SANTALAND PARADE ANNOUNCES
TRIO OF GRAND MARSHALS FOR 58TH ANNUAL PARADE
The Garden City Downtown Development Authority Santaland Parade will have the grandest of grand marshals when the 58th annual parade hits the streets of Garden City on Saturday, November 24th at 10am.
The parade will honor three deserving Garden City products. First, Garden City’s own Alyse Madej, who was just crowned Miss Michigan USA for 2019, will grace us with her royal presence. Alyse is the first young woman from Garden City to ever win the Miss Michigan USA title.
She graduated from Garden City High School in 2011, and went on to continue her education at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, studying marketing & information technology management. Alyse currently works as a marketing coordinator for major automotive companies, and also travels the country as a national spokeswoman for Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo.
She will represent Michigan at the 2019 Miss USA pageant.
Also serving as a grand marshal for the 2018 GCDDA Santaland Parade is another Garden City grad Michael Pack. Michael has put together a very impression career that includes modeling and acting. He has a movie coming out called 22. It’s a story inspired by the late Robby Spellman’s life. In the film Michael plays Brooks, Robby’s best friend who goes on to play Major League Baseball. The film was made with all local talent, most of whom knew Robby Spellman personally and were greatly impacted by his life.
Michael was a multiple varsity letter winner at Garden City High School and is a member of the Garden City Cougar Football Hall of Fame. He played football for Wayne State, playing in the Division 2 championship game and won the Randy Guzowski Award.
Finally, Garden City school teacher Carla Young received one of five Teacher of the Year awards June 22 from The American Legion at its 100th Annual Convention in Kalamazoo. More than 80 teachers were nominated for the award that recognizes educators who stand out in Competence, Community Involvement, and School Involvement in programs that include Patriotism, Americanism, and Community Service.
Carla teaches at the Farmington 5-6 Campus and has been with the Garden City Public Schools for more than 19 years. She works with students to create and send greeting cards to service members, coordinates the annual Flag Folding Ceremony at Farmington as well as has her class members enter The American Legion’s annual Poppy Poster contest. Veterans at Ann Arbor VA Medical Center enjoy baked goods courtesy of Young’s class. The Otto Miller, Jr., Post 396 promotes the award locally.
For more information on the 2018 Garden City Downtown Development Authority Santaland Parade, visit our website at www.santalandparade.com or follow us on Facebook at Garden City Santaland Parade.