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The Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce man and woman of the year, Scott Wiley and Ruth Vories, will serve as grand marshals for the City of Lakes Festival parade, set to begin at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Event organizer Max Courtney said the parade is full of highlights this year. ML Motorsports is sponsoring an appearance by Lynn St. James, of Indy Racing League fame.
Before her retirement four ago, St. James participated in the numerous IRL events, including 10 Indianapolis 500 races.
ML Motorsports' ARCA driver, Jason Jarrett, and the No. 67 team also will appear in the parade. Jarrett is running second in ARCA points standings this year and finished third in points in 2002. He was ARCA's rookie driver of the year in 2001.
(For more on Jarrett and ML Motorsports, see page 1B.)
"We're also most honored to have Jason Jarrett's grandfather, Ned Jarrett, participate in the parade," Courtney said. The elder Jarrett is a former NASCAR racing champion.
Also appearing is ML Motorsports consultant Red Farmer, who is in every motor sports hall of fame in the world. Farmer participated in American motor sports for half a century.
Following the parade, there is an open house until 4 p.m. at the 2208 N. CR 500W garage to showcase the new shop and for fans to talk to the drivers and race team members.
Other parade highlights include entries by:
• The Purdue University Locomotive;
• Kosciusko County Fair Queen Scholarship Pageant contestants;
• Kosciusko County's Shrine Club's minibike patrol;
• Echoes from the Past antique farm tractors; and
• the Warsaw Community High School marching band.
Entries will be taken until parade day. Lineup begins at 9:30 p.m. in Bogg's Industrial Park.
The route begins at Columbia and Center streets, continues down Center to High Street, turns to Main and ends at Columbia Street again.
"We're expecting great weather," Courtney said, just to get his order for clear and sunny skies in early.
