Grand Marshal

202 Gladiolus Festival Grand Marshals

 

KIDDIE PARADE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Momence Gladiolus Festival Association is proud to announce the Momence High School Girls Basketball Team has been named the 2024 Kiddie Parade Grand Marshal. They will be honored in the Kiddie Parade on Thursday evening, August 8, at 6:30 PM. This past season was very difficult on the entire team. They lost one of their own teammates, Amari Crite, during a home game in Momence. Tim Bleyle, Momence head coach, stated “it’s still very hard to think about”. The team took a two-week break after Amari’s death, came back to play for senior night and a regional game. Tim Bleyle said “the girls didn’t want to play without Amari”. This team is very close with one another. The night of Amari’s death, the team huddled together to bond together. The surrounding communities reached out to Momence to help them through the grieving time. Grant Park invited them to one of their games, and several other schools in the conference wore Amari’s colors.
“Amari Crite was a light” said her mom, Michelle Crite. She was always happy, and enjoyed keeping her friends spirits up. She also had an infectious smile; if she was smiling, everyone was! Amari was a very spiritual soul and full of life. She was very determined to practice at her sport until she was the best. Her favorite colors were purple and yellow, as she was a huge LA Lakers fan. Her dogs are named, Kobe and Gigi.
Tim Bleyle finished his first year of coaching, and his assistants are: Mike Fahey, Mike Berns and Chris Vanswol. He stated that they had the best season the school has seen in many years, finishing with a record of 10-7. The coaches ask for the community to please show your support this year for the Momence High School girls basketball program. We all wish you the best in your upcoming season and there will be an angel watching and cheering you on!!!

 

 

 

GRAND MARSHALL

The Momence Gladiolus Festival Association is proud to announce that Gene and Sue Lincoln have been named the 2024 Grand Marshals and they will be honored in the 3 PM Grand Street Parade on Saturday, August 10th as Grand Marshals and for receiving the Momence Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Lincolns moved to Momence as a young married couple in 1965 and that’s when they were first introduced to the Gladiolus Festival. They recall watching their first parade from where it stepped off, pretty much in the same location as it does today. Sue remembered that Mary Ann Strassenburg was named Queen that year.
Sue has been a chairperson of the Downtown/Southside Business float for 15+ years, mostly handling the financial and administrative side of it and leaving the designing to her co-chairs. Along with her daughters, she participated in several flower shows and ran the 5K once with her son. Gene has worked entry gates collecting money and passing out programs, lending a hand when needed. Both have done a lot of promotions for the festival through printing for programs, ads, entry forms, posters, campaign cards and flyers.
Gene’s favorite memory of the Glad Fest was seeing Fey & June Orr’s Doble steam car on display at the Old Car Show, he said that it was a beautiful car and it ran in absolute silence. This steam car was eventually sold to Jay Leno. Sue said her favorite festival memory is when the Budweiser Clydesdales were in the Glad Fest parade, she thought they were magnificent.
One of Gene’s favorite floats was a huge boat designed by Walt Evans Decorators. But they both agreed that their favorite float and also a crowd favorite was a multiple award-winning float that featured WWII Veterans Ronald Jensen and Stanley Jensen. They recalled when many Momence businesses each designed their own glad-covered float to enter in the parades. They also reminisced about the drum & bugle corps and how much excitement the corps and all marching bands bring to the parades.
Gene and Sue have 4 children, Andrew, Robyn, Anita and Jill, 10 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren and two more on the way. They will be married 61 years in August. Congratulations Gene & Sue and thank you for your contributions to the Gladiolus Festival and to your community!