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Other than his service during World War II, Edward Ballard has pretty much lived his life in and around the river town of Hartsburg.
Everyone in the town of 106 residents knows Ballard, whom they affectionately call "Waldo." He's the town's oldest resident.
"He is the town," said Dotty Manns, owner of Dotty's Cafe.
So for Ballard's 99th birthday Sunday, residents wanted a way to honor the WWII vet and celebrate his birthday. However, with the coronavirus pandemic, a traditional birthday party was out of the question.
So town residents came up with a solution: a parade.
On Sunday, four area fire trucks led a parade that included 31 vehicles as well as people walking. Even several elected officials showed up, including state Sen. Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia; state Rep. Sarah Walsh, R-Ashland; and Boone County Commissioner Fred Parry.
The parade went right by Ballard's house, allowing him to watch it from his front porch.
"It was a great surprise," Ballard said. "I figured they'd do something, but I said, 'Don't you all do anything,' because they do everything for me anyway."
The town does look out for Ballard. His wife of 36 years, Norma LaVern, died in 1988, and Ballard has no family left.
Edwin Nichols cuts his grass and trims his hedges, while his wife, Vivian, cooks for him sometimes. Others take care of him, too, making sure he gets to the grocery store, among other things.
Ballard said he doesn't feel like he's 99.
"As far as I'm concerned, I feel pretty darn good to be that old," he said. "But I'm just getting to where I can't get around anymore. I've got a bad leg. But that's life."
Ballard served in World War II for four years, including two as an auto mechanic in the South Pacific. Although he didn't fight in the war, he did encounter some scary situations.
Japanese soldiers had been killing Americans as they slept in tents, Ballard said. At one point, Ballard was sleeping in a tent with four other Americans. One night, something struck the tent's rope that was connected to a stake in the ground.
"I reached under my pillow and got that .45 (caliber handgun) out. Come to find out it was an old donkey out there grazing," he said. "The next night, (the enemy) did get into another tent like that and they killed one of our guys. Cut his throat."
After the war, Ballard worked various jobs. He was a railroad worker, owner/operator of a grain elevator and he worked for Montgomery Ward and Sears.
He said he's concerned about the coronavirus, and has mostly stayed inside.
"People are going to have to put up with stuff they never have put up with before," he said. "With this economy and all these people out of work it's going to be one big mess."
Still, he said, America will get through this like it has other things.
From the street, a woman yelled at Ballard as he stood on his porch: "Boy, that was a fun parade, wasn't it?"
Ballard yelled back: "That was about like a funeral procession," as a few nearby residents chuckled.
Hartsburg Mayor Bill Morendorp said the parade birthday celebration was a bit of Americana.
"I was proud of our town today," he said.