Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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The past few weeks have given us a chance to talk about the human side of the century-old tradition we now call Waits- burg Celebration Days. Of course, I would be remiss to pass up one more opportunity to praise every- one who made the centennial a success, from Mayor Walt Gobel and Mrs. Mayor Gwen Gobel to Karen Mohney, who spearheaded Sunday's very enjoyable family day at the fairgrounds. There are many others to thank, but the list is simply too long. It's probably hard to find Waitsburgers...
Memorial Day weekend has been special in Dayton for many years, with the celebration of Dayton Days. We've been told his year is the 95th running of the Dayton Days Parade, which kicks off at 10 a.m. Come down to Main Street and see all the court roy- alty from around the northwest, along with dozens of horses. It's a special site not to be missed....
I t's the beginning of the summer season - a chance to get away for a long weekend of camping, boating or other outdoor sports. Or maybe it's a chance to stay home and relax and do some yard work. But Memorial Day is more than just a holiday. According to Wikipedia, the source of all modern information, Memorial Day was formerly known as Decoration Day. It originated after the civil to com- memorate Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died...
Dear Editor, My mother, Bettie Chase, believed that the best people on earth had roots in the Touchet Valley. And she believed you had an extra dose of good sense if you picked Waitsburg as your home (especially if you came from someplace foreign like Seattle or California.) It turns out that, as usual, she was right. My family and I are so grateful for the exceptional concern, consideration and respect mother received. She always felt safe and secure in Waitsburg because you all showed her how much you cared. Heartfelt thanks goes to all of...
A s this is apparently the special Days of Real Sport historical issue, I thought I'd share a few personal memories of the event. Last year was my first year on the Columbia County Fair Court, and the Days of Real Sport parade was our first parade of the year. The float had been lavishly decked out through many hours of meticulous labor. It depicted, among other things: the harvest moon, a giant treasure chest, a waterfall, a river, baskets of flowers and fruit, and a red barn with a quilt for a roof. It was a nice float. In fact, it took first...
I f you've been around the Waitsburg elementary school lately, you may have seen kids doing something a bit unusual. They're walking laps around the playground. No, this isn't a form of punishment. It's not even intended strictly as exercise, though that never hurts. The kids, who complete three to five laps around their beloved recess hangout, are making a point about the distance many kids in other parts of the world have to travel every day to find safe drinking water and they want you to...
Sometimes, it's all in a name or a date. But in this case, we'd like to look beyond mere words or points in time. When it comes to this weekend's centennial, we want to focus on its spirit as a lasting legacy, whatever form this third-weekend-in-May tradition in our little town will turn into after marking its first 100 years. Both the name of the centennial and its origins are a bit controversial. Local historian Jeff Broom has been bemused by the number of references to the Days of Real Sport or what preceded in documented history. Here is...
Theater has been a love of mine since I first hit the stage at Wa-Hi in 2001. As I went on to college at the University of Idaho in 2005, I tried to ignore this crazed love in order to focus on a teaching degree. But after a semester of wandering around cam- pus with no script in my hands, the gnawing in my gut steered me over to the theater arts building. There, I struck a compromise with myself: get the teaching cer- tificate, and minor in drama. It was one of the best deci- sions I have ever made. As we approach the summer months, I am delig...
[Editor's Note: Emma informed us at the very last minute that she would not have a column this week. That's about what we expect from high school students. Following is her explana- tion.] H ey there! If you're looking forward to reading my column this week, I've got some bad news for you - I was so busy that I couldn't really write one. You see, the day my col- umn needed to be turned in to the editor, I had this big long honkin' standardized test. It's an AP test, meaning that the class it covers (AP Environmental Science) is worth college...
The upcoming Waitsburg Celebration promises to be a smorgasbord of festivities, from the colorful, prideful Main Street parade to the much-anticipated homecoming concert by the Frog Hollow Band. Add to that the Classic Auto Show, the mayor's luncheon and the brandspanking new ranch horse racing at the grand stand, and Saturday looks like the heart of the Days of Real Sport centennial. Don't be fooled, kids! On the face of it, Sunday's schedule looks more relaxed. But you can't miss out on the...
An article in last week's Times incorrectly stated that Day- ton City Council member Arthur Hall is moving to Tri-Cities. Hall is resigning from the Dayton Council effective May 31. However, while he and his wife are working in Richland during the week, they remain Dayton residents. Hall says he is leaving the council because he cannot de- vote the time to the position to make a difference and feels that he cannot adequately represent the citizens of Dayton. We regret the error....
I s a city council meeting an "event"? Find out Monday, when the Dayton City Council considers a proposal to enact a "Special Events Permit" process for residents of Dayton. As we reported in our April 25th issue, we have some questions about what the city will consider an "event", and why the permit is even necessary. If you have questions too, plan to attend....
Event season in the Touchet Valley is just around the cor- ner. First up on the agenda is the Waitsburg Celebration Days, taking place May 17 through 19. Next week's Times will be a special commemorative issue covering Waitsburg's celebration Days. We'll talk to many of the people that are making this new event happen, and we'll include a complete schedule of events. After next weekend, there are many more events to come in the Touchet Valley. The Dayton Days Parade starts the summer off in Dayton, taking place Saturday, May 25. Below is a...
I find memoirs boring and I'm not particularly interested in the Kennedy family, so I don't know why I plucked Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir off the library shelf. Perhaps it was the cover photo or the tone of the title but whatever it was, I was captivated from the very first page. The author, Clint Hill (with help from award-winning journalist Lisa McCubbin), retired in 1975 as the Assistant Director of the Secret Service but from 1960 to 1964 his assignment was to protect Jacque...
In the upcoming special legislative session in Olym- pia in May, lawmakers will be seeking agreement on a two-year state operating budget. Frequently, as bud- get debates heat up, you'll hear proponents of bigger government use their favorite phrase, "close tax loopholes," as if there is an oversight in state law that allows some to escape paying taxes. But don't be fooled. These "tax loopholes" are actually tax incentives, or officially known as "tax preferences," that were intentionally enacted by the Legislature to provide specific tax...
I live on West Seventh Street. In all likelihood, the above sentence means noth- ing to you unless: You are planning to 'toilet paper' my house, or You know about the West Seventh street reconstruction project. Yes, the street near my home is being improved upon. Actively. As you read this very column. The City plans to resur- face the road, creating two lanes of traffic with parking space on either side and a five-foot-wide sidewalk on the north side of the street, which just so happens to be (TP-ers take note) the side where my house is...
I want to thank those read- ers who responded to my column two weeks ago about Jubilee's growing athletic participation in the Waitsburg Prescott combine. In it, I hinted that Jubilee's contribution to the combine has become so significant, the group may as well be called Waitsburg Prescott Jubilee. But the readers suggested otherwise. Keep the name exactly the way it is right now, they said. "Jubilee is to be commended for doing well at meeting the needs of its students which were not met...
When the Port of Columbia first conceived the idea of an artisan food processing center in Dayton, a lot of questions were raised as to how it would be paid for. Port manager Jennie Dickinson assured anyone who asked that a wide variety of funding sources were on her radar and she was confident the Port could get what it needed. She's been right every step of the way. In 2009, the port received a $1 million grant and loan package from the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB), which it used to purchase the 28 acre...
Dear Editor, There are a bunch of peo- ple involved and working hard to bring our annual celebration to our wonderful little city. The event is called Waitsburg Celebration Days and it is being planned for the weekend of May 17, 18th and 19th. So far the community has responded very well helping to make this weekend some- thing special. This year, once again, the Commercial Club is sponsoring the Parade on May 18th. As Waitsburg citizens are wonderful volunteers, we (the Parade Committee) are seeking nominations of a very special person/family...
A s the crowd began to filter into the pa- vilion at the Columbia County Fairgrounds, I straightened my back a notch and affixed a smile to my face. "What are we supposed to do?" asked Heidi Miller, who is my fellow Columbia County Fair Hostess this year. "Smile," I said. "Say hi. Show off our new outfits." Indeed, our outfits this year are exception- ally showy. We've adopted a pink, black, and silver color scheme, which was reflected in the pavilion's décor on this particular night - the night of the Kickoff Dinner. We began greeting peo- ple...
The Liberty Theater is going big this month, opening with "Oz, The Great And The Powerful" running April 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14 and 16. The film is estimated to have cost $215 million to produce and brings some of the most stunning visual elements film has to offer. "Oz" stars James Franco as Oz, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Wil- liams in a fantastical land where a power struggle be- tween three witches creates a transforming rift. Upon his arrival to the enchanted land, Oz believes he...
