Waitsburg Shines On Parade Day

The view of the 2012 Waitsburg parade from inside the Coppei Cafe on Main Street was colorful and festive, but the staff behind the espresso bar didn't have much time to enjoy it on Saturday morning.

They were busy serving the many customers who wanted pastries, coffee and other drinks before the National Anthem reverberated through down town and the floats began to make their way past the businesses shortly after 10 o'clock.

Only for the duration of the parade itself was the coffee shop somewhat quiet, with customers walked out to the sidewalk to join everyone else who had gathered there to watch the annual pageant in the mild mid-spring sun.

Then, business resumed and remained strong until late afternoon. It turned out to be one of the best sales days for the coffee shop since it opened in early August and for this the Coppei team is grateful. From talking to other businesses and vendors, it was a good day for commerce in Waitsburg overall.

Thanks to Mayor Walt Gobel and his wife Gwen, to Ken Lenhart and the organizers of the Classic Auto Show, to Commercial Club President Robbie Johnson and to all the volunteers who supported this fine day on Main Street and in Preston Park. Our town basked in the attention and goodwill of several hundred visitors, parade entrants, vendors and car exhibitors.

Special thanks should go to Pat Mohney, Joe Thomas, Butch Peck, Wayne O'Gradnick, Mary Lou Smith, Sandra Farley, Larry Johnson, Deanne Johnson, Heather Duncan, Robbie Johnson, Wayne Peterson, Ruth Peterson, Margaret Terry, Colter Mohney, Mitch Powers, Fred Hamann, Markeeta Little Wolf, Scott Archer, Walla Walla County sheriff's deputies, Herb Mettler, Emylee Gobel, Tristan Newman and MaKenna Barron.

This special weekend for Waitsburg may not be known as the Days of Real Sport anymore since the loss of pari-mutuel horse racing two years ago, but those who helped make the parade and car show possible saved something that could have just as easily been lost.

They sustained a day on the third weekend in May on the southeast Washington calendar that is focused just on Waitsburg, drawing participants and spectators from Dayton to Milton-Freewater, Ore., and as far away as Pendleton, Ore.

They strengthened local pride by giving nearly everyone a chance to be recognized, respected and honored for whom they are, what they do or what they did. We saw our school band, our volunteer firefighters and ambulance crew, service clubs, horseback riders, car enthusiasts, our admired parade marshals - Laura Jean and Dr. Roger Hevel, and, of course, our veterans.

They provided an opportunity for families to enjoy a day in the park, to take in the sight of vintage cars, the sound of folk music, the smell of a smorgasbord of foods, the fun of games and the enticing displays of area merchants.

The groups behind the Waitsburg Parade and Classic Auto Show could have thrown in the towel when the big draw of horseracing fell away. They could have decided that after so many decades of working on weekends and volunteering hours ahead of time, they would just let the Main Street event fade along with the echoes of days gone by at the track.

We are glad and thankful they didn't -- that they rallied to continue what has become a time-honored tradition that is now perhaps even more appreciated for what it is: a chance for our community to show case itself to itself and its neighbors, races or not.

The crowds may be smaller than they were for the Days of Real Sport, but the meaning of the day seems to run deeper and the interest of those who descend on Waitsburg seems to be more genuine. Sure, some may come just for the cars, but most drive down to spend a day in a "One-Of-A-Kind" town that works hard to show everyone all the reasons it is just as proud now as it ever was on all those Days of Real Sport Saturdays throughout much of its history.

It says a lot about a community that holds its head high into the winds and buffeting of the kind of change that would have dispirited any lesser town. It says a lot about a people who care enough about their children to give them the kind of memories that will make them think fondly of whence they hail no matter where they may disperse.

As in years before, it's one of the reasons so many who grow up here continue to return.

Congratulations and thanks, Waitsburg!