Ted Johnston had a sneaky suspicion something was up.

He was right. The retired Director of Public Works – Johnston’s tenure with the city spanned 42 years – was announced at Thursday’s 58th annual Almond Blossom Festival Kick-Off Reception for next month’s special event hosted by the Ripon Chamber of Commerce.

“This is quite an honor,” he said. “This honor is not about me – I’ll be representing all of the city employees.”

Mayor Jake Parks had the honor of making the announcement.

“Ted has done so much for the City that this honor is appropriate for him – he’s a great person,” Parks said.

This year’s Almond Blossom Festival theme is “Celebrating 75 Years of Service to the Community,” referring to Ripon’s anniversary of being incorporated as a city.

Johnston will ride in the Almond Blossom Festival Parade through downtown on Saturday, Feb. 22.

The festival is scheduled Feb. 20 through 23.

He was hired on Aug. 18, 1977 as a garbage collector and advanced through various assignments, going from maintenance worker to building inspector by 1986.

In 1992, Johnston was Public Works Supervisor and, seven years later, was named the Director of Public Works.

He did above and beyond what was expected, Parks during Johnston’s recognition by the city back in December.

“He provided exceptional service while maintaining the city parks, streets and water / sewer / storm systems, and provided solid waste collection service,” Parks added.

Johnston made possible the curbside yard waste pick-up along with the community garage sale ad the large item pick-up programs.

But his greatest accomplishment, according to his colleagues, was that of the Mistlin Sports Park.

“He played a key role in designing and installing the turf and irrigation system for this important regional park that now attracts thousands of visitors to Ripon each year,” Parks said.