Members of Sincerity Lodge #430 hosted another successful Christmas Parade for the City of Gray last week with amazing floats and an enthusiastic crowd.
It may have seemed like deja vu at the Dec. 12 event for grand marshals Joe Partenza and Rhonda Hart, who previously shared the honor in 2011.
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The two-day delay due to Tuesday’s all-day rain did not appear to make even a dent in the excitement of parade participants or the crowds that lined West Clinton Street in anticipation of the annual event.
The Masons took over the parade last year after being approached by the Gray Jaycees.
Anyone who experiences the chaos in the parking lot of Ingles Supermarket that has been used for the lineup of the parade since it began in 2001 understands the selection of Partenza and Hart for the honor.
Partenza has been the manager of Ingles since 2005, and Hart has been at the store since it opened in 1997. Both take the inconvenience of over half of the parking lot being taken over by more than 60 floats, horses, trucks and other participants in stride. That in itself demonstrates their love of the Gray and Jones County community, but it is really only the beginning.
In an interview a couple of hours before the parade began, Partenza shared how he got to Gray and his lifetime career in the grocery business. He is from Loganville and has been a store manager for 35 years.
Partenza said he lives in Monticello and has commuted to Gray for 19 years.
“I thoroughly enjoy working in the store,” he said.
The manager said he works five days a week and averages 50 hours a week.
Gray is the only Ingles that still allows fundraising events, like bagging groceries for tips and the parade, which is the manager’s decision.
As much as he enjoys his job, Partenza really lights up when talking about his love of fishing. His commitment to his hobby is the reason he and Hart did not ride on a float or in a convertible; they rode in the parade on his boat.
When not in the store, the manager is a guide for Crappie Ninja, a crappie fishing guide service for Lake Country Fishing. He is also an avid tournament fisherman.
Partenza said he has been in the grocery business since he started working for his great uncle’s grocery on St. Simons at age 12. He worked for Publix in Florida for 10 years before beginning his career with Ingles.
When asked how he felt about being asked to be the grand marshal for the parade, he said he loved it.
“This is a great community that has a lot of great people who do a lot like Justin (Kelly) and TJ (Heath). Being picked for this is an honor for me and Rhonda,” he said.
Partenza said he feels like together he and Hart got the store through COVID and more recently the challenges faced during Hurricane Helene, when the stores’ warehouses were flooded.
“The community understood,” he said.
The manager said Ingles in Gray employs 170 people, and that has included a lot of students over the years.
“I hope we’ve made a positive impact on their lives,” he said.
Partenza is married to wife Sheri, and the couple has four children.
Hart said she has lived in Jones County since 1994, and Ingles was her first experience working for a grocery store. She worked her way up to assistant manager.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes,” she said. “Jones County is unique and definitely family-oriented. It’s heartwarming how everybody helps.”
Hart said she loves it when students who previously worked at the store come back to visit.
She said her husband was in the military and then went to work for the post office in Tampa. Hart said they did not like living in a big city and were looking for a small town to transfer to when they found Gray.
“We raised our kids here and then our grandchildren. Now we have two great-grandchildren,” she said. “I love this community.”
