The Famous Marching Presidents name 2009 Col. Bill Lambert Award winner

Karen Chizek, a longtime Nevada County educator and an original member of the Famous Marching Presidents of Nevada City, is the 2009 recipient of the annual Col. Bill Lambert Award. 

The Lambert Award award is presented annually by the Marching Presidents to recognize outstanding contributions to Nevada City and the annual Constitution Day Parade.  The award is named in honor of the late Col. William H. Lambert, founder of the parade.

This year's 43rd Annual Constitution Day Parade rolls through the downtown historic district beginning at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13.  

"Karen has been with us since Day One.  She has brought a great deal of grace and elegance to our group," said Marching Presidents founder David Parker, who will present the award to Chizek at the group's post-parade party at Miners Foundry.  

"She has been our inspiration in bringing the First Ladies in to march with the Presidents, and now she is on our committee and heading up our educational outreach program.  She is a special person and she truly deserves this special community award."

Chizek resides in Nevada City with her husband, Frank.  She retired two years ago from a 33-year career in education, in which she rose from teaching into administrative positions including principal of Pleasant Valley and Williams Ranch schools, superintendent/principal of Clear Creek School, assistant superintendent of schools for Nevada County and program director for the Placer County Office of Education.

As they have for the past 22 years, Karen and Frank Chizek will portray Frances and Grover Cleveland in this year's  Constitution Day Parade.   "I'm honored to be selected for this award," said Chizek, who also volunteers for the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce and Miners Foundry.  "There are a lot of people who do amazing things for this community.  To have your efforts acknowledged, it makes you want to do more."

Under Chizek's educational outreach leadership, the Marching Presidents will hand out 1500 copies of the U.S. Constitution along this year's parade route.  The copies were obtained with financial assistance from Nevada City Rotary and Gold Country Kiwanis.  Next year, Chizek is planning to arrange Marching President educational visits to area schools.  She asks interested schools to contact her.   

Past recipients of the prestigious Lambert Award are retired city manager Beryl P. Robinson Jr., former mayor and city clerk Cathy Wilcox-Barnes, parade organizers George and Pat Harper, city councilman and former mayor Pat Dyer, the late real estate broker Jim Mackey, writer Dave Carter, Chamber of Commerce executive manager Cathy Whittlesey, former city councilman and mayor Steve Cottrell, businessman Bob Buhlis, retired Nevada County general services director Dennis Cassella, John Christensen, leader of community efforts to establish the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum;  cartoonist R.L. "Crabman" Crabb, business owners Lee and Susan Thurston, Nevada City public works director Verne Taylor, historian Edwin Tyson, the late folksinger/activist U. Utah Phillips, city engineer Bill Falconi and organizer Patti Foster.  Marching Presidents founder David Parker was presented the award in 2007 to mark the group's 20th anniversary.

This year, the Marching Presidents welcome new members Barack and Michelle Obama.  The Marching Presidents is a fun-loving and educational group that portrays all 44 U.S. Presidents with reverence, good humor and varying degrees of historical accuracy.  For reliable information on U.S. Presidents, see www.americanpresident.org.

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