Putting a fitting face on Labor Day festivities
Staff writer
When Florence honors Mary Jane Grimmett as grand marshal of its Labor Day parade Monday, it will be for a lifetime of the kind of public service — paid and unpaid — that holds a small town together.
At 78, Grimmett cheerfully works a roster of jobs exhausting just to recite: She is Florence city treasurer, library director, founder and editor of the Florence Crossroads monthly newsletter, Democratic precinct committee member, organizer of the United Methodist church’s food pantry and all its funeral dinners, and processor of paperwork for the Kansas Food Bank commodities handed out in town.
Before all that, she was Chamber of Commerce secretary, a Harvey House volunteer, Sunday School teacher, and a worker for 33 years as a Florence and Marion Middle School secretary while raising two sons as a single mother.
“I don’t consider it labor,” Grimmett said, adding that she does it to “be the hands and feet of Jesus.”
Though she had — and survived — cancer last year, she doesn’t seem to slow down, according to those who know Grimmett.
“We let her do her” at the pace she wants, daughter-in-law Melanie Grimmett said.
Grimmett’s recognition is part of a long weekend of Labor Day celebrations in the area — with Florence and Burdick having parades at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively Monday.
In Florence, festivities will start Saturday from 1 to 8 p.m. with cycle kart competitions, a back road poker chip rally, raffles, and live music dances.
On Sunday, activities will start at 8 a.m. and include bike and running events], more cycle kart competition, a vintage baseball game, an ice cream social, and fireworks at dusk.
And Monday, in addition to the parade, there will be a car show, corn hole, sidewalk chalk art, turtle races, kids games, and cow chip bingo.
Burdick’s celebrations will start at 9:30 a.m. Sunday with a community church service and include a trap shooting competition, Calcutta auction, and rodeo.
Monday will include a two-mile fun run, bake sale and pie auction, crafts vendors, pedal pull, and parade.