2012 Parade Marshal: Wilma Walker, 92, Has Attended All 90 Du Quoin State Fairs

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The parade marshal chosen for this year's Du Quoin State Fair has, by her own admission, has seen it all.

Wilma Walker, age 92, has attended all 90 state fairs, never missing a single year.

"I've seen it all out there," Walker said. "I cherish so many great memories."

Walker's fondest memory is the night she met entertainer Bob Hope. Walker noted that her late husband, Walter, worked at the fair for 57 years. He was conversing with Hope before the show and asked him if he would meet his wife.

"I was sitting on the front row and he came right over and shook my hand," Walker smiled. "I told my husband, I'm never washing my hand again."

Du Quoin State Fair Manager John Rednour, Jr., said it is an honor to have Walker as parade marshal this year. "The fact that we have someone leading the parade who has attended every fair is amazing," Rednour said. "Mrs. Walker is a wonderful lady who loves to talk about what this fair means to Southern Illinois."

Walker said when she learned she had been chosen as parade marshal she immediately "felt butterflies in her stomach."

When asked what she wanted to ride in during the parade, she responded, "A convertible, of course."

The Du Quoin State Fair Parade will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, August 24, making its traditional two-mile trek from the Moto Mart to the fairgrounds.