Life | The Daily Chronicle

Flags are carried through downtown Toledo during the Cheese Days parade in July 2023.

Community Calendar: Toledo Cheese Days; Randle Lavender Festivities; Northwest C10s’ South Sound Get Down Car Show

To add upcoming events to the Community Calendar, email news@chronline.com Toledo Cheese Days July 6-9 throughout Toledo The Cheese Days theme this year is … more

7/5/23

An array of colors light up the sky in Curtis for Independence Day on Tuesday, July 4.

In Focus: Fireworks Orchestrated by Boistfort Family to Celebrate Independence Day

Rene and Sue Remund, sons R.J. and Frank Remund and daughter Lindsey Pollock, for more than a decade, have orchestrated a fireworks show in the Boistfort Valley for all to see. People line the … more

Photos by Jared Wenzelburger / jared@chronline.com | 7/5/23

Fireworks explode over Mineral Lake from the Mineral Lake Lions Den Campground Saturday evening during the community’s Freedom and Fishing event organized by the Mineral Lake Lions Club.

In Focus: Freedom and Fishing at Mineral Lake

7/3/23

Miss Lewis County Myah O'Niell dances during the talent section of the Miss Washington Pageant at Capitol High School's Performing Arts Center Friday evening, June 30, 2023.

In Focus: Miss Lewis County Competes in Miss Washington Pageant

7/3/23

Guests at a Christian Women’s Connection luncheon listen to Sheriff Rob Snaza present on safety and scams at the Church of the Nazarene in Centralia in March 2022.

“My Country ‘Tis Of Thee” Women’s Luncheon Scheduled for July 10

Centralia-Chehalis Christian Women’s Connection will sponsor a women’s luncheon with the theme “My Country ‘Tis Of Thee” in the meeting room of Centralia Church of The … more

By The Chronicle staff | 7/3/23

Scenes from the 2022 Toledo Cheese Days parade.

‘Where’s The Cheese?’ in 102nd Year, Toledo Festival Still Cheesy

Toledo, according to the local Lions Club’s 2023 Cheese Days magazine, is a town with many historic names: Plomondon’s Landing in the 1840s, Warbassport in the 1850s, Cowlitz Landing … more

By Isabel Vander Stoep / isabel@chronline.com | 7/3/23

"In preparation for the 150th anniversary of the founding of Tenino and the 100th anniversary of the reconstruction of City Hall in 2023, we are attempting to excavate the time capsule from the cornerstone," wrote Tenino Mayor Wayne Fournier, who shared these photos of an old news clipping and workers attempting to locate the time capsule.

A Sesquicentennial Celebration: Full Day of Fun Planned for 150th Tenino Jubilee

The City of Tenino will be celebrating its 150th birthday on July 8 and city officials have organized a sesquicentennial jubilee. It is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. according to a … more

By The Chronicle staff | 7/3/23

Fireworks illuminate the sky over Jesus Name Pentecostal Church's Freedom Celebration in Chehalis Sunday evening, July 2. The church has been holding the event since 2013. It featured free food, an obstacle course, bounce houses, entertainment and a fireworks show.

In Focus: Jesus Name Pentecostal Church Provides Freedom Celebration in Chehalis

7/3/23

Lindsey Pollock and her parents Sue and Rene Remund smile for a photo Tuesday, June 27.

‘A Symphony in the Sky’: Fireworks Are Boistfort Family’s Community Gift

Rene Remund grew up in the Boistfort Valley. The unincorporated, West Lewis County community of a few hundred people is nearly all farmland. There is a river, grange hall, store, fire … more

By Isabel Vander Stoep / isabel@chronline.com | 7/3/23

Blaire Mataftin, 3, smiles as she throws a plastic ax at a target during an Independence Day celebration in Rainier on Saturday, July 1.

Retro Rainier Independence Day Celebration Draws 2,000

For the second consecutive year, the Retro Rainier Independence Day celebration at Wilkowski Park in Rainier created an environment where community members could gather to celebrate Independence Day. … more

By Jacob Dimond / For The Chronicle | 7/3/23

Fireworks explode in Packwood in July 2022 as onlookers take in the scene of Independence Day revelry.

Fourth of July Fireworks: Where to Find Patriotic Celebrations in Lewis and South Thurston Counties

As Independence Day approaches, communities throughout Lewis and South Thurston counties are preparing patriotic parades, celebrations and fireworks shows. Here’s when and where upcoming events … more

By The Chronicle staff | 6/30/23

Mike Cain smiles while talking about his years of service as a UPS driver in the Rochester area during a celebration in his honor at the UPS Customer Center in Chehalis on Thursday, June 29.

Beloved Rochester Delivery Driver ‘UPS Mike’ Retires After 45 Years

Rochester residents simply call him “UPS Mike.” One resident, Brian Fagernes, 49, has received deliveries from UPS Mike since childhood. Until a few years ago, Fagernes didn’t … more

By Isabel Vander Stoep / isabel@chronline.com | 6/30/23

Beak of the Week: Cedar Waxwings Are Berry-Guzzling Drunkards

The Chronicle’s July 1 Beak of the Week is the colorful cedar waxwing. This species earns its name from the waxy, red feather tips visible in the accompanying photo. However, if you never saw … more

By Isabel Vander Stoep / isabel@chronline.com | 6/30/23

Carol Ponder, a lifelong resident of Centralia, is pictured as a young girl and in a more recent photo in these images provided to The Chronicle by her family.

90th Birthday Announcement: Carol Ponder of Centralia

Carol Ponder, a lifelong resident of Centralia, will be turning 90 on July 13. Her family will celebrate her 90th birthday from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, July 9, at Fords Prairie Grange in … more

By The Chronicle Staff | 6/30/23

Megan Antles, of Olympia, smiles for a photo with Jewel, 3, and 7-month-old Ellis while helping to repaint the “Chehalis Friendship Fence” on Friday, June 30.

In Focus: Volunteers Repaint Friendship Fence in Chehalis After Vandalism

The Friendship Fence in Chehalis was one of four LGBTQ+ advocate sites vandalized early in the morning on June 24. Volunteers and supporters came together on Friday morning to repaint the fence and … more

6/30/23

Kevin Mills and The Mark Dubbeld Family to Perform Gospel Concert in Winlock

Kevin Mills and The Mark Dubbeld Family will perform a free gospel concert at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 1, at Christian Fellowship of Winlock. Mills is an accomplished singer who sang several … more

By The Chronicle staff | 6/28/23

Birthday Announcement: Marion Moon Turns 101

Marion Moon turned 101 on June 24. She’s been a Lewis County resident her whole life residing in the Boistfort Valley and Pe Ell. She enjoyed a big party in her honor with five generations of … more

By The Chronicle staff | 6/28/23

Photos by Jared Wenzelburger / jared@chronline.com Carrie Bredy smiles while embracing a passerby who stopped to help and provide encouraging words in Morton on Tuesday after an act of vandalism. Sara Smiley and husband Jason Sawyer own a woodworking shop in downtown Morton where they sell topographic maps and niche furniture. Smiley is a board member on the Lewis County Dignity Guild, a nonprofit that hosted this year’s Lewis County Pride event and provides signs frequently seen across the county that read “rural Americans against racism” and Pride flag-colored signs that read “Lewis County Welcomes Everyone.” Smiley and Sawyer’s shop window is adorned with the signs and Pride flags. Out front, they have a rainbow bench called “The Buddy Bench.” The week of June 13, someone vandalized their window. Then, early in the morning on Saturday, June 24, the business was one in a string of four locations significant to the Dignity Guild that were vandalized: four full-sized windows were smashed in. At the other three sites, a rainbow-painted fence in Chehalis, “The Friendship Fence,” was splattered with black paint; the organization’s new headquarters in Chehalis near the county courthouse had several windows broken; and a flagpole that hosted a Pride flag was bent and the flag stolen. To read a full story about the vandalism, visit https://tinyurl.com/3udmbrmy.

In Focus: Volunteers Make Repairs After Vandalism in Morton

Sara Smiley and husband Jason Sawyer own a woodworking shop in downtown Morton where they sell topographic maps and niche furniture. Smiley is a board member on the Lewis County Dignity Guild, a … more

6/28/23

Tara Hamilton and 11-month-old Ragan throw a pair of socks toward a chicken during the Independence Valley Chicken Races in Rochester on Sunday, June 25. Judges timed how quickly contestants, with the help of soft thrown items like socks and hats, could get their chicken to run out of a circle. No chickens were harmed. Proceeds from the annual event — which also included lunch and live music — help fund maintenance of Independence Valley Community Hall, where the event is held.

In Focus: Chickens Off to the Races in Independence Valley

6/26/23

The Winlock High School class of 2023 turn their tassels during their graduation ceremony in the school’s gym on Saturday, June 24. Winlock’s graduation was the final local ceremony of the year. The Chronicle provided coverage for all local school graduations this year. Those photos can be found at chronline.com.

In Focus: Winlock Class of 2023 Closes Out Graduation Season

6/26/23