Grand Marshal
Phillip "Phil" Pelletier
Phillip Pelletier’s first trip to LaBelle was for the 1972 Swamp Cabbage Festival. Originally from New Hampshire, he left the Navy in March 1973 and moved to LaBelle to marry Gail and stay in the warm weather. Phil worked in the construction industry for about 15 years before going to work for the Hendry
County
Property Appraiser and was there for 6 years and transferred to the newly formed
Hendry-LaBelle Recreation Department. He has been there for about 15 years. His
favorite part of his job is sponsoring the Summer Camp program. Phil & Gail
are all about family. Son, Michael and wife, Amanda, and grandson, Nicholas (2)
are living in Alabama. Daughter, Kerensa and her husband, David Clark, and
granddaughter, Tayler (5) are here in LaBelle. While both kids were active in
Little League Baseball, Pop Warner Football and Cheerleading, Junior Pro
Basketball, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Phil was right there coaching, serving
on the boards, leading and helping in any way he could. His favorite pastimes
are being with family, hunting and cheering on the New England Patriots.
Whether through his job or on his own time, Phil is called upon to work with all the sports organizations, Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, GRASSCAR and NASGRASS lawn mower racing, 4-H Club, LaBelle Youth Athletic Association., LaBelle Family Livestock Club, Fishers of Men Fishing Tournaments, Bull Pit Ministries, LaBelle Youth Livestock & Agricultural Exhibition, LaBelle Black Heritage Festival, and several others. He has a very hard time saying “No” to anyone.
Phil is a very caring
individual. He’s been known to counsel kids going through hard times, help
friends with marital problems, and give advice to sports organizations. He’s
worked on cars broken down on the side of the road for strangers, given
directions to little old ladies, and played on the floor with kids he doesn’t
even know. Phil was also credited with saving the lives of a family of four
attacked by yellow jackets in the woods a few years ago as described in Readers
Digest. He feels he is helping God to help others and that God has called him to
do these things.
Phil was voted 1996 Citizen
of the Year by the Greater LaBelle Chamber of Commerce. He received the TV 20
Good Neighbor Award and the LaBelle Little League dedicated a season to Phil and
Gail. Also a wall and several shelves house the various awards and thank you’s
received over the years. Phil said he is very proud and honored to be the Grand
Marshall for 2008 Swamp Cabbage
