On Saturday, Aug. 10, the Centralia Downtown Association (CDA) will host the second annual Founder's Day event.
This year’s event will include multiple locations and experiences for attendees.
The main event in George Washington Park from 3 to 5 p.m. will feature a welcome from Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston followed by local historian Brian Mittge speaking on the topic of Centralia founder George Washington.
Music from local band Mukana Marimba will finish out the program.
The Centralia Timberland Library will be on site with giant bubbles and the CDA has arranged for food vendors and lawn games to be available. George Washington merchandise will be available for purchase.
“We're so excited to be back and honoring the founder of Centralia, George Washington, for the second year in a row,” said MacKenzie McGee, CDA executive director. “We've got some great news pieces this year that we're excited to add for our community to enjoy and to help folks learn more about Centralia's rich history.”
New this year is a Founder’s Day 5K, hosted by the Run Amok Irish Running Club, starting at 9 a.m. from George Washington Park. The route will take runners and walkers past a number of sites significant to George Washington during his life.
Those wishing to pay formal respect to George and Mary Jane Washington can join Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston at 2 p.m. at Washington Lawn Cemetery for a graveside memorial, with a floral wreath laying provided by Fern Ridge Floral & Design.
Additionally, free showings of “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America” will be provided by the CDA and hosted by The Juice Box at 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. The film is two hours long.
From 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Grooveyard will also perform as part of the Music in the Park series at George Washington Park.
In 2023, the CDA worked with Centralia City Council to proclaim Aug. 15, George Washington’s birthday, as Founder’s Day in Centralia with the goal of hosting an annual event to honor George and Mary Jane Washington, as well as the legacy of Hub City Love they left behind that lives on to this day, according to the CDA.
After a successful event in August 2023, the CDA is looking forward to continuing to bring a new tradition to Centralians with even more ways to celebrate their founders, the news release stated.
As always with CDA events, Founder’s Day is free to attend and is open to the public. For more information on the CDA and other upcoming events, visit https://downtowncentralia.org/.
