Cheers to Marigolds Welcome John Ratzenberger!!!

The Pekin Marigold Festival proudly welcomes John Ratzenberger as our 2018 Guest Celebrity to help us celebrate the festival theme: “Cheers to Marigolds.” John will be joining us on Saturday and Sunday of the festival, September 8th and 9th.
A multi-Emmy-nominated actor and accomplished screenwriter, director, producer and author, John Ratzenberger may be best known for playing mail carrier Cliff Clavin on the long-running NBC sitcom “Cheers.” Along with his eleven seasons on “Cheers”, John has worked in feature films, made appearances on numerous TV shows and commercials, but animation has been a natural home to John’s versatile vocal talents. He is the only actor to participate in every Pixar film, voicing the iconic characters of Mack the Truck, Hamm the Piggy Bank and his favorite, P.T. Flea. Due to John’s volume of film work, he is listed as the 6th most successful actor of all time in terms of box office receipts.
John produced and starred in the Travel Channel documentary series “Made in America,” which highlighted U.S.-made goods and workers. He also co-founded the Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajigs Foundation, dedicated to raising awareness among young people of skilled trades and engineering disciplines. And in 2010, he became affiliated with and now represents the Center for America (formerly the Foundation for Fair Civil Justice) to further develop his work and increase awareness about the skilled worker shortage facing the United States and the changes needed to positively impact and increase the number of skilled workers. Articles written by John about the skills shortage in America have appeared in many leading publications and web blogs.
John was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, attended St. Ann's School in Bridgeport and Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. In 1971, he moved to London and while working as a carpenter in London, he began his career in the performing arts. Early in his career, John founded Eco Pak Industries, a company that developed and manufactured packaging alternatives made from biodegradable and non-toxic recycled paper as a safe alternative to Styrofoam “peanuts” and plastic bubble wrap which is now used worldwide.
John Ratzenberger will be riding in the Marigold Festival Parade sponsored by Busey Bank, signing autographs at the Celebrity Tent sponsored by Kouri’s Pub and answering questions during a special Q & A Session. Watch for more details on the Marigold Festival Facebook Page and website.
We look forward to having John Ratzenberger at the 2018 Pekin Marigold Festival with “Cheers to Marigolds”!

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