Longtime Bavon residents Brenda and Dennis Baker have been chosen to serve as the grand marshals of the 2022 Mathews Christmas Parade, to be held downtown at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Dennis Baker said that he and Brenda are grateful for the honor of serving as grand marshals in a community they both love.

“It’s been extremely gratifying to be accepted by the community and to share our love and passion with the community,” he said. “If we leave behind anything, we hope to have instilled in the community a deeper understanding and appreciation of its natural beauty and resources.”

Because Brenda is experiencing health issues and won’t be able to be in the parade, Dennis said their daughter Rebecca and granddaughter Evy will accompany him.

Both of the Bakers came to Mathews in the early 1960s, but for different reasons. Brenda, who was a consultant for an in-service environmental training program for Richmond teachers, brought her students to Mathews as part of that program. Dennis, ...