First-ever winner of Pet Parade to be grand marshal, 75 years later

WINSTED — Josephine “Babe” Ochotnicky has spent all 85 years of her life in Winsted.Ochotnicky has fond memories of the very first Pet Parade, which she won on May 18, 1936.“I was in third grade, and my father recently died,” Ochotnicky said. “My third-grade teacher, Mary Cooney, took me under her wing. She told me I was going to be in the Pet Parade. I asked her ‘What’s a Pet Parade?’ She told me that it’s where you take an animal from your yard and march down with it.”She lived on her family’s farm, Maple’s Farm, back in 1936.Her family found an adult farm cat along with its three kittens to take with her during the parade.“I put the cats in a butter basket,” Ochotnicky said. “I won a full $5 for first prize at the parade.”Ochotnicky entered the second parade as well with the same cat, but the kittens had all grown up after a year and were nowhere to be found.“I didn’t win that second year,” she said. “We only had the mother and no babies, so she didn’t want to stay in that butter basket. I had a hard time keeping her in there.”The third year, Ochotnicky went down the parade route dressed as a golfer.“I carried clubs and an umbrella,” she said. “And, sure enough, it started to pour down from the sky. So, I used my umbrella to stay dry. And, sure enough, I took first prize for that parade.”Ochotnicky will be the grand marshall leading the Pet Parade this Saturday, May 21, at 2 p.m., with a rain date set for Sunday, May 22, at 2 p.m.The rules for the parade, which is being organized by The Winsted Rotary Club, have not changed too much in 75 years.According to the parade’s official website at www.winstedrotary.org, the first rule of the parade is to “show up.”All entrants should report to Meadow Street, where the parade starts and find a Rotarian to direct the entrant to the proper division.Any kind of pet can be entered into the parade, from shih tzu to snake.Entrants do not need to have a pet to enter into the parade.The parade will run from the intersection of Lake Street and Main Street (Route 263 and Route 44) to East End Park (Route 8 North and Route 44). Prizes include “best in parade,” winners for first, second and third places in each division and special drawing for two bicycle entrants. Ochotnicky said she is looking forward to being the grand marshall.“I am so excited and I can’t wait,” she said. “The Pet Parade is a big part of my life.”