Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Two young girls (names withheld) dunk Fire District 2 fireman Charles Amerein last Sunday during the Full Throttle Relay for Life fundraiser in Dayton. The Full Throttle team is a combination of staff members from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office and Blue Mountain Counseling. The team will participate in the annual Relay for Life event from 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, to 7 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 16, on the football field at Dayton High School. This will be the fifth annual Relay for Life held in Dayton. The event benefits the American Cancer Society,
(Above) Mule team owner Russ Anderson treats a visitor to a mule ride last year before Mule Mania. The mules are a cross between a Belgian draft horse and a red mammoth jack.
DAYTON -- The sec- ond annual Mule Mania will mosey its way back into Dayton this weekend for four days of mule-fueled events.
The event will take place at the Columbia County Fairgrounds and features free admission and the luxury Cadillacs of riding animals, Chairman of the Mule Mania Committee Les Teel said.
"Mules are very comfort- able to ride and they'll never get you in trouble," Teel said. "They're just wonderful ani- mals to be around."
Dayton Chamber of Commerce Director Brad McMasters said the packaged event, hosted by the Mule Mania Organization, sought out the chamber last year to add Dayton to the list of local events.
The event has drawn close to 180 mules competing from five states includ- ing Nebraska, Colorado, and Missouri, Bobbi Chambers, the co-owner of the Coyote Mule Company, said. Chambers' company is promoting Mule Mania and helping bring in talent from across the country.
The event has nearly doubled since its debut in Dayton in 2011, Chambers said. So while the events will be similar to last year's lineup, the show will be much larger.
"There will be a complete variety of events from driving compe- titions and Western trail classes, to barrel racing and a lot of youth events like the egg and spoon race," Chambers said.
The chuck wagon cookoff will also be a highlight of the week- end, starting at 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday evening. Tickets for the cookoff are $15 each, Chambers said, and they will sell out quickly. The tickets can be purchased in advance from the Dayton Chamber of Commerce or online at mulemania.com.
"People can sample food from the 1800s (at the chuckwagons)," Teel said. "And there will be quite a number of new vendors, so attendees can get Western attire or even a little bling."
Teel said the committee is looking for a bigger and better show than what they had last year, adding that last year's event was successful.
And with 152 competitive events, attendees aren't likely to run out of things to do and see.
"From youngsters to oldsters hellip; this is a very fam- ily friendly event," Teel said. "It's just another opportunity for people from outside of the area to come out and see Dayton."
At 10 a.m. on Saturday in downtown Dayton, the Alumni Weekend and Mule Mania parades will march through the streets.
"This is a huge opportunity for people who may not know anything about mules to come in and look at them," Teel said. "We hope people take some time out of their busy schedules to come out."
Chambers said more information is available at mulemaniadayton.com.
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