Kelly Merkner had a sweet pep talk with her granddaughter before the start of the Malden annual Labor Day Parade on Monday.
“I gave her the lowdown before we left: be animated,” Merkner said.
The conversation worked: Madelyn Merkner, 11, and her grandmother filled two big bags of sweet treats to take home as some 100 vehicles passed by them in front of Jake’s Feed Store on Ind. 49 and County Road 325 South in Morgan Township.
Parade entries, which passed in front of fields full of corn, included county fire trucks and emergency vehicles, vintage police cars, antique and vintage cars, politicians seeking election, members of the Civil Air Patrol, and even a shorts-wearing Santa on a motorbike.
“I love parades,” Merkner said.
Merkner, who lives in Morgan Township, said the annual parade offers an opportunity for those in the small farming community to get together.
“It’s just really a nice hometown parade,” she said.
This year marks the 27th year for the annual parade, which stepped off at noon, with some entries originating from the Morgan Township Fire Station, then other entries, like a 1931 slant window Model A car, lining up by Jake’s Feed Store.
Keith and Trisha Foor of Hebron said they were driving the maroon colored car, owned by the late Chuck Kolar, in his honor.
Keith Foor, who owns eight Model A cars with his dad, said this is the second year he has been a parade participant.
“It’s just neat because everybody waves,” Foor said.
Morgan Township Fire Chief Joshua Wittmer said the parade was started in 1998 by the fire department as a way to give back to the community and to honor Labor Day and everything it stands for.
This year, the honorary grand marshal for the parade in memoriam was Dick Schultz, who passed away Aug. 20.
“He was formerly a Morgan Township trustee and worked closely with the fire department during his time there. He was a valued member of our small farming community,” Wittmer said.
Morgan Township volunteer firefighter Mike Lohse, who has served as parade director for 14 years, said most years the weather is picture perfect, like it was on Monday.
“I think there’s only been one or two years when we had slight rain. We usually get nice ‘sunburning’ weather,” Lohse said.
He said he wasn’t sure of the history of the parade, only that it was started because there weren’t any in South Porter County on Labor Day.
“It’s been a tradition and the community loves it. It’s a way to bring the community together again,” Lohse said.
Susan and Clay Suckey of Valparaiso brought collapsible folding chairs and had a birds-eye view of the parade.
They were joined by friend Laura Marovich of Lakes of the Four Seasons.
The Suckeys said they have been in attendance at the parade for the past four years and keep coming back.
“They have a little bit of everything,” Clay Suckey said.
Markovich said she didn’t really care about the lineup.
“I just came to enjoy the beautiful weather,” Marovich said.
Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.