George Clooney's cousin Monsita Ferrer leads Augusta's White Christmas Parade

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Monsita Ferrer was identified as the little girl in her father, Jose Ferrer's arms, in this undated family Christmas card photo circa 1960s, along side her mother Rosemary Clooney.

Monsita Ferrer is the 2012 Augusta White Christmas Parade grand marshal.

November 29, 2012 4:50 pm • WENDY MITCHELL

There will be no need for snow for a white Christmas in Augusta.

Celebrating its famous connections to the movie "White Christmas" has become an annual holiday theme for the Ohio River town of Augusta.

This year another celebrity in her own right will be the grand marshal for the parade on Dec. 15.

“It is a busy time of the year, my youngest son is in school and the other two boys are working, so I will be coming by myself,” Monsita Ferrer said on Thursday. "I am so excited to see Uncle Nick and Aunt Nina.”

Ferrer spent her childhood in a Beverly Hills, Calif., neighborhood filled with stars, including her late mother and father, Rosemary Clooney and Jose Ferrer.

She is the niece of Nick and Nina Clooney of Augusta, cousin to actor George Clooney, and sister-in-law to singer Debby Boone. Her husband, Terry Botwick is also in the entertainment industry.

Influences from Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz to Jimmy Stewart, Jack Benny and Ira Gershwin made her Roxbury Drive neighborhood an entertainment buffet, but her heart is with her Kentucky roots, Ferrer said.

“Mama loved California, but we were always coming back to Maysville a lot. Mama did not buy the house in Augusta until 1984; we were grown by then,” Ferrer said. “She bought it to be close to her family. We used to go to my grandma's farm. Kentucky is in my blood.”

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Ferrer is the fourth of five children in the Ferrer family, including Miguel, Maria, Gabriel and Rafael Ferrer.

Brother Miguel, also an actor, is currently featured in the television series, “NCIS: Los Angeles.”

Acting would be nice, but she is very aware of the time and determination it takes to make it in the acting businesses, she said.

“I have done some commercials, but I chose to spend the time when my children were growing up, being with them as much as possible,” Ferrer said.

In 1989, Monsita Ferrer got a rare opportunity to appear in a movie with her father.

“I was so nervous, we had never acted together,” she said. “He was such a phenomenal actor.”

During the filming of “Mothers Day” she played a witness and her father played the judge in a courtroom scene.

“The director told my father he was being too nice to me, saying "Thank you" after everything I said.” Ferrer said. “So he said he would have to rough it up a bit. It was a great experience.”

With both of her parents gone, Ferrer remains close to her aunt and uncle in Augusta.

“Aunt Nina is like my surrogate mother; she and Mama were best friends,” Ferrer said. “If I have something I need to talk about, Aunt Nina is there to listen and be straight with me. She is so kind and yet matter of fact, like Mama. I adore her.”

Ferrer is looking forward to participating in the parade and is hoping the weather is favorable for a fun evening.

“They said they have been lucky with good weather each year; let's hope it holds out for this year,” Ferrer said.

Parade festivities begin at 6 p.m. and include awards for lighted floats, a chili cook-off, child reindeer costume contest, a gingerbread house contest at the firehouse and Santa and Mrs. Claus visiting with children.

Beginning 15 minutes after the conclusion of the parade, the Augusta Trolley will also be conducting free rides around town, after the parade, to allow riders to see the city decorations for the holiday. The trolley will be picking up passengers at the Augusta Welcome Station caboose on the corner of Main Street and Riverside Drive.

Veteran Cincinnati newscaster and reporter Deb Dixon will emcee the parade.

The Augusta White Christmas Parade is sponsored by the Augusta Rotary Club and city of Augusta.

For parade and contest information go to [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

melbert wrote:A beautiful family with wonderful ties to one another.

it is still shown to this day