The Wagner Labor Day Committee is honored to present our 2023 Labor Day Parade Marshal, Sharon Haar. Sharon and her late husband Harris contributed so much to this community and their recognition is well-deserved. The following interview was recorded and written by Sharon’s son Milton; the Labor Day Committee would like to thank the entire Haar family for their support these last few months. Sharon will be quite busy over Labor Day weekend as she will be presiding over many of our great events culminating with the 123rd Annual Labor Day Parade; so please be sure to thank Sharon for her commitment to this community when you see her this coming Labor Day weekend.

Congratulations on being asked to serve as parade marshal. Thank you to the Labor Day Committee for their kindness. I was surprised, humbled, and honored to be asked to serve as parade marshal. Let me begin by expressing my appreciation to the Labor Day committee for the months of hard work it takes to organize our Labor Day celebration and if it is OK with the committee, I would like to share this honor with my late husband. I served as mayor for about 12 years, and he always enjoyed riding in the parade and greeting everyone, and I know he would have loved sitting next to me for another parade. In his absence my son and daughter will ride with me. Before serving as mayor, I was on the city council for 11 years and I help with community housing and zoning.

How many Labor Day celebrations have you attended? I believe that I have missed only one Labor Day celebration in my 80 years. I traveled to help my daughter with a new baby and an airline strike caused me to miss Labor Day in Wagner. Of course, I don’t remember attending as a baby, but it was not like my mother to miss Labor Day.

Please share some Labor Day memories. My husband I and operated a John Deere dealership in Wagner for 54 years and during this time, we built many floats. Sometimes it was easy and sometimes finding a creative idea was a struggle. For a few years we built floats with Ron and Linda Kahler who owned the Coast-to-Coast store, and some years Bernie Hill was a big help. I remember one honorable mention, I think it was back in the 1960s, and the float read something like, “The old gray mare ain’t what she used to be, trade her for a John Deere.” One year some of the employees made what you could call a mechanical bull using the rear hydraulic lift and that received a lot of laughs. For many years, I helped organize parade transportation for politicians. Some of your readers may remember Clint Roberts, Jim Abdnor, Larry Pressler, and George Mickelson. They always appreciated our large Labor Day crowds. Personally, I enjoy the queen contest, art in the park, and the rodeo, and in the past, I enjoyed the Native American dances that were part of the celebration. Now that I am retired, I volunteer at the Veterans Administration Clinic most days and I always seem to have a job every Labor Day. Now I help at the American Legion stand making taverns and chili dogs. Of course, the best part, and my favorite part of Labor Day, is seeing everyone who comes home for the celebration.

Sharon and her late husband Harris