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Nominate someone for 2012 Grand Marshal!
Each year Pony Wagon Days Committee asks and receives nominations
for Grand Marshal. Who do you kow that has been a big part of the St Paris community? There are a lot of unspoken
heroes in the St Paris area, let us know what you think.
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 2011 Pony Wagon Days Grand Marshals Marilyn and Barney Carnes
And in the Carnes' own words,
One reason that Pony
Wagon Days is so special to Barney and Marilyn is that they actually met in 1957 at the Fall Festival, which is now called
Pony Wagon Days. They married in 1960 and recently celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary. Byron, always known as “Barney”, graduated from Christiansburg-Jackson
in 1959 and attended Grafton Church as a young man. Marilyn graduated from Graham and attended St.
Paris United Methodist Church. They are currently members of the Church of Christ in Christian Union on Panhandle Road
and have served in many positions within the church. Barney left the
day after graduation and joined the U.S. Navy for boot camp at Waukegan ,Illinois. He was
schooled for Machinist Mate and was assigned to the engine room. He served on the USS Forrestal and the USS Kitty
Hawk. He and his shipmates were the first to go out on USS Kitty Hawk after it was built and helped to commission it.
They left out of Philadelphia and headed to Guantanimo and around the Cape
of Good Hope, crossing the equator. His unit was on alert during the Cuban Crisis. After returning to the States, Barney
was discharged from San Diego, CA. Barney was very proud to have served his Country in the
U.S. Navy, learning the lessons of discipline, ability to follow orders, and not to give up. They returned
home to the St. Paris community where they raised their three sons Tracy, Jeff, and Rob.
In 1973 Barney was running an auto repair business out of his home when he inquired about
a wrecker for sale by Loby Stockton, who had an auto repair business in St. Paris. He not
only sold him the wrecker, but the whole business. This was the start of Barney’s Auto Repair. We have many wonderful
memories of our 32+ years of business in St. Paris. We have had the privilege of meeting many wonderful people and helping
to serve them in our great community. We truly enjoyed caring for each customer and hearing about their families and lives.
You just can’t get that anywhere else but from a small community!
One memorable
adventure was the Blizzard of 1978. Barney was worried when he woke up on the morning of Feb. 27th
with snow over the hood of the wrecker, knowing that he would be needed in town to keep emergency vehicles running. The EMTs
were able to come to the house on snow mobiles to pick him up so he could open the shop and help out. This is just one of
many stories of how a community comes together when needed. Since our retirement,
our son Rob, who has been with us from the beginning, has taken over the business. Our son Tracy also works there after returning
from Florida several years ago. There are so many wonderful
people in St. Paris who work so hard to make this town the great community it is! We are all so lucky to live, work, and worship
here. Thank you and God Bless you all…
Who do you know that would make a great Grand Marshal in 2012? We usually
receive several nominations, but we want to hear from you! Drop us an email, or contact any PWD members. Who
do you know that has made an impact on the community and deserves to be recognized? Contact us at ponywagondays@yahoo.com
2010 Grand Marshals Bill and
Suzanne Slutz Bill entered the military while
still in high school, one of five members of the football team to do so. He served in the Marines, 1943-46, and saw duty on
Saipan and Tinian in the Mariana Islands, and served on the front line in Okinawa and with
the occupation forces in Nagasaki.
At Parris Island, where Bill went through boot camp,
he was given a small Gideon Bible, which he carried throughout his service. He credits
his training, his faith and the selflessness of his comrades for his survival, but he can’t forget the things he saw.
He lost close buddies on every island where he served. He still has nightmares. “I see pictures everyday of my life,”
he says. “It’s difficult to talk about.”
Since the war, Bill has carried the flag whenever possible,
including just about every Pony Wagon Parade. “I don’t do it for myself or for the people watching,” he
says. He does it for the men who died.
After completing his military service, he
returned to graduate from East Sparta in 1946. He has farmed in the area most of his life.
Suzanne moved to St. Paris at age 6, when her father built Wren’s Dairy where Howard’s IGA now stands.
She grew up in the St. Paris Methodist Church. She graduated from St. Paris School, and has been married to Bill since 1969.
The Slutzes like to travel. Bill is an avid fisherman, once even having caught
a shark. He was, however fishing for tuna. Suzanne also collects unusual rocks. Bill and Suzanne are parents
to 3 children, Greg, Galen(deceased), and Jennifer.
Both Bill and Suzanne are active
in the St. Paris Lions Club. They also work with Lions Clubs
in Arizona where they spend winters. When asked what they do with the Lions, Bill said simply,
“We serve.” Carriage provided by Buckeye Clydes and Carriages Visit us at http://wwwbuckeyeclydesandcarriages.com
Past Grand Marshals included:
2010 - Wilma and Milt Lewis, past aide and teacher at Graham Local Schools
2009 - Sharon and Frank Focht, past Graham Local Schools Superintendant
2008 - Phoebe and Kenny Myers, owners,
Myers Gifts
2007 - Tommy Hahn, owner, Tommy Hahn Shoe Store
2005 - Kenny Baker, farmer and owner of Baker Furniture
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