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Martha Douce Maniaci
to be
Grand Marshall

When the 2011 Marion Popcorn Festival’s Orville Redenbacher Parade steps off at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday of the Festival, two of Marion’s dance queens will be featured at the helm.  Martha Douce Maniaci has been named grand marshal, and Carol Ault tapped as the honorary grand marshal.  

Maniaci founded Douce Dance Studios in 1945 when she began teaching baton twirling in her parent’s home to 15 students.  She had also studied ballet, tap, and jazz.  After marrying Joe in 1950, the Maniacis went to New York City to study ballroom.  Nearly 70 years and thousands of students later, Douce Dance Studios have locations in Marion, Cincinnati, Bucyrus, Delaware, Galion, Mt. Gilead and Waldo, and their students have been Miss Ohio representatives to the Miss America pageant, major college drum majors, cheerleaders, and performers on Broadway. 

“I was so excited to be asked to be the grand marshal,” Maniaci said.  “It’s the best thing that ever happened to me … well, next to Joe, that is.  I’ve got my outfit already picked out and ready to go.  You know,” she continued, “I’ve had a float for my dance studio in every single popcorn parade … and we’re ready to go again this year.  I just love it!” 

Maniaci also founded and named the Popcorn Bowl “in about 1985” which showcases the opening games of the Marion Midget Football program.  She has been the secretary of Marion Midget Football for 33 years. 

A member of St. Mary Church, Maniaci is also a part of Marion’s Junior Service Guild and the Republican party.  She has three daughters, Marilyn (Russ) McBride, LuAnn (Kevan) Hartman, and Suzanne (Tom) Harris, and a son, Joe (Kari) Maniaci III.  Maniaci is also “proud to be called grandma” by 15 grandchildren, and 8 great grandchildren. 

Ault began teaching dance in 1952, her freshman year in high school, and, after graduation, began teaching for a branch of Par Studio.  Ault fondly remembers, “My first teacher was Marilyn Meskey … Marion’s Miss America.  I loved my high school tap teachers,” said Ault, “Ray and Pat Basore … and both Martha and I took lessons from Jack Sharrock and Jimmy Rawlins in Columbus.”  

In 1971, Ault began teaching classes in the family’s Caledonia garage until – with over 100 students – her husband told her she needed to find a someplace different and, in 1981, Carol Ault’s Dance Factory was born. Thousands of students later, Ault says the studio has grown and adapted as dance styles change to include not only the basics of tap, ballet and jazz but also acro, hip hop, lyrical, clogging, Riverdance, pageant modeling, cheer leading, and some ballroom.  

Ault has been part of the “popcorn family” since 1985 when she was asked her to choreograph the opening number of the Miss Marion Popcorn pageant.  Ault said, “I had so much fun, I was hooked.” About that same, Ault said, she and friend Pat Anthony dressed up as gorillas and went down the parade route on a golf cart waving and “doing silly gorilla-type things.” 

Ault has also been a faithful participant in the Festival’s annual Cooking Contest. “I’ve come in second twice and was featured on the Food Channel’s program about the Festival,” said Ault. “My goal this year is to beat Pops (her husband) who took second place last year.” Ault and her friend Pat Coldren were also the architects of a tiered Popcorn Wedding Cake for a couple who got married during the Popcorn Festival several years ago. 

Ault and her husband of 56 years, Gene “Pops”, have six children: Cathy (Steve) Marshall, Christy (Mike) Frank, Maxine Morrow, Andrea (Clyde) Knipp, Gary (Dawn) Ault, and Susan (Tim) DeBolt. “Grandma Dance,” as Ault’s five grandchildren call her, also has five great grandchildren.  She is a member of the Caledonia United Methodist Church, and was also a 4-H advisor for 15 years. 

“Whether you’re a fan of the classic Hollywood dance movies like Gene Kelly’s Singing in the Rain or the original Shall we Dance with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers,” said Parade Chairman Mary Dutton, “or the more modern ones like Dirty Dancing or the Jennifer Lopez/Richard Gere version of Shall we Dance, you have an appreciation of the impact these movies have had across America over the years.  When we were looking at who would best fit our grand marshal roles and the Hooray for Hollywood theme, these two women fit the bill perfectly.  Both have not only been big supporters of the Festival, but the number of children they have coached and mentored in all forms of dance throughout the years is phenomenal.”