For more information regarding the parade and to register to be in the parade, please contact:
Chad Wills
Email: cmwills3@frontier.com
Phone: (309) 386-2791
History of the Farmer City Parade
History of the Farmer City Christmas Parade
The Farmer City Christmas Parade, sponsored by the Farmer City Chamber of Commerce, started in 1975 in its present form by Harland “Junior” Kimler, who was the owner of K&S Furniture in downtown Farmer City. The parade is known around Central Illinois as the kickoff to the Christmas holiday season and is always the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Originally, the parade stepped off from the high school in Farmer City. However, under the direction of Harland Kimler and his daughter, Teri Emmerson, the parade grew into an event of approximately 100 entries each year, and outgrew the high school’s limited space to line up the parade in the late 1970’s. The parade has stepped off at the Farmer City Fairgrounds since that time and traditionally proceeds the full length of Main Street each year.
The parade is known for its entries of high school marching bands, including the Blue Ridge, Heyworth, Fisher and Lexington bands each year. It also draws many antique tractors, antique cars, Shrine organizations, horses and holiday floats, which makes it a festive occasion! However, the parade is perhaps best known for having WCIA Channel 3’s chief weather forecaster Judy Fraser in the parade each year since 1977.
Harland Kimler and Teri Emmerson were chairman of the parade from 1975 to 1994, except two years during which Mike Hendricks as chairman in the early 1990’s. Chad Wills has been chairman of the parade since 1995 and celebrated his 30th year as parade chairman in 2024.
The parade each year starts promptly at 2 pm on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and travels from the Farmer City Fairgrounds on North Street, then south on Main Street to the Heartland Bank in downtown Farmer City.
It has been a long-standing tradition to have some of Farmer City’s most prestigious businessmen and women and individuals who have long-served the community through volunteerism and community leadership as our grand marshals each year. It is looked at as a “lifetime achievement award” and we have been very honored to have each of them lead our parade.
The following have been grand marshals of the Farmer City Christmas Parade:
1976 – Rex Minnie
1977 – Doc Hester
1978 – Marshal Jones
1979 – Bob Lewis
1980 – Jake Young
1981 – Orth and Nonie Peithmann
1982 – George and Annetta Stewart
1983 – Father Motsett
1984 – Wallace (Junior) and Clara Belle Lamb
1985 – Maxine Williams
1986 – John and Lillian Overton; Francis and Berniece Hawn
1987 – Delmar Pointer
1988 – Harland and Marie Kimler
1989 – Dewey and Betty Gronau
1990 – George and Francis Dunn
1991 – Tom and Eleanor McConkey
1992 – Ed Gardner
1993 – Roy Brent; Levi and Dorothy Murphey
1994 – Delmar and Clarine Tipsord
1995 – Gene and Mary Helen Holt; Jesse and Donna Hammer
1996 – Richard and Joye Drake
1997 – Jerry Schmitz
1998 – Cora Maynard
1999 – Jim and Mary K Hammer
2000 – Carol Angst
2001 – John Dawson, Eugene Houser, John Overton
2002 – Jim and Eunice Tobin
2003 – Elvin and Julia Belangee
2004 – Marilyn Pointer
2005 – Ralph and Nancy King
2006 – F. Dick and Janice Maxwell
2007 – Jerry and Shirley Beasley
2008 – Mike and Brenda Hendricks
2009 – Mary Lou Luck
2010 – Mary Lou Beggs and Betty Kent
2011 – Bob and Phyllis Hieronymus
2012 – Teri Kelley & Sally Williams
2013 – Ron and Jeanne Vance
2014 – Eugene and Margaret Hoffman
2015 – Rick and Jill Hardesty
2016 – Pedo Miller
2017 – Lance Spieker and David Holtz
2018 – Larry Woliung
2019 – Sandy Shaw
2020 – Sharon Stiger
2021 – Mary Walker
2022 – K&S Furniture/Teri Emmerson
2023 – Mike and Jean Johanns
2024 – Dewey and Janie King