The Owensboro People’s Christmas Parade is quickly approaching, and organizers have chosen a total of six grand marshals for the event. We’re highlighting the marshals in a two-part series; this is part one. Marshals were chosen both by a community poll and by the organizing parade council.
The Owensboro People’s Christmas Parade is set for 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 18, and several members of the community have been working hard to keep one of the city’s oldest traditions alive. This year, there will be five grand marshals and one honorary grand marshal that organizers feel deserve recognition for the work and service they have done for the community.
The marshals will be leading the parade in convertibles according to Erich Stranger, one of the heads of the parade committee.
The marshals were first nominated by the community in a Facebook group and then after two rounds of voting, winners were contacted and declared as a grand marshal.
Local veterans are collectively serving as one of the grand marshals. The committee is taking sign-ups for veterans that are interested in being involved in the celebration.
“We want to use this as an opportunity to bring awareness to the Owensboro Veterans Day Parade and ways the community can support local veterans,” Stranger said.
To get involved in the float, call Derek Doc Van Tuyl at 270-315-0910 to sign up.
A second grand marshals is someone who is perhaps more known for his voice than anything else — Joel Utley, The Voice of Kentucky Wesleyan College.
Utley has called KWC basketball games for 61 seasons now, placing him amongst the longest-tenured callers in NCAA history. Utley is a 1974 graduate of KWC and has remained involved in the community ever since.
As Utley is not in the Facebook group where he was initially nominated, he had no idea being nominated for the parade was even possible.
A native of Madisonville, he adopted Owensboro as his hometown many years ago and he considered the gesture of being nominated by his peers a high honor.
“It is humbling to realize that people out there appreciate what you do and, at the same time, want to recognize you,” Utley said. “I’m just tremendously humbled and honored by the fact that I would be one of those that was selected.”
Utley said he unfortunately will not be able to attend the parade to celebrate the honor with the rest of the marshals.
A third grand marshal is community activist Dracin Williams, who was nominated by the community initially and then renominated by the committee.
During the first nomination, Williams said he initially turned it down because it seemed out of his character to be at the forefront of something; however, when the call came that there would be more than one marshal he was excited to join for something bigger than the honor.
“It was definitely an honor just because the community is not particularly for some sort of applause or recognition so it was good to be recognized and hopefully it motivates people to get active and figure out what it is that needs to be changed in the community,” Williams said.
Williams, who is involved predominantly in organizations on the west side of town, said his much of his action is through being a member of the Owensboro Black Expo. In the past year, he has helped with a literacy program for children in town, worked with the Owensboro Community & Technical College and Owensboro High School’s ACE program, and helped get the first community garden planted by working wit the Northwest Neighborhood alliance.
Stranger nominated Williams’ after seeing his passion for the city.
“I see him as a very passionate individual in the community, bringing attention to issues inside Owensboro. When the original parade was canceled, Dracin was able to perfectly capture the disappointment of the community with what he posted on social media,” Stranger said. “People like Dracin are bringing a change in the community.”
