The Westwood Area Chamber of Commerce announces Mrs. Pat Costa as the Grand Marshal of the 2024 Paul Bunyan and Mountain Blues Festival Parade. The event will take place on Saturday, July 6, 2024, at 10:30 AM, starting at the corner of 3rd and Ash Streets in Westwood.
For fifty-four years, Mrs. Costa has been a beloved educator and champion for the children of Westwood. She began her teaching career at Fletcher Walker Elementary School in 1970, just two weeks after her wedding, and continued teaching K-8 until her final retirement in 2023.
Mrs. Costa’s impact extends beyond the classroom. In 2003, her second-grade class won the “Kids Are Authors Award” with their book “Picture Perfect?” which is available at the Westwood Library, where she still volunteers. Her contributions to the community also include fostering over 100 children since 1971 and adopting three children of her own.
An animal lover and nature enthusiast, Mrs. Costa groomed dogs to support herself through college and incorporated pets into her teaching. She and her husband also adopted and maintained a mile of highway near Westwood.
The Chamber invites the community to celebrate Mrs. Costa’s remarkable legacy at the July 6, 2024 parade, honoring her decades of kindness and dedication to the community.
