Zugg will head up Fourth of July parade

PHIL NELSON THE TRINITY JOURNAL Longtime chamber volunteer Pat Zugg has been named grand marshal of the annual Weaverville Fourth of July parade, which will take place along Highway 299 starting at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. Leading the way in Weaverville's Fourth of July parade on Saturday will be a grand marshal most everyone in town knows at least as "the Chamber lady," if not by her real name — Pat Zugg.

The parade down Main Street from Court Street to Bremer is set to start at 11:30 a.m. It is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Weaverville that selected Zugg as parade marshal in recognition of her countless hours of volunteer work wearing two hats — one as president of the Weaverville Chamber of Commerce and the other as vice-president of the Trinity County Chamber of Commerce.

Though a reluctant star, Zugg said she appreciates the honor and her two granddaughters — Cassidy, 7, and Abby, 4 — are very excited to ride with her in her late father's Spartan kit car "because it's like Cruella De Vil's car in the Disney movie '101 Dalmatians' and Dad always enjoyed putting it in the parade."

Zugg, 66, is a transplant to Trinity County from Southern California, moving to Weaverville in 1977 with her husband, Homer from San Bernardino after purchasing the Weaverville Variety Store. Just five weeks later, the historic building the store was located in on Main Street burned down.

The Zuggs relocated the business to the Post Office square as soon as that development was completed later in the year. Her parents, Fred and Dorothy Davis, also relocated that year from San Bernardino to Weaverville where they lived until their deaths two years ago. Fred Davis even preceded his daughter in 1998 as a Fourth of July parade marshal in recognition of his many volunteer labors on behalf of community residents.

The Zuggs' variety store offered gifts, party kits, stationery and office supplies for 27 years before they decided to close it in 2004. For many years before that, Pat Zugg was an active volunteer with the two chambers of commerce.

Upon retiring from the retail business, she has thrown herself wholeheartedly into the chambers' efforts, working 30 hours a week and often much more in a totally volunteer capacity. She oversees five other volunteers who keep the co-located Weaverville and Trinity County Chamber office on Main Street open to the public six days a week.

Working with the two chambers' governing boards, Zugg is involved all year long in planning and executing numerous special events and festivals that occur throughout the county. Other efforts include far-reaching advertising campaigns to promote the county as a tourist destination as well as participation in several annual sports shows and the state fair with a Trinity County information booth.

"I enjoy being involved. I want to see the community survive and be prosperous," she said, adding Trinity County "is such a beautiful area. We looked at other businesses and we chose to move here. It really is Shangri-La. When you start to take it for granted, just leave for a day and you really appreciate coming home."

Zugg added it is difficult to survive in retail here "and last year was a really rough summer because of the fires and the smoke so now we're trying to do everything we can to help the businesses."

Last week that meant answering the phone at 4 a.m. to a caller who thought he'd be getting a chamber of commerce recording — not the president herself who has posted her home phone number on the chamber's Web site.

"It's a good thing my husband is so good natured," she laughed, noting the caller was wondering about the schedule for Fourth of July activities this weekend, "and by then I was wide awake so we talked for a good 10 minutes."