The Urbanna Oyster Festival Foundation (UOFF) has named Deltaville father and son duo Randy and Stephen Blue grand marshals of the 2024 oyster festival.
“Randy and Stephen Blue embody the spirit of volunteerism that makes a small community like ours a better place to live,” said Oyster Festival Chairman Joe Heyman.
“They give so much of themselves without fanfare and have had an impact on the entire county that will last well into the future,” he said. “The UOFF is so proud to recognize these two amazing people as Urbanna Oyster Festival grand marshals.”
Through the Deltaville Community Association, Randy and Stephen have spearheaded, along with others, a $1 million restoration of the Deltaville Ballpark.
Randy has also been a longtime supporter of the Middlesex County Sports Complex at Locust Hill and a leader in the Middlesex County Little League program, serving for years on the local little league board of directors and umpiring games.
“When I go to the sports complex,” said Randy, “I park across the street at the (Middlesex) Elementary School and as I walk to the fieldhouse, I pass the softball field and glance over to the 90-foot baseball diamond, and playground.
“When all are full of children, full of hope, anticipation and just happy to be there,” said Randy, “I get a sense of pride and fulfillment that is difficult to describe — not because I am responsible, but because I’m a small part of a volunteer organization (Middlesex County Sports Complex Committee) that provides such a service to the community.”
Yuletide spirit
Stephen’s love of Christmas lights has led to a countywide Christmas extravaganza with his amazing Yuletide lighting display in the side yard of the Mason Realty Deltaville Branch building.
“I got the Christmas light bug when I was a child and we, as a family, would drive to Richmond for a tacky light trip,” said Stephen. “My mother would decorate the front of the house and I’d get the back of the house with my tacky lights.
“Momma would make sure none of my lights could be seen from the front,” he said. “When I grew up, I just continued to enjoy putting up Christmas lights and that led to the 182,000 light display that we do every year.”
Deltaville Ballpark
The father and son duo were major players in the revamping of the Deltaville Ballpark. The nearly $1 million renovation required a $500,000 fundraising program and $500,000 of in-kind donations from numerous businesses and people in the Deltaville area, said Stephen.
“This should not be all about us,” said Randy. “The community opened their arms with so many volunteer hours and they opened their wallets to make the new ballpark come alive.
We live in a wonderful, caring county.
“The DCA (Deltaville Community Association) has proven that a small volunteer group can provide assets for its citizens that are usually limited to towns and cities that are funded by taxes,” he said.
“Tennis and pickleball courts, swimming pool, ballpark, railroad club annex, playground and over six acres are all developed, managed and maintained by volunteers with support from citizens of the community.
“No project is too big or act is too small when you participate,” said Randy. “Just pitch in!”
The Urbanna Oyster Festival in the Town of Urbanna is the largest volunteer-run festival in the State of Virginia and has raised millions of dollars for local non-profit organizations in Middlesex County since its conception in 1957.
“We know how important volunteerism is to small communities like ours,” said Heyman. “Randy and Stephen are what we here at Urbanna Oyster Festival are all about.”
