Egypt Parade said it was a great time. Retired Salem Community High School Principal John Boles says he couldn’t believe the size of the crowd and the number of people he hasn’t seen in a long time. Boles says he was pretty much in awe and was grateful for the opportunity which he was able to share with his entire family. He selected the Hometown Collision Float for the Grand Marshal award.
The Mayor’s Choice went to Marion County Savings Bank.
General Chair Jay Henke was pleased with the size of the crowd and growth in the number of floats.
“There were a lot more floats, and I believe that’s due to us taking a more fun and entertaining approach to our themes for the parade,” Henke said. “Last year we started doing that with music, and there were floats with jam boxes and churches playing gospel music, things like that, and everybody joined in. This year, Candy Land was a good theme with the board games. I saw three or four Candy Land floats and Wheel of Fortune, I believe I saw. There were some really good ones. People put a lot of thought into them, and we really appreciate it.”
Henke says the rest of the events also went off well with a capacity number of vendors downtown, more than 75 vehicles in the car show, and numerous kids taking part in the kids’ activities and Big Wheel Races.
You can see the complete list of winners, along with more than 60 photos of the parade, in the story on our website.
Participants who won a trophy can pick it up at the WJBD studios at 310 West McMackin Street in Salem.
