Mardi Ford

Staff Writer

"Surprised and shocked but so honored" is how Becky and Don Keeling describe their reaction to being chosen as grand marshals for Friday’s Ag-Timber Twilight Parade.

Activities begin at Max Square at 5:30 p.m., and the parade will start rolling about 7:30.

Becky Keeling says historically, grand marshals of the parade have represented one of the two industries celebratedagriculture or timber. As Realtors, the Keelings may seem an unusual choice, but they and the parade are actually old friends.

The couple was chosen by the Union County chapter of Oregon Women in Timber in honor of their role in the parade’s inception and their efforts to ensure its continued success.

Becky Keeling was instrumental in organizing the first Ag-Timber Parade so long ago that no one including Don and Becky can say exactly when that was. Somewhere around the late 1980s, she suggests. Maybe early1990s? he counters.

What is a crystal-clear memory for Becky Keeling of that first parade is the concept behind it and two responses she received during the planning.

"I was working with Mark Simmons at the chamber of commerce then. We were looking for a really special project to promote," she recalls. "And who doesn’t love a parade?"

At the core, they wanted something that would really "celebrate the roots of who we are." They found the answer in their own backyards.

"It’s why we’re here. Think about it. Even today there isn’t one of us in this community who isn’t affected in some way by agriculture or timber," Keeling says.

She remembers one particular businessman who balked at participating. He couldn’t see why he should participate, he told her. His business was not related to agriculture or timber. His attitude pushed her buttons.

"I said, ‘OK, sure. Well, how about if we just get all the farmers to wear green armbands from now on, and whenever one of them comes in here, you can just refuse to serve him. And then, we’ll round up everybody who makes any money selling anything to a farmer and we’ll have them wear them, too. Then we’ll start with the loggers.’"

Before Keeling had made it all the way through her list, she says the business owner was nodding his head, mumbling, "Well, yeah, I guess I didn’t think about it like that."

He changed his mind and decided to support the parade.

"I know I shouldn’t have gotten mad, but I was so surprised at his response. I wanted to make the point that the Ag-Timber Parade is a celebration for all of us. It’s an incredible opportunity to celebrate the fact that these industries are so much of who we are historically, culturally, socially as well as economically.

"We just wanted to bring that forward for everyone to celebrate," Keeling says.

While making inquires into parade entries from the logging and farming communities, she began looking for one logger who was known to have a new "really pretty, yellow truck."

When she called him on the phone to ask if he would enter his truck in the parade, his first response was surprise that anybody would want a logger in any parade.

But after she explained to him what the parade was all about, his next response was, "Well, I’ll have to have a load."

Not only did he have a full load of logs, Keeling remembers with a laugh, but by mid-afternoon, though he knew the parade started at twilight, his truck was already first in line, decked out with lights and ready to roll. And nobody, she says, had a better time than he did.

"There is just something about a nighttime parade that makes people more relaxed,less inhibited. Everybody’s waving, smiling and having fun," she says.

Though business owners, the Keelings’ passion for agriculture and timber is not simply embedded in the realities of a resource economy. They share a love for the land rooted in history.

"I grew up on a cattle ranch. Don grew up in the mountains. His dad was a forester. They moved all over these mountains," she says.

Their backgrounds are something of which they are both very proud.

Since Don has been driving a fire truck in the parade for many years, it is only fitting that he and Becky will oversee the parade from one this year, too.

They encourage everyone to come early to the celebration and stay late. Check out the floats usually there are anywhere from 75 to 100 eat at the food booths, watch the lighted parade and have fun.