Patricia Heaton serves as the 2008 grand marshal of the IPL 500 Festival Parade!
Emmy award-winning actress Patricia Heaton will serve as grand marshal of the 2008 IPL 500 Festival Parade. The Parade is Saturday, May 24, and will be a celebration of the 2008 theme: Fuel the Dream.
Heaton is best known for her role as Debra Barone on the award-winning series Everybody Loves Raymond. She is currently starring in 20th Century Fox’s newest television comedy Back to You with Kelsey Grammer. Her other television credits include prominent roles in the series Room for Two, Someone Like Me and Women of the House, and a recurring role on the critically-acclaimed series thirtysomething. She has also appeared in the CBS television film A Town Without Christmas and Miracle in the Woods.
500 Festival Past Grand Marshals
What does one former President of the United States, three South American Ambassadors, a General, a race champion, a POW Korean War Ace, Medal of Honor Recipients, Public Safety Agencies, Governors, Astronauts, film greats and even Mickey Mouse have in common? Well the answer is that over 47 years each has starred in the 500 Festival Parade as a grand marshal.
For the very first parade, Lt. General H.W. Arnold, USA, did the honors, Jimmy Stewart in 1965 and Walter Cronkite in 1966. It was a "Bonanza" year in 1967 when Lorne Green, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon formed a grand marshal trio. The next year (1968) there were three Ambassadors from South of the Border and the charming Edie Adams was grand marshal for 1970.
Colonel James Kasler thrilled the crowds as parade grand marshal in 1973. To the delight of his family and everyone else, "Jim Kasler" was "back Home Again in Indiana," after being returned from prisoner of war camp in North Korea. All returned POW’s from Indiana were honored parade guests that year.
Mickey Mouse was a solo grand marshal in 1974. Not until the 1985 parade did Mickey bring Minnie and 60 other Disney characters along when he was grand marshal. Mickey and Minnie appeared once again as Grand Marshals in 1992.
Grand marshal Peter de Paolo brought back memories in 1975 of his breaking the 100mph speed record 50 years before. In 1976 Tony Hulman, then President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, shared the spotlight with his friend, Bob Hope. The three 4-time winners of the Indianapolis 500- Al Unser, Rick Mears, and A.J. Foyt were grand marshals in 1995.
Former President Gerald R. Ford was a stunning crowd pleaser as 1979’s grand marshal. In 1983 the 500 Festival reached into space for Astronaut Joe Allen as the grand marshal. And something for the girls in 1984- David Hasselhoff of "Knight Rider" fame.
1999 was a touching year, honoring nearly 100 Medal of Honor Recipients as the grand marshals of the parade. And in 2001 a very special set of grand marshals, the Public Safety Agencies of Indianapolis. In 2004, Indiana’s own Jane Pauley returned to the Hoosier state to serve as the 500 Festival grand marshal.
Over the years these military leaders and popular celebrities have served dutifully as our parade grand marshals. We salute them all in return.
1957 Lt. Gen. G. W. Arnold 1958 1959 1960 Gen. David Shoup, USMC 1961 Lt. Gen. Joseph W. Kelly 1962 Ge. Herbert B. Powell 1963 Lt. Gen. Charles G. Dodge 1964 1965 James Stewart 1966 Walter Cronkite 1967 Lorne Green, Dan Blocker, Michael Landon 1968 Ambassadors from Peru, Boliva, and Equador 1969 Manueal Fraga Iribarne 1970 Edie Adams 1971 Hon. George W. Romney, Hon. John A. Love, Hon. Carl B. Stokes 1972 Phil Harris 1973 Col. James H. Kasler 1974 Mickey Mouse 1975 Peter DePaolo 1976 Tony Hulman & Bob Hope 1977 William Hanna & Joseph Barbera 1978 Roy Clark 1979 President Gerald R. Ford 1980 Mike Douglas 1981 Joyce Dewitt 1982 Merlin Olsen 1983 Joseph Allen 1984 David Hasselhoff 1985 Mickey Mouse 1986 Lt. Col. Jerry L. Ross 1987 Mario Vasquez Rana 1988 Garfield & creator Jim Davis 1989 Gene Autry 1990 Vice President Dan Quayle 1991 A.J. Foyt & Mary Fendrich Hulman 1992 Mickey & Minnie Mouse 1993 Larry Bird 1994 Mario Andretti & Bonnie Blair 1995 A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, and Al Unser 1996 Garfield & creator Jim Davis 1997 Cam Cameron, I.U. - Bob Davie, Notre Dame - Joe Tiller, Purdue 1998 Dr. David Wolf - NASA Astronaut 1999 Medal of Honor Recipients 2000 Jim Nabors 2001 5 Public Safety Agencies 2002 Jim Caviezel- Actor & 2002 Indy 500 Pace Car Driver 2003 Wynonna Judd 2004 Jane Pauley 2005 Reggie Miller-Indiana Pacer legend 2006 Rachael Ray 2007 Peyton Manning - Indianapolis Colts Quarterback 2008 Patricia Heaton
© 2008 500 Festival