Concordia’s classic Fall Fest is never complete without its parade, and this year, it’ll have some unique Grand Marshals to march through downtown. Concordia Chamber of Commerce selected the Junior Grand Marshal earlier this spring from the Concordia Elementary School fourth grade class who all submitted their own button designs in a contest.
The design selected was made by Nathaniel Keil, the son of Katie and Ken Keil, now a Concordia Elementary School fifth grade student, who created his design from the inspiration he found in the scenery surrounding his family farm.
“I didn’t know which one to do, so I just decided to split it into four ways,” Nathaniel said. “We live near the POW Camp, I thought I could do that, and then, because there’s a lot of tractors in Concordia, I chose a tractor. Then usually, there is a barn once in a while, and then I also thought that some Indians might have lived here.”
While Nathaniel enjoys the scenery surrounding his life, he also works hard with his grandparents and parents on the farm alongside hunting and fishing.
“Every Saturday, I go to pasture and check them with my grandma and grandpa,” Nathaniel said. “We have to check the fences, checking the rain, see if the bulls are there, counting them, feeding them the salt and mineral, checking if their electric fence is running.”
Now, this Saturday, he’ll help ring in the Fall Fest Parade alongside more than two dozen local veterans who, as a group, will act as the Grand Marshals for the parade. American Legion Post 76 in Concordia Commander Marge Higgins said that she and a few other legion members have helped organize the veterans for the parade this Saturday.
Higgins said that while she’s excited to be a Grand Marshal, she’s most excited to see her fellow veterans all together and celebrating the United States’ 250th birthday.
“I just think it’s great to see them all in one place. It’s just a good fellowship thing for all of us to be in one place,” Higgins said. “I don’t think people in Concordia really know who’s a vet and who isn’t, so I think this’ll be great to see them all in one spot.”
The legion intends to prepare a large float that can accommodate many participants, so Higgins said that she encourages veterans to reach out to her at 785-243-0932 to participate. Higgins said that veterans are also welcome to arrive during parade float check-in Saturday morning on the north side of the Cloud County Courthouse on Eighth Street.
