Jerry Owens, who along with his wife, Eileen, was part of the very first group to organize Centralia’s Summerfest in 1976, will serve as the grand marshal in this year’s Fourth of July parade, the Centralia Downtown Association (CDA) announced this week.
Owens has contributed to Summerfest for many years since taking part in its inception, whether it was planning the festival, playing music or announcing the parade.
In a news release, Owens said his motivation for helping to create Summerfest was to provide a family-friendly Independence Day celebration.
“Jerry said that playing music, often with special friends, has been the highlight of Summerfest for him,” the CDA stated in the release. “Another memory he shared is how hot it can be, remembering times that the heat caused transformers to blow and power to be lost. He remembers announcing the parade one year using the speaker system of a police car because there was no power to run the PA system. Owens shared that there have been many beautiful floats and entries in the parade through the years. One special entry that brought so much fun and laughter for everyone was the Kiwanis funny car. It would swivel, bounce, tilt and do all sorts of crazy things. The guys driving it were having fun, the people with the group were having fun and everyone watching them was having fun.”
Being grand marshal for the Summerfest parade is a special title, Owens said.
“It is truly an honor to even be thought of for this,” he said. “I never expected something like this. This is an honor that goes to others, not someone like me. It is very exciting and humbling.”
While Owens presides as grand marshal, Summerfest events will be happening all over Centralia. A free 5K Fun Run hosted by the Run Amok Irish Running Club will start at 8 a.m. at Centralia College’s clock tower with a pay-what-you-will pancake breakfast at the TransAlta Commons available from 8 to 10 a.m. There will also be free field activities from 10 a.m. to noon, featuring an obstacle course, tees, bubbles, soccer goals and more on Centralia College’s Bob Peters Field.
New in 2024 is a free event shuttle service provided by Lewis County Transit with event parking at the Fairway Shopping Center and overflow parking at the Lewis County Mall. The shuttle will be free to ride and will run from 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. with departures every 20 minutes. The shuttles will stop at the two parking locations as well as the Centralia Train Depot, George Washington Park and an additional stop on Pear Street by the Centrala College TransAlta Commons from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
From 12 to 3:30 p.m. Cooks Hill Community Church will host free family-friendly activities in George Washington Park, including a scavenger hunt, games, crafts and more.
Music will be provided by KELA/KMNT from noon to 2 p.m.
Food vendors will be at Pine Street Plaza from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. to complement downtown shopping and dining options.
There will also be live music by local band BonzoBalm from noon to 3 p.m. and games hosted by the Centralia Downtown Association.
The annual Summerfest parade, put on by the CDA and sponsored this year by Althauser Rayan Abbarno and Twin Star Credit Union, begins at 4 p.m. Live commentary will take place at the Pine Street Plaza by The Chronicle’s editors and News Dump podcast hosts Aaron VanTuyl and Eric Schwartz.
To end the day, Summerfest attendees are invited to the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds for a demolition derby. Pre-sale grandstands tickets — which cost $12 for adults, $10 for kids ages 6 to 12 and are free for those 6 and younger — can be purchased at the fair office. Trackside seats are available at a cost of $25 for all ages. Box seats for eight people cost $200. Box seats for 12 people are $300. Box seats are available for purchase at the fair office.
There will be a beer garden for those 21 and older. The cost is $30.
Derby tickets will also be available at the gate beginning at 5:30 p.m. July 4.
Following the derby, there will be a free fireworks show sponsored by the Lewis County Demolition Derby Association and the City of Centralia. The fireworks show will begin no earlier than 10:30 p.m.
To learn more about Summerfest, visit https://downtowncentralia.org/.
