Demetra Shultz is Grand Marshal

Demetra Shultz

The woman who has done so much behind the scenes now will be taking center stage. Shultz, who will be 88 in September, has been named Grand Marshal of the 2009 Labor Day Parade.

"I just swell up inside when I think about it," Shultz said of being chosen. "I feel plain important. At the age that I am, I never dreamed they'd ask me anything like that. I just feel honored."

The selection ties directly into the history of the town's Labor Day celebration. Shultz' father, Lawrence "Butch" Elsass, owned and operated Elsass Creamery in Rector for many years, along with his brothers, Alfred and Eugene. The creamery was a thriving business, and the three brothers were among community leaders credited with vital roles in organizing the annual Labor Day Picnic, an event now recognized across the state.

"They were very, very, very active in the community," Shultz said.

The family also helped start another Labor Day tradition, taking part in the very first Jones Family, a comedic group of down home folks hugely popular in the early years of the picnic parade and still a much-loved part of the big parade today.

"There were times we had eight or 10 people in our family in the parade as the Jones Family," Shultz said. "We had so much fun!"

After stepping away from the parade for a while, Shultz made a memorable return several years ago, playing matriarch Ma Jones alongside Rev. Wayne Jarvis' Pa Jones.

"Reuben Seay put that together," she said with a smile. "They had a dilapidated old truck with an outhouse on the back! It had toilet paper all over the place. Oh, we had fun that year! No one else has pulled a stunt like that in this parade."

Shultz still recalls the first time she took part in the parade, playing the sliding trombone as part of the RHS Marching Band. Since then, she has been involved one way or another in nearly every subsequent picnic. She has served in many roles over the years, selling tickets, running the snow cone stand and lending her cooking skills to the kitchen.

"One year I made 10 pies," Shultz recalled. "By the time I was done, I didn't want to see another pie for a while!"

Shultz says her favorite part of the Labor Day celebration is seeing familiar faces return to Rector.

"There are so many friendly people who have come from Rector. Every year, you see someone that maybe you haven't seen in years, and it just makes you feel good."

Though Shultz says she has slowed down her volunteer work in recent years, she and her daughter, Terry, are still very active in the community. The two often can be seen at most events in town. Both are avid fans of the Rector High School theatre and athletic programs, as well as special events such as the recent Helping Hands Foundation concert.

"There are a lot of things in this community that are important. We're a small community and may not have some of the things they do in bigger cities, but I think what we have here is as good as anybody else's. We're blessed to have the kind of community that we do. I'm proud to be a part of Rector."