Grand marshal has been driving his cars in parade for many years

CHAMPAIGN — Wayne Weber is far from new to the Champaign County Freedom Celebration — he's been driving his cars in it for 47 years.

Last year, he led the parade and chauffeured Olympic speedskater — and the 2010 grand marshal — Katherine Reutter in his 1949 Chrysler Town and Country. But this year, someone else will be driving the parade's lead car, Weber's 1953 Buick Roadmaster Skylark.

That's because he'll be too busy riding in the back as this year's grand marshal.

The Worden Martin assistant chairman said he is honored to be chosen as the head of this year's celebration, for which the theme is "Discovering New Frontiers."

But at least for Weber, the parade route is a well-trodden path.

"It's always fun," Weber said. "I've got a bunch of old convertibles, and I've had them in the parades for years."

The Buick Skylark will not be the only car he has in this year's parade. Following somewhere behind him will be his 1966 Lincoln Continental and 1985 Buick Riviera convertible. Weber owns six collector cars, "and that's enough," he said.

He most looks forward to seeing veterans being honored and the younger gazers admiring the flag.

"It's multi-generational, and I'm proud of that," Weber said.

Margaret Givens, the board president of the committee that organizes the Freedom Celebration, could not remember how long Weber has been involved with the parade, but she knew it was time to recognize him.

"He's been a big part of the celebration, but he's also very active in the community," Givens said.

Givens herself is no newbie to the Freedom Celebration — her father has served as the general chair of the organizing committee, and she hopes her children will take up the responsibilities when she lets go of her role.

The Freedom Celebration is now in its 61st year, and organizers examined the previous 60 as they were choosing its theme, Givens said. "Discovering New Frontiers," has never been used before, and the board believed it reflected the pool of knowledge and advancements that have been made in Champaign County, particularly at the University of Illinois.

"When we came up with that theme, it was because the local community is full of new discoveries," Givens said.

Other than the theme, the schedule of this year's Fourth of July events is similar to previous celebrations: At about 1 p.m., the parade will proceed from Assembly Hall near First Street and Kirby Avenue in Champaign to the intersection of California and Lincoln avenues in Urbana. Entertainment at Dodds Park begins at 7 p.m., and the fireworks start around 9:15 p.m.

Buick Skylark | AllezinE | Free Articles Directory

Introduced to mark ‘Buicks 50th anniversary, the Skylark (a name previously used by short-lived Hupp for its sporty 1939 Cord Model 810-based Skylark) was one of three specialty convertibles produced in 1953 by General Motors ; the other two were the Oldsmobile Fiesta and the Cadillac Eldorado. All three were limited-production vehicles promoting General Motors’ design leadership. Of the three, the Skylark had the most successful production run with 1,690 units. This was considered an amazing sales feat, since the car had a list price in 1953 of slightly in excess of US$5,000. However, many of these vehicles languished in dealer showrooms and were eventually sold at discount. All 1,690 regular-production Skylarks built in 1953 (and all in 1954) were convertibles. The 1953s were based on the two-door Roadmaster convertible, having identical dimensions (except height), almost identical convenience and appearance equipment, and a Roadmaster drive train. In 1953, the model designation for the Skylark was 76X, while the model designation for the Roadmaster convertible was 76R. The few options available on the Roadmaster convertible were standard equipment on the Skylark, albeit the base price for the well-equipped Roadmaster convertible was only about US$3,200. The 1953 Skylark featured V8 power and a 12 volt electrical system, both a first for Buick, as well as full-cutout wheel openings, a styling cue that would make its way to the main 1954 Buick line. Also making its way into the 1954 Buick line was the cut-down door at the base of the side window line that bounced back up to trace around the rear window (or convertible top). This styling stayed with Buick for many years and can be found on any number of automobile brands to this day. The 1953 Buick Skylark was a handmade car in many respects. The stampings for the hood, trunk lid and a portion of the convertible tub were the same as the 1953 Roadmaster convertible (and Super convertible, model 56R). The stampings for the front fenders, rear fenders, outer doors, and a portion of the convertible tub were unique to the Skylark. All Skylark convertible tubs were finished with various amounts of lead filler, so it is not unusual to find a substantial amount of the substance just behind the doors near the bottom of the window line. The inner doors of the Skylark were made from the inner doors of the 2-door Roadmaster and Super by cutting the stamping in half approximately parallel with the ground and then welding the two pieces back together in a jig at an angle that produced the necessary door dip (see photos of finished car).

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