Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Oakesdale’s Old Mill Days returns this weekend with a slate of events July 13-14. New for the town festival will be a car show and a horseshoe contest, both Saturday afternoon.
It all begins Friday night with bingo and pulled pork sandwiches from 6 to 9 p.m. at the McCoy Valley Museum, followed by a beer and wine garden open at the city shop from 7 to 10 p.m.
Saturday starts with the firemen’s pancake breakfast from 7 to 9:30 a.m. at the fire station. At 8 a.m., the starting gun goes off for the five-mile fun run and adult and kids triathlon, with registration at 7 a.m.
Afterward, a cake walk and kids prize fish pond will begin at the city park followed by a kids and pet parade at 10:45 a.m. and main parade at 11 a.m.
Parade entries include the Shriner’s Club, Whitman County Sheriff’s Posse, FFA, Fit Farm, Wilbur-Ellis, political candidates and more. The grand marshal is Marillyn Kilpatrick, 91, born and raised in Oakesdale, a former school teacher and organist for the Oakesdale Presbyterian church for 60 years.
Next is lunchtime with hot dogs, hamburgers and beer brats for sale from the old brick Conoco station. Old Mill Days co-chair Gail Parsons soaks the brats for 15 minutes in Henry Weinhard’s Private Reserve, along with onion, garlic, caraway and mustard seed.
At 1 p.m. is the egg toss on Steptoe Avenue, with a first-place prize of $25 each from Crossett’s Market.
The open car show will run from 12 to 4 p.m., with vehicles displayed in a lot at the north end of town.
“Any and all cars, trucks, hot rods, rat rods and everything in between,” said Parsons. Prizes include Best of Parade, People’s Choice and Mayor’s Choice.
The horseshoe tournament will be in a vacant lot at 2 p.m. Entry fee is $20 with teams signing up at the museum from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The hometown band, The Hankers, will play music for dancing from 8 to 11 p.m. on the street between the fire station and the beer garden.
Other events for the day include cowboy poetry from David Nordquist (“Grandpa Nord”,) a lost apple project update and Oakesdale school art exhibit, all in the white fraternal hall building – a former Oddfellows and Rebekahs hall – sidewalk chalk art contest, kids games, Masonic lodge ice cream wagon, silent auction at the museum, swimming from 1 to 8 p.m. and a midnight swim from 9 p.m. to midnight.
A quilt show runs from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church.
Also Saturday, the museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Vendors will be set up on Steptoe Avenue from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – including sellers of handmade wooden pens, metal yard ornaments and items made of lavender.
Old Mill Days is presented by the Oakesdale Historical Society and McCoy Valley Museum.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
Reader Comments(0)