GAINESVILLE, FL. (352today) – The City of Gainesville has named nationally acclaimed theatrical creator, producer and director Marion J. Caffey and award-winning saxophonist Emmanuel Garilus as co-grand marshals of the 2025 A Very GNV Holiday Parade. The parade will also include a special appearance by Star Center Theatre in celebration of its silver anniversary, marking 25 years of teaching and empowering young performers in our community.
Caffey, a Gainesville native who was raised in Lincoln Estates and attended Lincoln and Gainesville High Schools, is the longtime producer of “Amateur Night at the Apollo”—the longest-running talent competition in America. He is known worldwide for his Broadway and television work, including “Three Mo’ Tenors” and “Street Corner Symphony.” Caffey also was co-creative director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial groundbreaking in Washington, D.C., working with a roster of major stars including Oprah Winfrey and Gladys Knight and an audience that included three former presidents of the United States.
“I’m deeply honored to return to Gainesville as a grand marshal,” Caffey said. “The arts gave me direction and purpose as a young person. My first show as an actor was at Gainesville Community Playhouse. Seeing how this city now invests in its youth through creativity and education is just fantastic and being part of that is a goal of mine.”…