Mayor John Ditslear has announced that Noblesville resident and Hamilton County Judge Steve Nation will serve as the grand marshal for the 2015 Noblesville Fourth of July Parade.
“For more than 30 years, Judge Nation has been a well-respected member of the community that has impacted and improved Noblesville. I am pleased to honor the work Judge Nation has done for the city and Hamilton County, and acknowledge how he and his family continue to be excellent role models to Noblesville residents through their continued service to local families and children,” Ditslear said.
The Honorable Steve Nation has been serving Hamilton County continuously since 1979 and has been a Noblesville resident since 1977.
“When there are people in our community in need, I have always enjoyed working with others to get those needs satisfied. It has always been important to me that the people are helped, not who gets credit for the accomplishment,” Nation said. “I appreciate this honor, and I accept it for all the people I’ve worked with in the public to help better the community, I’m riding for them.”
Nation graduated from Cathedral High School in 1968 and Indiana University in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. After graduating from IU School of Law-Indianapolis in 1975 he began practicing law in Indiana. Nation began serving the public as deputy prosecutor in Hamilton County for two years. In 1979, Nation started his first of four terms as prosecutor and worked in that role until 1995. Nation then began his first term as Hamilton Superior Court No. 1 judge and has been in that position ever since.
“My first real efforts in Hamilton County were in 1974 and 1975. I was an intern and prosecuted more than 120 cases before I ever even graduated from law school,” Nation said.
In a desire to be proactive in assisting the healthy development of Hamilton County youth and their families, Nation and other local leaders investigated and adapted a model from Oakland County, Mich. to address the needs of local youth in our area and created the Hamilton County Youth Assistance Program in the fall of 2009. The Noblesville Youth Assistance Program was started in 2012.
“If you ask 100 parents, ‘Do you want life to be better for your child?’ They will always answer, ‘Yes.’ The problem is because of complexities of society sometimes they don’t know how to do it. That is what youth assistance is there for – to help families coordinate resources, to give them mentors and tutors so that people can have vision again, believe in the American Dream and become whatever they want to become.”
When he is not making a difference in the courtroom, Nation has been engaged in the community with the Noblesville Boys & Girls Club, Hamilton County United Way and has coached Noblesville youth football, soccer and baseball leagues.
“My personality is that I love to serve. I have always found Noblesville and Hamilton County to be likeminded people. They care for their children. They care for their families. And they care for their community and want to serve. It’s not a bad place to put your roots,” Nation said.
Nation and his wife, Peggy, have two grown children, Laura (Brandon) Bennett and Jeffrey, and one grandson, Michael Bennett.
This year’s festivities will take place on Saturday, July 4 with the theme of “America the Beautiful.” The fun begins at 5 p.m. with the parade followed by the fireworks festival from 6 to 10 p.m. At approximately 10 p.m., the annual fireworks display will begin. The festival is free of charge and will offer activities for kids, teens and adults, live music, food vendors and more.
More information about the upcoming Fourth of July festivities will be announced soon. For information about sponsoring or donating to the activities, contact Alaina Shonkwiler at 776-6345 or visit www.noblesvillefireworksfestival.com.
