Elna Johnson selected parade Grand Marshal

By Alan Carman
The Imperial Republican
    Elna Johnson, a longtime resident and supporter of both Imperial and Chase County, will lead this years Chase County Fair parade as it’s grand marshal.
    The 90 year old Johnson came to Imperial in 1954 as the young bride of her high school sweetheart, Loral Johnson, who worked at the Imperial Republican. That would be the beginnings of a legacy of serving Imperial and the Chase County communities for many years to come.
    She shared Loral’s love of the newspaper business and in 1968, the couple purchased The Imperial Republican. They worked together to build a newspaper family that included The Wauneta Breeze, The Holyoke Enterprise and The Grant Tribune-Sentinel.
    Elna’s love of community and passion for people has been evident in her involvement with many organizations and activities. Some of those include the Imperial Methodist Church, swimming lesson instructor, meals-on-wheels, Freedoms Foundation, Eastern Star, the Imperial Library Foundation and the Imperial Community Foundation Fund.
    She and Loral raised four children in Imperial: Brenda Brandt, Randy and Kurt Johnson and Lori Pankonin. The family’s service to the newspaper industry spanned three generations. Elna also served as president of the Nebraska Press Association.
    The theme for the 2025 Chase County Fair Parade is “Doin’ Life at the Chase County Fair”.
    The 2025 Chase County Fair Parade will kick off at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, August 16. The route will be the same as years past. Entri8es are rolling in and are welcome up until parade day.
    Lineup begins at 8:30 with judging to begin at 9:00. Entries may be emailed to Chris Lee at cleebearcats@gmail.com. Questions can be directed to Lee at 308-882-1548.