Deep roots in Kendrick, Juliaetta

May 13—The theme of next week's Locust Blossom Festival in Kendrick is "Tiger Memories," and the grand marshals of the festival's annual parade share a longtime connection to their community and its high school.

The festival, a one-day event happening May 20, annually chooses parade grand marshals from both Kendrick and nearby Juliaetta. This year, the marshals are Don and Ann Park from Kendrick and Dawn Quigley from Juliaetta.

Ann Parks said she and her husband were one year apart in school and each graduated from Kendrick High School as student body president and valedictorian in back-to-back years in the early 1970s.

The couple remembers when the Locust Blossom Festival was called Founders Day and included a pet parade, in which both would walk their pets.

After high school, Don Parks graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in agricultural engineering.

He completed a master's degree and worked as a civil engineer research lab technician at UI and spent time on the family farm with his father and brother.

Ann Parks graduated from business school in Seattle after high school and worked for an actuarial firm before returning to Kendrick. She also worked at Potlatch Forest Industries and Lewiston First Bank. She stayed home to raise their children until 1991, then worked as a financial technician at the Center on Disabilities and Human Development at UI until retirement in 2019 on the same day her husband retired from his UI career.

Don Parks has been an active member of the school board for 20 years and currently serves as the chairman, which Ann believes is a possible reason they were selected as this year's festival grand marshals.

The couple now enjoys their retirement by gardening, boating, camping and getting together with family.

Quigley, who lives in Lewiston, retired from Juliaetta Elementary School last year after 44 years with the school. She was the second-grade teacher her entire career.

Quigley's sons all graduated from Kendrick High School and participated in Scouts. Her husband, Mike, worked to create the Juliaetta ballfield. She graduated from Timberline High School and received her bachelor's degree from Lewis-Clark State College and a master's degree from the University of Idaho.

"It was a very nice honor, (to be named grand marshal)," Quigley said. "I never expected it at all."

Quigley said highlights of her teaching career included her students writing letters to veterans, student-created masks of their faces, and the opportunity she had to write and produce a musical production for the Juliaetta Centennial. She also sewed costumes and helped produce the annual spring musical for the elementary school.

This year's Locust Blossom Festival starts at 8 a.m. May 20 with a color run at the Kendrick High School. A meet-and-greet event with the grand marshals will start at 8:30 a.m. at Hardware Brewing Co.

The festival opening ceremony starts at 9:50 a.m., with a 10 a.m. flyover to honor veterans. The parade will start at 10 a.m. on Main Street.

A barbecue lunch follows the parade at the park across the street from Phil's Family Foods. Live music will be provided by Bear Grass and dessert will be available.

An all-school reunion for Kendrick High alumni starts at 5 p.m.

Nelson can be reached at knelson@dnews.com.