Philomath City Councilor Rich Saalsaa will lead this year’s Philomath Parade of Lights as grand marshal.
The council chose Saalsaa, a retired Philomath Fire and Rescue deputy chief, at its Nov. 9 meeting. The vote was 6-0 with Saalsaa abstaining.
The parade is in its fourth year and is set for 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. Former Mayor Eric Niemann was grand marshal last year.
Councilor Brent Kaseman, who nominated Saalsaa, pointed to his years in emergency services with the fire department, his two years on the council and the attention his health equity walk brought to the community this year.
“You put us on the map with your walk,” Kaseman said, a reference to the attention that Saalsaa’s efforts brought to Philomath.
Saalsaa’s time on the council will officially end Dec. 31. He was appointed in January 2025 to finish the term of Matt Lehman, who resigned after taking a new job. Saalsaa was on the ballot in the Nov. 3 election to try to retain the seat but he came up short on votes.
As part of his duties on the council, Saalsaa also serves on the city’s Police Committee and chairs the Public Works Committee.
Saalsaa, 68, finished a 760-mile walk from Bozeman, Montana, to Seattle’s Pier 62 in September. It was the final leg of Walk USA for Health Equity, a five-year, 3,450-mile campaign started by his longtime friend Dennis Godby, a naturopathic doctor. The campaign aimed to show how income, where people live and other factors affect their access to health care.
Saalsaa retired as deputy fire chief in December 2024 after about 50 years in public safety. He still volunteers with the department as an emergency medical technician.
Before the vote, councilors joked about whether the grand marshal would have to walk the parade route. They also checked that Saalsaa would be in town Dec. 19.
“I’ll be here,” Saalsaa said, later adding, “Thank you for the nomination — that was very thoughtful.”
The city has no formal criteria for the honor. The grand marshal may be an individual, a pair or a team that has worked to make Philomath “a great place to live, work, learn and play.”
