As if summer weren’t its own reward, we’re entering one of my favorite times of year — community festival season.
Inside each town, one weekend marks the culmination of a year’s worth of planning. Events big and small are all fashioned around a longstanding theme, more or less. There is often royalty of some sort, maybe a street dance, and if we’re lucky, a parade.
They are a beloved tradition for townsfolk and an invitation to those far and wide to come enjoy what makes their community special.
In my heart, I want to attend all of them. Unfortunately, the reality of busy schedules means I’m usually lucky if I make it to one or two. I’m always the one taking pictures and videos of half the parade floats, gleefully greeting old friends and just generally luxuriating in all the shared enthusiasm.
Celebration season starts this weekend with two classics.
Rochester is hosting its Swede Day and Midsommer Festival, a celebration of the community’s Nordic heritage, with a Saturday parade at 11 a.m. All prospective Vikings should BYOH (Bring Your Own Helmet/Horns). You can also celebrate the sommer with a Maypole dance at 11:30. And you can practice your Swedish with an interview with Honorary Citizen of the Day Inger Svensson Julleryd, visiting all the way from Sweden.
Meanwhile, Winlock is back with Egg Days, including their 11 a.m. parade and a noon “hunt” for their traditional free egg salad sandwiches at the elementary school. There will also be a centennial celebration for the Sacred Heart Church, which marks 100 years since it was founded (and almost a year back in business after reopening in 2024.)
There are many more great events coming up throughout the summer in a community near you. I hope to see you at one of them.
How Swede it is to shell-ebrate our small towns!
Mane man
Friends of Robert Denney are mourning his passing after he died earlier this month at age 86.
A proud paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, Denney was also a beloved father and grandfather. He raised his family in Pe Ell and operated several small business, including the Pe Ell Shake Mill.
His obituary tells of the highlights of his life, among them this gem: “He will be remembered for his great hair, unconditional love, quiet strength, unending generosity, and his unmistakable ability to bring joy and laughter wherever he went.”
I never met the man, but with a hair-itage like that, I wish I had.
Signs of the times
“No parking” signs are standard, but sometimes they reach the status of sublime.
I enjoyed this sign that my daughter and I saw guarding a driveway across from a popular park in Steilacoom: “Don’t even think about parking here.”
And this one at the Napavine Plaza Jalisco restaurant: “Handicap parking only. Stupidity is not a handicap.”
Dad joke of the week
Shortly after my Father’s Day weekend column was published, I realized to my deep chagrin that I had not included a Dad Joke of the Week. Talk about a swing and amiss.
So here’s one that I came up with while my 14-year-old son and I were fixing the backyard chicken tractor that my own dad made.
So this three-generation joke isn’t late for Father’s Day, it’s just venerable.
Anway, here is the joke.
Q: What did the clueless carpenter say when he finished screwing together his project?
A: “Nailed it.”
•••
Brian Mittge is a community enthusiast who has written for The Chronicle since 2000 as a reporter, editor and columnist. He can be reached at brianmittge@hotmail.com.
