The Napavine Funtime Festival returns this weekend for its 51st year, though the community tradition will look a bit different this year.
For the first time in the festival’s history, “Princess Napawinah,” a controversial tradition where a 13- to 15-year-old girl living in Napavine is selected to wear a Native American-esque costume and represent the festival, won’t be included.
Instead, the first-ever Princess Napavine will be crowned at Mayme Shaddock Park at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 19. This princess will not have any Native American-themed decorations on her outfit or her parade float, organizers said.
“We had to change the name of it because last year they had all of that hullabaloo over us and the way we were treating the Indians … and so the mayor and the city council, especially the mayor, said we can’t use Princess Napawinah anymore,” said Jerry Owens, one of the Funtime Festival’s founders who is helping organize this year’s event. “I wish we could. It’s been a long-run tradition that’s been going since the ‘50s.”
Instead of the Native American “theme” the festival held for the last 50 years, this year’s theme is “Tiger Pride.”
No one signed up to be Princess Napawinah last year. In place of a new princess, festival organizers invited all past 49 Princess Napwinah’s to be the parade’s grand marshals, though only some of the women responded.
Last summer, a change.org petition started by a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation to end the Princess Napawinah tradition garnered a total of 676 signatures. The festival also earned criticism from a spiritual leader and junior historian with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe.
Partially in response to the controversy surrounding the 2023 Napavine Funtime Festival, the Napavine City Council announced in August 2023 its intention to “oversee” the Funtime Festival going forward.
“We need to get back on track with making sure this is something that is a quality production for the community, and then also that it continues to live several years from now. So we’re not going to be going backwards in time and talking about things that don’t work. We’re going to be looking forward and talking about how we can make things work better,” Napavine Mayor O’Neill said at a Sept. 12, 2023, workshop about the festival.
While the city initially proposed the establishment of a designated Napavine Funtime Festival Committee, that idea was set aside after the newly reestablished Napavine-Newaukum Lions Club expressed interest in partnering with longtime festival organizers Jerry and Eileen Owens to organize the 2024 Napavine Funtime Festival, according to a City of Napavine spokesperson.
The Napavine-Newaukum Lions Club first began in 2015 but became inactive in 2022. It was reinstated in January 2024 and had 21 members as of February, according to club Treasurer Judy Godbey.
“We thought this was a good group that we could help, so that’s how we ended up helping in any way we can,” said Napavine-Newaukum Lions Club President Gregg Petersen.
Due to space issues, the events sponsored by the Napavine-Newaukum Lions Club are taking place in a different part of town than the rest of the festival’s events, but are still very much part of the festival.
“Our grand scheme idea to join them would have been more handy if we had more room, or if they had more room with the events that they hold. Unfortunately, they are running out of room,” Godbey said.
Lions Club events on Saturday, July 20, include an RC race track and RC crawling courses sponsored by RC 360 Remote Control Hobbies at the Napavine Amphitheater, ax throwing sponsored by Lewis County Axe Throwing, a dunk tank sponsored by Sound Dragon and live music by Randy and Jason Linder on Second Avenue Southeast.
Ray and Jason Linder will play from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
The Napavine Funtime Festival’s main attraction, the parade, starts at the elementary school at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 20.
The Trinity Rebekah Lodge, located at 111 Washington St., will host a bazaar from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, July 19, and from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 20. The lodge will also serve meals both days.
A car show, bounce house, games and food and craft vendors will open at 10 a.m. on Saturday in front of the Ace Hardware at 114 NW Alder Ave. W.
A citywide, cash-only garage sale will also take place all day on Saturday.
Call 360-623-0716 to get a map of the sale locations.
At approximately 9 p.m. on Saturday, the Napavine Booster Club will show “Remember the Titans” in the Napavine High School football field.
For more information and a full schedule of events, visit the Napavine Funtime Festival’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559134260072.
