Ogden parade grand marshal, Christmas Village mayor to kick off holiday activities
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- This undated photo shows participants in the annual Santa Run. The activity precedes Ogden’s Holiday Electric Light Parade and Gala each year. This year, the run and parade will be Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023.
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- Logan Knapp, who will be grand marshal of Ogden’s Holiday Electric Light Parade and Gala on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023.
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- This undated photo shows the bright lights of Christmas Village in Ogden. The lights for this year’s Christmas Village will formally be turned on during a ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, after the Holiday Electric Light Parade and Gala.
OGDEN — Dan Hoover and Logan Knapp will help kick off Ogden’s key holiday season activities this year.
Logan, an 8-year-old in remission from leukemia, was picked to serve as the grand marshal of the Holiday Electric Light Parade and Gala through downtown Ogden starting at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. That’s the precursor event to the formal opening of Christmas Village on the grounds around the Ogden Municipal Building at 2549 Washington Blvd.
“Our entire family has been surrounded by so many incredible people in this community. The love and generosity we have felt and received is overwhelming and we could not be more grateful,” said Logan’s mom, Kellie Knapp.
Hoover, meantime, has been named honorary mayor of Christmas Village, which formally opens on Saturday at around 6:30 pm., right after the parade. He and his employer, Swire Coca-Cola, have been involved in varied civic activities around Ogden over the years
“This is definitely not a me thing,” Hoover said after the Ogden City Council formally proclaimed him honorary mayor at the body’s Nov. 14 meeting. “I’m just representing the company. We truly are blessed and honored to participate and sponsor and help with community service. We try to do as much as we can to help with the community.”
The parade and Christmas Village opening are staple holiday season activities in Ogden. The village, featuring cottages with Christmas-themed displays inside, will be open until Jan. 1, with the characteristic bright lights on the grounds around the city building shining each evening.
Saturday’s parade, starting at 5:30 p.m., begins on Washington Boulevard at 22nd Street and will head south to 27th Street. Santa Claus and others will be on hand at the Christmas Village Opening Gala following that at 6:30 p.m., when Logan will hit the switch to turn on the village lights. A fireworks show will follow.
Preceding the parade will be the 5-kilometer Santa Run starting at 4:30 p.m.
Santa Claus typically visits the Christmas Village each evening while music is standard in the adjacent Ogden Amphitheater. The village theme this year is “Snow Place Like Ogden.” Find more details at ogdencity.com/452/Christmas-Village.
ABOUT THE DIGNITARIES
The Make-A-Wish Foundation, which helps kids with serious illnesses and ailments, selected Logan to be the parade grand marshal. “He has experienced hardships with his health, but it hasn’t stopped him from having fun,” reads a press release from the city.
Despite it all, Logan’s mom said her son has stayed upbeat, noting the people he has met in the course of receiving treatment. “Most people don’t know there are this many nice people in the world until they are grown up, but because I got cancer when I was 6, I get to go my whole life knowing how nice people really are,” Logan said, according to his mom.
Hoover has been involved in varied community activities and is a regular visitor to Christmas Village each year. He has coached youth tackle football and helped at an event that provided groceries to 400 military families.
“He embodies the Ogden spirit and his contributions to our community are invaluable. His dedication and influence will continue to help shape our city,” reads a City Council proclamation naming Hoover the honorary Christmas Village mayor.