Naxera native Elsie Dame will be honored Saturday as grand marshal of Gloucester’s Citizens’ Christmas and Holiday Parade, which is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. from Main Street Center.

It’s difficult to think which organizations Dame, an avid volunteer in the community, has not been involved with during her lifetime in the county.

An active caregiver for her son, Dame, 84, still makes serving her community a priority in her life.

One of the things she and her family may be best known for is the annual Christmas tree lighting they would hold every year on their Naxera farm. The family would decorate a huge, 45-foot tree on the farm each year and invite the entire community to attend.

Dame also volunteered for many years in the school system while her children attended. Several of her roles included being a room mother and a teacher’s assistant. “I really enjoyed being a room mother for all of the kids,” she said.

She is also very active in her c...