Todd Bensley picked to serve as grand marshal for Parade of Lights

MEDINA – The 15th annual Parade of Lights is shaping up to be one of the best to date, with more than 40 floats expected and four marching bands.

Todd Bensley has been named grand marshal of the Parade of Lights on Nov. 25 in Medina.

Parade chairman Jim Hancock and committee member David Stacey have announced the grand marshal for this year’s parade will be Todd Bensley, a Medina native and history teacher at Medina High School.

“Our planning committee was unanimous in our selection of Todd,” Hancock said. “We always try to select a local person who has contributed to our community, and Todd certainly fits the bill.”

Bensley is an active participant in many community events and activities. He has coached T-ball and powder puff, is former president of the Medina Historical Society, former board member of Lee-Whedon Library, former planning board and village board member and author of “Boxwood Cemetery: Where the Past is Present,” with proceeds going to the Friends of Boxwood Cemetery.

Currently, Bensley is village historian, and board member of Friends of  Boxwood Cemetery. He co-chairs Boxwood at Night, conducts gravestone cleaning seminars, supervises student volunteers to help clean the cemetery, conducts tours, assists in resetting headstones, helps with chapel renovations, assists with other events in the cemetery and is liaison to the Boxwood Cemetery Commission.

In addition, he volunteers at the Visitors’ Center in downtown Medina, is a member of the steering committee for renovations at Lee-Whedon Library and coordinates an annual Community Service Fair to connect high school students with local non-profit organizations.

“When Jim Hancock asked me to the grand marshal, I was shocked,” Bensley said. “It is such a great honor to be selected. Of course, none of it would be possible without the support of my family, especially my wife Nicole.”

Bensley continued to say he loves the Medina community and is very proud of all they have accomplished in the last couple of decades.

“There are so many other people who are deserving of this honor, and I am humbled to be chosen as this year’s grand marshal,” he said.

As in previous years, the parade will immediately follow fireworks over downtown at 5:45 p.m. by Young Explosives of Rochester.

Hancock said there is still time to enter a float by logging on to their website at www.christmasinmedina.com.