CANYON CITY — Prairie City ranchers Steve and Carolyn Mullin have been named the grand marshals of this year’s ’62 Days Parade.

The 2023 edition of ’62 Days, the annual celebration marking the discovery of gold at Canyon City in 1862 and subsequent gold rush to Grant County, will be held June 16 and 17.

The Mullins are undoubtedly familiar to some within the county. Their ’62 Days appearance marks the third grand marshal stint for the couple, who have served in that role for the Grant County Fair Parade and the Prairie City Fourth of July Parade in the past.

“The biggest reasons we chose them is they have been very active promoting the agriculture and rural lifestyle of Grant County,” said Colby Farrell, president of the Whiskey Gulch Gang, the organizer of ’62 Days. “They were featured on OPB’s ‘Oregon Field Guide’ several years ago for bringing kids from the valley to stay with them and expose them to rural life.”

“We had kids from Portland over here, and we showed them what life was really like on a cattle ranch,” Carolyn Mullin said. “It blew their minds.”

Mullin said she hopes the memories and experiences shared with those kids are things that they carry with them for the rest of their lives.

“We tried to show them as best we could,” she said. “It was an interesting experience.”

Carolyn and Steve Mullin have been in Grant County for a long time — 57 years, according to Carolyn. The couple’s ranching days date back even further.

Before settling in Grant County, the Mullins worked on Steve’s family’s Siskiyou County ranch in Northern California, using a brand that had been his great-grandfather’s.

Their sons, Allan and Dan, are carrying on the family business and are also ranchers in Grant County. As youths, both participated in 4-H and showed cattle at the Grant County Fair for many years, and Carolyn served on the fair board, too.

“For years, our cattle were the only open class cattle there,” she said.

Mullin said she was surprised when she heard that she and her husband had been selected as the grand marshals of the ’62 Days Parade.

“I always think there are a lot of other people who do more countywide than we do. … We try to be good citizens of the town and try to do things right,” she said.

The 2023 edition of ’62 Days will take place Friday and Saturday, June 16 and 17, in Canyon City. All events in 100 block of Washington Street and City Park unless otherwise noted. Here are some highlights of this year’s celebration:

FRIDAY

• Sels’ Brewery and beer garden opens at 3 p.m., with cornhole starting at 4 p.m. and Copper Ridge Band starting at 8:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

• Miner’s Breakfast, 6 a.m., Squeeze-In, 295 S. Canyon City Blvd.

• Gold Rush 5k Run/Walk, 8 a.m., start and end in front of Sels’ Brewery 

• Parade, 11 a.m., start at Humbolt Elementary, north on Humbolt Street, east on Izee, south on Canyon City Boulevard, west on Inland and back to Humbolt Elementary

• Pie social, after the parade, St. Thomas Episcopal Church

• Gold panning for the kids, dunk tank with Circuit Judge Rob Raschio, Canyon City Mayor Steve Fischer and John Day Mayor Heather Rookstool, Medicine Wagon Show (beard contest, liars’ contest, old time dress-up for men and women, husband contest), James Gang playing in City Park, all taking place after the parade

• Traditional shootout and hanging reenactments, 2:30 p.m., in front of Sels’ Brewery

• Sels’ Brewery and beer garden opens at 3 p.m., with cornhole starting at 4 p.m. and Copper Ridge Band starting at 8:30 p.m.

• Movies at Grantville Theatre, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” 4 p.m., “Top Gun: Maverick,” 7 p.m.

• Food and drink vendors on site

The original version of the schedule of events with this story contained incorrect information about the Grant County farmers market. The market will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 17, at Park and Washington streets in Canyon City.