Kettering names actor as celebrity honoree for Holiday at Home parade

The annual Holiday at Home parade in 2022 featured a record 127 entries as part of the three-day event in Kettering. The near mile-long march up Far Hills Avenue (Ohio 48) to just south of Dorothy Lane featured Grand Marshal Jamie Jarosik, a Kettering resident and WDTN meteorologist. THOMAS GNAU/STAFF

The annual Holiday at Home parade in 2022 featured a record 127 entries as part of the three-day event in Kettering. The near mile-long march up Far Hills Avenue (Ohio 48) to just south of Dorothy Lane featured Grand Marshal Jamie Jarosik, a Kettering resident and WDTN meteorologist. THOMAS GNAU/STAFF

An actor and Kettering native has been named this year’s Holiday at Home festival’s honorary celebrity parade grand marshal.

Fairmont High School graduate Gary Sandy will join longtime Kettering City Councilman Bruce Duke, named grand marshal, as honorees in this year’s parade, set for Sept. 2, festival organizers said.

Sandy starred as Andy Travis in the television show “WKRP in Cincinnati,” along with Centerville High School graduate Gordon Jump, from 1978-82.

A Wilmington College graduate, Sandy, 78, also appeared in several other TV shows and theater productions.

Duke is the longest to ever serve on Kettering’s city council, holding a 37-year tenure until his retirement in 2023. He also founded the Kettering Leadership Academy more than 20 years ago.

The ninth-month program has more than 200 graduates, records show.

Native Daytonian Gary Sandy was a part of the legendary cast of the TV sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati." CONTRIBUTED

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Holiday at Home is a three-day Labor Day festival that started more than 60 years ago. It features a gala, and two days of children’s activities, live music throughout the weekend, food options, arts and crafts, a car show, and the Monday morning parade.

This year’s sponsors include Alta Fiber, the city of Kettering, Dry Tech Exteriors, Kettering Health Network and Marion’s Piazza, according to organizers.

former Kettering Councilman Bruce Duke

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Credit: Contributed

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