Coaches Rick VanMatre, Dennis Overstake to serve as grand marshals

By ANNETTE WELLER
Greenfield Rotary Club

A pair of outstanding basketball coaches will be honored as grand marshals of the Greene Countrie Towne Festival parade. The parade will be 2 p.m. Sunday.

The local coaching legends are Rick Van Matre and Dennis Overstake, who have attained remarkable success in shaping the lives of young people at McClain High School. Both have also achieved amazing career records as coaches.

Coach Van Matre’s teams won eight South Central Ohio League championships, 16 sectional championships, eight district championships, and were regional runners-up three times.

In 1987 and 2007, his teams were undefeated in regular season play. Known for intensity on the sidelines, Coach Van Matre was beloved by his players and respected by opposing teams. Now retired from coaching, in 2012 he was inducted into the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. He also was elected to the Highland County Athletic Hall of Fame this year.

Dennis Overstake is also a Hall of Famer, having been inducted into the Highland County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.

Coach Overstake has led the McClain girls basketball team for the past 31 years, racking up 490 wins – 18th on Ohio’s all-time list.

Coach Overstake’s teams have won 17 sectional championships, six district titles and finished as regional runners-up once. He's won seven South Central Ohio League and two Southern Buckeye Conference titles.

Coach Overstake has sent 18 girls on to play college basketball, and has been named Southeast District Coach of the Year three times and Ohio Division II Coach of the Year twice.

Both coaches understand the value of teamwork and are quick to credit their players, fellow coaches and the community for helping them to achieve such remarkable success.

They have come to represent McClain High School and the entire community in many positive ways through their hard work and dedication to their sports. The Greenfield Rotary Club wishes to salute these outstanding men by honoring them as parade grand marshals.

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• The McClain High School cheerleaders will host this year's Greene Countrie Towne Festival 5K race on Saturday, July 21 at 8 a.m.

Cheerleader adviser Patti Shelton is the contact person for this event. 

The race begins at the bike path near Felson Park on Macarthur Way (behind Travelers Rest) in Greenfield. Preregistration begins at 7:30 a.m. The entry fee is $10 and includes a T-shirt. The entry deadline is Friday, July 20.

Forms are available through Patty Shelton, P.O. Box 459, Greenfield, Ohio 45123.

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• The Greenfield Historical Society will be having a booth at this year’s Greene Countrie Towne Festival. The society will not be having their annual Ice Cream Social at this year's festival.

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• The popular antique car show, along with street rods, muscle cars and other unique vehicles will bring a touch of nostalgia to the festival and increase the town’s average horsepower as enthusiasts bring their shiny machines to the Greene Countrie Towne Festival.

For the car show, registration will take place from 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday, July 21.

After the awarding of trophies at 4 p.m., many of the antique and classic cars will be featured in a parade through downtown Greenfield.

Bring your camera and enjoy some outstanding examples of the carmaker’s craft at the annual classic car and truck show.

The annual festival is sponsored by the Greenfield Rotary Club.

For more information, go to http://rotary1.weebly.com/festival.html.