Houston Art Car Parade announces Cheech Marin as 2017 grand marshal

PHOTOS: The early days of the Houston Art Car Parade

Cheech Marin is slated to be the Grand Marshal of the 30th Annual Houston Art Car Parade on Saturday, April 8. The actor and counterculture icon is also readying a memoir. Past grand marshals include J.J. Watt, Annise Parker, George Clinton, and Kinky Friedman.

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Cheech Marin is slated to be the Grand Marshal of the 30th Annual Houston Art Car Parade on Saturday, April 8. The actor and counterculture icon is also ... more Photo: Matthew Eisman/Getty Images Photo: Matthew Eisman/Getty Images Image 1 of / 59 Caption Close Houston Art Car Parade announces Cheech Marin as 2017 grand marshal 1 / 59 Back to Gallery

On Tuesday the organizers behind the 30th annual Houston Art Car Parade announced the grand marshal for this year’s event: Richard “Cheech” Marin.

Marin, one-half of the iconic stoner duo Cheech & Chong, will be the guest of honor at the April event. He follows in the footsteps of such luminaries as Dan Aykroyd, J.J. Watt, The Art Guys, Annise Parker, Kinky Friedman, Lynn Wyatt and funkmeister George Clinton.

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The Houston Art Car Parade is slated to roll through downtown Houston on Saturday, April 8. It is the largest art car parade in the world with nearly 250 vehicles in the mix. Upwards of 300,000 people come out to see the parade annually, according to the organizers.

Marin, 70, is no stranger to the art world and is an avid fan and collector of Chicano art. The Los Angeles native has released a handful of books on Chicano art, along with his own children’s books. His acting and voice work have made him a beloved figure over the past five decades.

A memoir is slated to be released on March 14 entitled “Cheech Is Not My Real Name… But Don’t Call Me Chong!” detailing his lengthy comedy career and his journey to becoming one of the most enduring faces of the counterculture.

He and comedy partner Tommy Chong still perform together to packed venues, re-imagining their stoner comedy for multi-generation audiences. Marin will soon introduce his own line of branded marijuana, following in the footsteps of Chong who did so several years ago. Cheech’s Private Stash should be coming to a legal marijuana dispensaries soon.

Marin will be signing copies of the new book on Thursday, April 6 at Houston’s River Oaks Theatre in conjunction with the Brazos Bookstore. There will also be a moderated Q&A hosted by Ernie Manouse. It appears it will be a very Cheech weekend in the Bayou City.

On Tuesday afternoon Marin told Chron.com that he’s never been a part of an art car parade but he’s excited nonetheless. He wasn’t sure if he gets his pick of car to ride in but he had a suggestion.

“I think they tell me what car I can ride in, or maybe they can put me in a monster truck because I want to be able run over the other cars,” Marin joked.

Marin said that he’s excited to come to Houston to show off his new book and eat at one of Chef Hugo Ortega’s restaurants. He’s become a fan of his cooking during his past Houston visits.

FIRST TASTE: Hugo Ortega's Xochi has been touched by the spirit of Oaxaca

As far as Houston goes, Marin is always amazed at how much it changes every time he comes around.

“It keeps growing and it’s loose and it appears to only be getting more diverse every time I come. The people are great,” Marin said.

The four-day Art Car party kicks off on Thursday, April 6th with the Main Street Drag and Sneak Peek at Discovery Green on the Avenida.

The parade festivities are organized by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Arts, which is a non-profit that cares for The Orange Show Monument, the adjacent Smither Park and The Beer Can House.

Now in its 35th year of service, The Orange Show provides award-winning community art tours, artist-led workshops, community murals, and other arty projects throughout the city.

The parade is not limited to cars and trucks, with most things on wheels (unicycles, lawnmowers, and go-carts) thrown in the mix.

The event is family-friendly and this year will feature a total of 27 creations by elementary, middle and high school students fabricated in conjunction with their art teachers and mentors

FLASHBACK: In the first 'official' Houston Art Car Parade, everything looked a bit vintage

The Legendary Art Car Ball will be held Friday, April 7, at Hermann Square the night before the Saturday parade. That party, meanwhile, is little less kid-friendly. Hire a sitter and let your hair down.

Over $10,000 in prize money will be awarded to artists in various categories on Sunday, April 9th, at the Houston Art Car Parade Award Ceremony at Smither Park when the best cars of the year will be honored.

The roots of the parade reach back to 1986 when Rachel Hecker and Trish Herrera organized a New Music Parade in conjunction with the New Music America Festival. The parade only hinted at what was to come in the years after.

The parade kicked off as its own event in 1988. There were only 40 cars in the parade that first year, with an estimated crowd of 2,000 coming out. The parade was a confirmed hit in 1988 and the organizers returned the next year and Houstonians began designing art cars of their own, adding more vehicles to the fun.

The next year the parade doubled in size. The secret was out. The parade initially coincided with the Houston International Festival but split from the now-defunct even in the early 00’s.

Check out Lisa Gray’s HoustonChronicle.com profile on the parade’s early lawless roots on the streets of Houston.

For more information on tickets and events head on over to the official Houston Art Car Parade website.