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Amber Garrett, Executive Director of Main Street Greenville and Diana
Stebbins, Horse Parade
Chairperson, present Dean & Arlene Bankson
with the honor of serving as the 2016
Hometown Holiday Horse Parade
Grand Marshals.
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Banksons
named Grand Marshalls of Hometown Holiday Horse Parade
GREENVILLE, Ohio - Main Street Greenville’s Board of Directors and the
Horse Parade Committee have named Dean and Arlene Bankson, owners of
Wieland Jewelers, as the Grand Marshals of the 2016 Hometown Holiday
Horse Parade.
When selecting the Grand Marshals for the horse parade, the committee
and board considers individuals who support the success of downtown
Greenville. Voting to select the Banksons was an easy decision for the
13th annual event.
“Dean and Arlene have owned and operated one of the oldest
establishments in downtown Greenville. The couple were also involved
with the beginning stages of revitalization efforts in the district,”
said Amber Garrett, Executive Director for Main Street Greenville.
Wieland Jewelers opened in 1902 by Roy Wieland. In the 1950’s, Arlene’s
father, the late Ivan Spahr purchased the store. In 1968, the Banksons
gained ownership and have operated it since.
The store has had multiple locations throughout the years, all of them
located downtown Greenville. “Downtown has always been good to us.
We’ve never considered moving out of downtown Greenville,” said Dean.
“On a regular basis, we have visitors to our community who comment we
have the best small downtown they have ever been in.”
In the mid-1970’s, a group of 6-8 business leaders, including Dean,
traveled to Shelbyville, IN. The group consisted of downtown building
and business owners who were determined to put together a streetscape
renovation plan for the downtown Greenville district, based upon the
work Shelbyville had recently completed.
The Banksons were also involved in a downtown retail committee through
the Greenville Chamber of Commerce who created events or activities in
the downtown district.
“The streetscape project and the retail committee were some of the
first steps our community took towards keeping our downtown vibrant. If
it weren’t for citizen’s forward-thinking action, it is unclear what
condition our downtown district would be in today,” said Amber Garrett,
Executive Director of Main Street Greenville. “This action allowed for
continued revitalization efforts since the late 1970’s, where some
communities are just now taking their first steps in 2016.”
“We have a lot of people who come to see us, we have been doing this
for a long time,” said Dean. “The businesses downtown feed off each
other. If they visit us, they will typically visit at least one
additional business when they do.”
In the past, Dean also served on the City of Greenville’s Architectural
Review Board, created to maintain the historic integrity of the
historic buildings located in downtown Greenville.
The Banksons both graduated from Darke County schools, Arlene from
Greenville High School in 1959 and Dean from Ansonia High School in
1956. The Banksons married in December of 1960.
Dean and Arlene have three sons, Mark, Mike, and Matt. Mark and Mike
work at the store. Mark’s wife, the former Gail Keller and Mike’s wife,
the former Corrin Fitzwater, are also store employees. Matt works for
the Ohio Department of Agriculture and is married to the former Heather
Vore.
They couple enjoys traveling, attending activities involving their 6
grandchildren, and going out with their friends and family. They both
enjoy riding their Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and they are members of
the Presbyterian Church.
Dean, a U.S. Army veteran, belongs to the Masons, Shrine, American
Legion, the Liars Club, and the Chamber of Commerce. Arlene had worked
with the IBM computers at Fram for a couple of years, but left to raise
her children. As of today, they still work at the store almost daily.
“We appreciate the Bankson’s contribution to downtown Greenville as
business owners and as citizens who have volunteered their time to keep
it a great place to be,” said Joel Allread, President of Main Street
Greenville Board of Trustees.
The 2016 Hometown Hometown Holiday Horse parade will be on Saturday,
November 19th. The parade will begin at 7 pm, with entertainment
leading up to the parade. You can find additional information on Main
Street Greenville’s website, www.mainstreetgreenville.com or follow
them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mainstreetgreenville .
Main Street Greenville is a non-profit organization that supports
downtown Greenville, Ohio through stimulating and supporting
revitalization efforts, historic preservation and economic
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