The annual fundraiser for the parade, the Holly Jolly Folly, and the 2007 Holiday Lighted Parade are now history. By all accounts, both events were rousing successes.
The Holly Jolly Folly, hosted and sponsored by Golling Pontiac/GMC, was held last Friday night. Through the generous support of local vendors, approximately 200 attendees enjoyed a buffet that began in Golling’s showroom and continued in the large garage, and the food was delicious.
Those vendors included Vanelli Express, Christi’s, Hollywood Market, DnA Pig Roasts, Buffalo Wild Wings, Edible Arrangements, the Orion Market and Valentino’s. Centerpieces for the tables were provided by Amazing Petals. There was also entertainment by the Grace Thomas Experience that had some dancers on the floor.
There were introductions including our first annual ‘Citizen of the Year,? Dr. Joe Mastromatteo, who served as the Parade Marshall. Also introduced were our Honored Guests, Wes and Pat Fuelling, and the recipient of the annual Mark Turpen Scholarship, Alexandra Hock.
The parade consisted of 64 entries of floats, vehicles, and walkers. As in past years, Judges Lisa Asadoorian, Nancy Tolwin Carniak and Julie Nicholson, with assistance from County Commissioner Mike Gingell, selected the winners in five categories.
Those winners were: Best Commercial Business ? Upland Hills Farm; Best Non-Profit Organization ? Cub Scout Pack 37; Most Uniquely Illuminated ? Orion Oxford Dance Arts; Best Government Organization ? Orion Township Public Library; and Best Theme Depiction ? Brown, Lukens and Klinkman Families.
There was also a ‘People’s Choice? award selected by a group, and that winner was L. A. Dance.
The snow began to fall mid-parade and added an additional, magical element to the whole scene. The parade can be summed up by the comment of a visiting spectator who said that she loved the parade ? she found it to be full of small-town charm.
We wish to acknowledge the generous support of the Golling family and employees, especially General Manager John Cooper. We also thank Articulate Signs, Inc. of Utica, Michigan, for their generous contributions.
Neither the Holly Jolly Folly nor the parade could happen without volunteers. The Orion Area Parade Group (OAPG) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization consisting of nine board members who are all volunteers. Although the OAPG is responsible for administering the parade, and devotes several months of the year toward that effort, the actual parade could not happen without between 50 and 60 volunteers.
It is not possible to list the names of all the volunteers, but the OAPG would like to thank each and every person who came forward including some who came to just watch the parade, and then were pressed into service.
Special recognition goes to Mary DeWitt Hessen’s Girl Scout Troop 175 who arrived to help carry banners during the parade and would clean the streets afterward. They retrieved trash from under several inches of snow and didn’t leave until the last banner was collected and all the trash was gathered.
Another hero was Doug Bailey of the Lake Orion Horseshoe Club. He realized that we needed to contact some entries that had arrived early, and he volunteered to distribute the information.
Extra special recognition must be given to a few volunteers. Sue Turpen is the human dynamo behind the Holly Jolly Folly. She organizes the entire event including the silent auction. The execution of the parade was a success because of the long-time experience and dedication of Chuck and Janine Saputo. One other person who performed above-and-beyond was Nancy King. She is a rookie in OAPG and holds the office of Secretary, but she is much more than that.
She had the responsibility of the logistics, including stage and sound system, golf carts, banners and more. During the last weeks of planning, her comment was always, ‘Just let me know what I can do.? She didn’t refuse a single assignment.
Also, special recognition and thank you goes to the Lake Orion Review. Colin Baumgartner facilitated the committee to select the ‘Citizen of the Year.? He also promoted the procedure, the Holly Jolly Folly and the parade.
The Lake Orion Police Department and the Buildings and Grounds of the Lake Orion Public Schools also did fantastic jobs, and we thank them. A special thank you goes to Cindy May, the custodian of Blanche Sims School, who assisted us with all our requests.
— The Orion Area Parade Group