Members of the Centralia community came together Saturday to honor and celebrate Centralia’s founders, George and Mary Jane Washington, as part of the city's inaugural Founder’s Day.
Centralia Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston spoke about the recently established holiday. It was created by the Centralia City Council earlier this year at the request of the Centralia Downtown Association, which hosted Saturday’s event in George Washington Park.
The council declared Aug. 15, George Washington’s birthday, to be Founder’s Day, though the holiday will continue to be celebrated on the closest Saturday to that date.
Local columnist and author Brian Mittge — who, along with Kerry Serl, co-authored the biography “George Washington of Centralia” — was on hand for the event and spoke about the life of Washington, the son of an enslaved man and a white woman, who traveled west in search of a place to call home, eventually settling near the confluence of the Skookumchuck and Chehalis rivers.
Washington was born Aug. 15, 1817, and died Aug. 26, 1905.
Mittge explained how Washington, facing racism and exclusionary laws in the midwest, decided to search for “a decent place in the world,” so he started on the Oregon Trail. However, because of racist laws, a Black man was not allowed to settle in the Oregon territory, so Washington decided to move north. Eventually, George Washington and his wife, Mary Jane Washington, founded the town of Centerville, which is now known as Centralia.
Washington is remembered in historical documents as a kind and generous man who gave freely to the citizens of Centerville and supported the town during difficult economic times.
The celebration on Saturday, organized by the Centralia Downtown Association, included many activities and events provided by various members of the community. There were vendors such as a cotton candy booth, handmade pizza from Shadow’s Farm and volunteers offering henna.
Decorations adorned George Washington Park, which was made all the more colorful by sidewalk chalk. Giant bubbles were provided by the Centralia Timberland Library. The event lasted from 3 to 6 p.m. and included a jazz performance led by Dmitri Matheny and his band.
Once the performance was over, the crowd welcomed Smith Johnston to the stage with applause. Smith Johnston gave a speech highlighting the values of George Washington and how they are still upheld in our community today.
“The story of George Washington is a story of resilience and generosity,” Smith Johnston said. “Centralia, too, has a story of resilience and generosity”
Mittge then provided a summary of Washington’s life.
Following his speech, Mittge introduced the recipients of the George Washington Memorial Scholarship: Lakeda Sullivan and Liliane Sidibe.
Each told their stories of overcoming hardships and adversity to end up pursuing further education at Centralia College.
Mittge then once again took the microphone to give a brief original musical summary of Washington’s life titled, “The Ballad of George Washington.”
Jim McCully spoke about Washington’s cultural impact on Centralia and what he believed Washington’s message would be today.
“Just be willing to reach across the aisle and talk to people no matter their station in life.” McCully said.
Matheny and his jazz band played out the event as some of the attendees and onlookers dispersed to enjoy what else the festival had to offer, while others simply sat back and listened to the music.
At 8 p.m., guests were entertained by King Youngblood, an alternative-rock band from Seattle, as the night came to an end.
