Parade

Jerry and Diane were both born in the Chicago, Illinois area, and their paths first crossed at Southern Illinois University, where they met in 1965. They married two years later, in 1967, and went on to have two children, Alyson in 1972 and Bryan in 1977. That same year, the family relocated to Los Angeles after the company Jerry worked for moved its operations there.

They have been an integral part of the Parowan community since 1992, when they bought the Swiss Village Inn and Restaurant, a Best Western franchise. The following year, they became Chamber members, and Jerry started what would become a long-running involvement with the Parowan Theater, working lighting for his first production, My Fair Lady.

Their community involvement continued to grow in 1995, when they started the car show at Swiss Village and Jerry began working on the Fun Run alongside Lowell Nelson, an event that remains a current tradition today. In 1999, Jerry and Diane launched the Air Show at Parowan Airport, keeping it going for three years until it was discontinued after all airshows were canceled following the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York.

Diane also hosted a radio show for two years, highlighting Parowan Chamber events. In 2005, the motel property was transformed into Cedar Breaks Academy, a residential treatment center for girls, where Jerry served as Chief Financial Officer and Diane worked directly with the girls.

Their commitment to the town extended beyond entertainment and events: in 2010, they successfully reclassified the city animal shelter as a No Kill shelter and went on to operate it for many years. Diane's community involvement remained steady through the following years as well—she taught an exercise class at the Parowan gym for four years starting in 2013, the same year she began an 11-year run volunteering with Sub for Santa. Since 2012, Diane has also worked at The Rusty Bucket.

Their involvement with the fair began in 1994, when Diane started working alongside Art Walunus selling t-shirts, a role she continued for several years while Jerry also began pitching in in various capacities. In 1996, they took on ticket-taking duties for grandstand events, along with other fair jobs, and continued contributing in different roles through 2008. When Joyce Evans became Fair Director, their involvement deepened significantly, and they remained with the fair through 2022, with Diane serving as vendor director and Jerry as her assistant.