After decades of business ownership, volunteer service, and civic involvement, Beth and Bernie Carr have been selected as grand marshals of the 2026 Brandon Independence Day Parade.

Each year, Brandon selects a grand marshal to serve as the ceremonial leader of its Independence Day parade in recognition of outstanding service and contributions to the community. This year, that distinction goes to the Carrs, whose lives have become closely woven into the fabric of Brandon through decades of service, leadership, and quiet generosity.

Their appearance as grand marshals comes just weeks after the Carrs retired following nearly five decades running their Center Street flower and gift business, but parade organizers say their impact in town reaches far beyond the storefront they operated.

"They are people who have lived in and loved Brandon for 50-plus years," said Deputy Town Manager Bill Moore. "They made Brandon. I think of Brandon and I think about the Carrs. Whenever you needed to find out anything, you went and saw Bernie."

Longtime parade committee member Bobbie Torstenson said the Carrs' selection reflects a lifetime of service to Brandon.

"In many respects, for years, he's been the heart and soul of Brandon," she said of Bernie. "I can't think of very many things that have happened that he hasn't been an integral part of."

Torstenson said Bernie has stepped forward time and again to organize auctions, support local organizations, and lend a hand wherever needed. During the years-long Segment 6 downtown reconstruction project, she said, "He really kept us all sane during the construction. He kept our spirits up."

The committee also wanted to recognize Beth, whose decades of volunteer work have often happened more behind the scenes.

"They're a good team," Torstenson said. "They're very close."

Bernie, a Brandon native, grew up on Franklin Street and graduated from Otter Valley Union High School. Beth moved to Brandon as a child when her father accepted a teaching position at Otter Valley, spent several high school years in Maine, then returned to Brandon during her senior year and graduated from Otter Valley. The two met while working at the IGA supermarket on Conant Square. They married in 1978 and purchased their flower shop just months later, beginning a business partnership that lasted nearly half a century.

No single list could capture the full scope of their volunteer service over the years, but a few examples illustrate its breadth.

Bernie has served as executive director of the Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce for the past 13 years, helping guide the organization through the Segment 6 construction project and the COVID-19 pandemic. He has played a major role in the Chamber auctions for more than 35 years, served as Brandon's town moderator, volunteered with town and regional groups that advanced major community projects, and helped restore the Stephen A. Douglas Birthplace as a museum.

Beth served on the Brandon Free Public Library Board for decades, was among Nifty Thrifty’s first volunteers, led Brownie and Girl Scout troops, volunteered with the Everybody Wins! Vermont reading program, and served on the boards of the Visiting Nurse Association of Rutland and Addison Counties and Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce, including a term as chamber president.

Together, the Carrs have taught confirmation classes at St. Mary's Church, sung in the Festival Singers, and helped found Friends of OV Music.

Beth pointed out that Bernie also once held a somewhat less official title. A Chamber fundraiser crowned him "King of Brandon" in 1984. Because the contest was never repeated, they like to joke that he's “still the King of Brandon."

Although they have watched countless Brandon Independence Day parades over the years, this will be their first time leading one.

"It's an honor, especially with it being the 250th," Beth said. “It’s a nice capper to our years in retail in Brandon.”

Growing up in Brandon made the honor especially meaningful for Bernie.

“We’ve seen so many parades, and it’s always enjoyable to see who the grand marshal is,” he said. “You never think you’re going to be the ones in that place, so that’s kind of fun.”

For years, the Carrs were also fixtures at Brandon's Independence Day celebration, selling balloons in Central Park with the help of their nieces, nephews, daughter, and friends’ children.

Bernie’s connection to the celebration goes back even further. In 1976, as part of the nation’s Bicentennial, he joined other local volunteers in escorting a Revolutionary War-era cannon through Brandon as part of a commemorative relay to Fort Ticonderoga — making being a part of this year’s 250th anniversary celebration especially meaningful.

Despite the recognition, both remain characteristically modest.

"We're team members," Beth said.

Bernie said communities like Brandon depend on people who are willing to pitch in, adding that he hopes the next generation will continue building on that tradition of volunteerism.

"The town we enjoy so much doesn't happen by magic," he said.

To see the schedule for the 2026 Brandon Independence Day on Friday, July 3, click here.

For a more detailed account of the Carrs' lives and nearly 50 years as Brandon business owners, see Steven Jupiter's April 2026 Brandon Reporter feature, "End of an Era: Bernie and Beth Carr Plan Their Retirement.” Read the article.

Readers of that story may remember Buddy Wetmore’s glass shamrock. As they expected, the Carrs found it while clearing out the store. They plan to pass it along to the building's new owner, Jessica Fjeld — a symbolic gesture continuing the tradition of mentorship and encouragement that Wetmore had extended to them.