After nine years, organizers say they have Folsom’s annual Veterans Day Parade down to a science, but that wasn’t always the case.

Less than a decade ago, the parade didn’t even exist. That was until Nov. 10, 2000, when an old World War II veteran took it upon himself to make a lone sojourn down Natoma Street, handing out small American flags and expounding on the importance of honoring this nation’s military heroes.

That is why, this year, what’s become a popular draw for the city is being named in honor of the man largely credited for creating it.

Jess Wayne Spence may have passed away last year, but he left an indelible mark on his adopted home. City leaders decided back in May to name next week’s parade in his honor.

“He’s essentially the founder of the parade,” said Chuck Harrison, the city recreation supervisor largely responsible for planning the event.

A year after Spence’s one-man parade, the veteran, who also served in the Korean conflict, convinced both the local Veterans Hall and city officials to get a local parade going.

“He’s the guy that started it from being a one-man parade to maybe the 1,500-person event it is today,” said Ron Hawn, a U.S. Air Force veteran who was on the committee responsible for planning this year’s parade.

Said parade will feature all the hallmarks of past years, along with some surprises. For the first time anyone can remember, there will be two marching bands participating: the Folsom High Marching Band and the Cadets of Cordova High.

“This year we’re all a little bit excited about having a second marching band,” Harrison said. “It’s going to make it a little more exciting, I think.”

Hawn said he was trying to convince Oak Ridge High School’s marching band to make the trip from El Dorado Hills, and had fallen just short of getting the marching band from Travis Air Force Base.

“We want to have a battle of the bands,” he laughed.

Though not appearing for the first time, Shriners International is making a return appearance after a number of years. And Harrison said to expect some nifty maneuvers in those tiny go-karts.

There’s excitement of a different sort for first-time grand marshal Brian Holcomb, a veteran of military actions in Vietnam and decades later in Iraq, where he flew several medical evacuation missions following the 2003 invasion.

Holcomb said he’s heard “little bits and pieces” about what a grand marshal is supposed to do, but isn’t showing any signs of concern. “Just representing Folsom in the Veterans Day Parade as a veteran, that’s probably the most important thing,” he said of the honor.

At the center of it all, in spirit if not in body, will be Spence, a tireless advocate for American veterans during his life.

“He was a neat guy and he’ll be missed this year,” Harrison said.