The 92 annual Marysville Strawberry Festival has been an honored tradition around here since 1932. Annually, a senior King and Queen are chosen from Village Concepts of Marysville to participate in the Grand Parade.
This year was no different. On Saturday, May 18th, President of the Marysville Strawberry Festival Board of Directors, Gail Frost, arrived at Grandview with some of her royal court for the coronation. Here, in front of residents and families, Hugh Bennett and Viola (Peggy) Posey were crowned our King and Queen.
Hugh is a Washington native and veteran who is new to Grandview Village. He and his wife Lynne, have been married for 51 years, have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. Hugh received a BA in Communication at the University of Washington which led him to a 30-year career with KIRO-TV in Seattle as a TV engineer, but not before traveling the northwest with his friends in a rock band called, “The Blokes”.
Hughs hobbies include music, gold prospecting, and guitar playing and repair. For all these things and more, like his kind personality and warm smile, he has quickly won the friendship of our residents and the nomination for Grandview Strawberry Festival King.
Viola (Peggy) Posey was born in Snohomish Washington and is quite the busy bee at Grandview at a mere 96 years old. She and her husband Victor had three children, two boys and a girl. She enjoyed her life as a wife and mother, but also spent 11 years running the Lake Stevens Library, and 11 years working electronics at John Fluke.
Peggy’s hobbies include gardening and being with the people at Grandview. “I love this place, just tell them that”, she said with a huge smile. Being cheerful, kind, and busy beyond belief, makes her an inspiration to all. I think that is why her peers knew she was our Strawberry Queen.
Her family tells us that Peggy attended the very first Strawberry Festival Parade in 1932 at just 4 years old! How fitting for her to lead the grand parade in this year’s festival. Thank you to both of these individuals for representing the Grandview Spirit.
