Mule Mania Changes in Store

DAYTON - The Columbia County Commissioners last week approved a request by the Mule Mania committee to allow the popular event to be held on Memorial Day Weekend beginning next year. It will continue to be held at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. For the past four years, Mule Mania has run during mid-July.

According to committee chairman Les Teel, one of the primary reasons the committee sought a date earlier in the year was hot weather. "We lost between 30 and 50 registered participants because of the heat this year," he said. "It's been hot each year we've held the show."

The move to Memorial Day Weekend brings a major event back to Dayton over that holiday. Dayton Days was held on Memorial Weekend for more than 100 years. However, the elimination of horse racing from several southeast Washington tracks in the past few years, has caused that traditional event to be reduced to only a parade.

Some concern was expressed during the commissioners' meeting that there would be a conflict with the mule show if horse racing of any kind were to return. "We're very open to sharing the weekend with other activities," Teel said. "If that comes up, we'll figure out a way to make it work."

The Dayton Chamber of Commerce will continue to play a role in organizing the event, and that role may expand, according to Teel. The Chamber has been the organizer of the Dayton Days Parade for more than 20 years, but otherwise had not been actively involved in putting on that event.

"We'd love it if this could be more of a Chamber event," Teel said.

The Chamber's Event Coordinator, Linze Greenwalt, said that the Chamber will be working on recruiting sponsors and doing marketing for Mule Mania. "It was important that the new date was approved now, so we can move ahead with sponsorships, knowing what the dates will be," she said.

Teel said that long-time Mule Mania organizers Barney and Bobby Jo Chambers will be less involved in the event than they've been in past years. "They'll continue to support us and help where they can," Teel said.

"We want to make Mule Mania a more crowd-friendly event," Teel added. "We'll try to have more driving, and other things the public likes."