The Show Goes On!

Commercial Club President Robbie Johnson grew up in a tiny western Washington town called Rosburg, about 20 miles north of the Astoria, Oregon.

Drawing from a far-flung population of about 2,500, Rosburg had only one grocery store/gas station not much bigger than Waitsburg's Jackpot and it was better known for the things it didn't have than the things it did.

A parade was one of those things Rosburg didn't have. And the proud hometown tradition here is one of the reasons Johnson, who moved to town 11 years ago, appreciates being in Waitsburg.

Waitsburg is the kind of community that pulls together each year to organize an event everyone can be proud of and kids will remember for the rest of their lives and this year it's a Parade Plus.

It's not clear when the first parade was held in conjunction with the Days of Real Sport.

Even local historian Bettie Chase, who will be one of two Marshalls along with Jane Butler, is fuzzy on its origins. But she did say the first Marshall was picked in 1958.

Though it's barely long enough to stretch more than a block and a half, and short enough to do its loop twice, the Waitsburg parade is part of this town's timeless character and charm.

It makes Waitsburg "the town you always wanted to grow up in," Johnson explained.

That passion for this proud annual pageant explains why Johnson and a dozen other community volunteers have been meeting every Monday night since the end of March (following the announcement there would be no parimutuel horse racing in Waitsburg, Dayton and Walla Walla this year) to make this Saturday a success.

We want to express our gratitude for their extraordinary effort to sustain an important tradition despite this year's absence of its companion events at the Fairgrounds.

A collaborative project between the Commercial Club, the City of Waitsburg, the Lions Club, the Town Hall and numerous individual contributors, Waitsburg Parade day with its many additions (see page 1) is truly a community event.

Many people have helped save this unique "One Of A Kind" experience for our town, but we'd like to single out a few whose tireless work was pivotal during the runup to the weekend: Mayor Walt Gobel, parade organizer Gail Wolfe, veterans liaison B.A. Keve, Larry and Deanne Johnson, Lois Winchester, fundraising powerhouse Rose Inglebright, music organizers Margaret Terry, Kate Hockersmith, Mike Ferrians and Paul Gregutt, Sandra Farley, Dr. Carol Clarke and event information officer Joy Smith.

We're also grateful to Perry Dozier, who agreed to do a special flyover about 10 minutes into the parade, in part as a special salute to the dozen or so local World War II veterans in Saturday's lineup.

The emphasis on honoring them during an event that coincides with Armed Forces Day seems more than appropriate.

Our country is losing more than 1,000 World War II veterans a day, so any chance we get to remember and salute their sacrifices along with the service of all veterans is a welcome one.

About $4,000 has been set aside to help sponsor the parade with roughly half coming from the Commercial Club and the rest raised by Inglebright from the American Legion Auxiliary, Columbia REA, Puget Sound Energy and others.

"We've had lots of different people stepping up," Johnson said. "They have been amazing about pitching in."

After such a horrible meteorological start to spring in southeast Washington, Johnson and the other parade organizers are hoping this weekend will be the first sunny one and draw lots of visitors to Waitsburg.

The crowd may be smaller because there's no horse racing this year. Still, with meals and events planned from morning 'till evening, Waitsburg Parade day will give everyone a whole lot of reasons to visit our small town.