Canonsburg announces Fourth of July parade grand marshals
The Greater Canonsburg Area July Fourth Celebration is gearing up for a star-spangled 60th anniversary, with two grand marshals announced earlier this week.
KDKA-TV reporter Chris Hoffman will travel south to Canonsburg July 4 to serve as this year’s Celebrity Grand Marshal. A Moon Area High School and Point Park University graduate, Hoffman spent time reporting in North Carolina, Harrisburg and Virginia, where he covered the 10th anniversary of Virginia Tech’s mass shooting and the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlotte. He was named an Associated Press reporter of the year for his work in Virginia.
Upon his return to Pittsburgh, Hoffman has covered Steelers stories, presidential visits and the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse last year.
Canonsburg native Linda Lou Neill will serve alongside Hoffman as local grand marshal.
In 1963, Neill became the first-ever Fourth of July Fire Queen, after selling the most tickets for Canonsburg’s Volunteer Fire Department – and winning a trip to Florida. She sold 1,173 tickets and was crowned Fire Queen the night before the town’s inaugural 1963 parade. Neither she nor the town of Canonsburg have missed a Fourth of July parade since.
“I was only 16 years old and knocked on every door in Canonsburg with my mom. If someone wasn’t home, I’d go back the following day,” Neill said in a press release. “I am proud of winning the crown. It was a life lesson set when I was only 16 years old. Hard work pays off, and I’ve carried that with me throughout my life.”
After graduating from Canon-McMillan High School, Neill went to Washington & Jefferson College, where she earned a B.A. in literature. She worked as a case worker at Head Start, and is active in the community. She is president of the Lions Club of Eighty Four, moderator of Chartiers Hill United Presbyterian Church and performs standup at area senior centers.
The 60th annual Canonsburg Fourth of July parade begins at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 4, with activities at Town Park to follow.
For more information on the second-largest parade in the state, visit https://canonsburgjuly4th.org/.