• Article Photo. Vince Blank was the first Party in the Park Grand Marshal, in 1993; there have been 33 more since.
    Vince Blank was the first Party in the Park Grand Marshal, in 1993; there have been 33 more since.
  • Article Photo. Other grand marshals in the PIP parade history are pictured here, with names and years below them.
    Other grand marshals in the PIP parade history are pictured here, with names and years below them.
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     From the very first Grand Marshal of a Vinton Party in the Park Parade -- Vince Blank in 1993, to 2011 honorees Roger and Dorothy Albert, the 2011 parade remembered those who were honored as Grand Marshals in the 20 year Party in the Park history. A few of them are no longer with us; their children or widows took their place to represent them in the convertibles at the head of the parade.

   Some years there were more than one Grand Marshal. There was no Grand Marshal in the first parade, in 1992. There was no Grand Marshal in 2008 because the flood changed much of the Party in the Park schedule.

     The Grand Marshals since 1993 include:

 

 

1992: N/A

1993: Vince Blank

1994: Esther Williams

1995: John Gualtier

1996: Bob and Jane LaGrange

1997:  DC Weideman and George Garwood

1998: Dale Druschel

1999: Kathryn Knaack, Kathy Root, Larry Kemp

2000: Rich Farmer, Dick Holsworth

2001: Jon Clingman, Keith Ervin

2002: Glenn Beresford, Jon Hamling, Elvira Lilja, Virginia Holsten, Darlys Hulme

2003: The Duane and Karen Randall family (with children Jamie, Brady and Erin)

2004: John and Bev Anderson

2005: Marv Hite and Janet Hogan

2006:  Ken Stark

2007: Bob Moen

2008: N/A (the flood affected PIP events, including the parade)

2009: Keith Mossman

2010: Duane Fisher

2011:  Roger and Dorothy Albert