[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 23 (Wednesday, March 6, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S1598]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CONGRATULATIONS TO ULUS JOHNSON OF SYMSONIA, KENTUCKY

 Mr. BUNNING. Madam President, today I congratulate Ulus 
Johnson of Symsonia, KY on being named by the Benton Kiwanis Club this 
year's Grand Marshal of events for the annual Tater Day Parade.
  Mr. Johnson, who was with the Navy Seabees during WWII and served 28 
months in the South Pacific, is believed to be the first non-Marshall 
Countian ever to be named Grand Marshal in he Parade's 159 years of 
existence. Like Mr. Johnson, Tater Day has survived the various twists 
and turns of history. During the 1950s and 1960s, many believed the 
parade was on the brink of being canceled. But with the help of 
friends, Ulus Johnson was able to revive the tradition of Tater Day for 
future generations.
  Tater Day has its origins on the first Monday in April because this 
day also happened to be County Court Day and a good time for farmers to 
gather from across Kentucky in Benton to stock up on supplies, 
including sweet potatoes, for the upcoming planting season. They could 
also visit with neighbors, swap horses, dogs, knives and more than a 
few quality stories and tales. Johnson vividly remembers pretending to 
be ill on this day as a young boy so that he could miss school and 
attend the events of Tater Day. For many years, Johnson even drove his 
stagecoach to the parade for the sake of tradition, but now this item 
stands in a glassed-in enclosure at the rear of his home, where school 
children often come to learn about modes of transportation from the 
past. Ulus Johnson has been a vital figure for the Tater Day Parade 
almost his entire life and will certainly do a great job carrying on 
its tradition and legacy.
  I once again congratulate Mr. Johnson for this honor and wish him and 
the rest of the participants a glorious Tater Day.

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