SULTAN — New events and old favorites planned for the 33rd annual Sultan Shindig are meant to celebrate the area’s logging history.
The shindig is scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday in downtown Sultan. The best way into town is via Third Street and parking is available for free alongside the street or at Sultan elementary, middle or high school. The shindig includes a carnival, food, crafts and live entertainment.
One of the biggest events is the annual logging contest, with challenges such as spar-pole climbing and ax throwing, at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
“The Shindig Logging Contest is really what sets our festival apart from every other community festival. It pays tribute to the logging history of the Sky Valley and it’s just plain fun to watch,” said Debbie Copple, director of the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce. “It’s really fast-paced and people always learn something about the logging industry, both in the past and now.”
The car and truck show is returning this year, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, with a new twist. A category has been added for commercial big rigs, the kind used in logging, excavating, mining and agriculture. Those big rigs and the work they do are “the backbone of the Sky Valley,” Copple said.
A motorcycle show is scheduled from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Near the end, another group of motorcyclists, who are raising money for autism education and care, plan to join the show.
The grand parade is planned for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday and fireworks are scheduled 12 hours later Saturday night. There’s a community church service scheduled at 10 a.m. Sunday and karaoke on Sunday afternoon.
Musicians and dancers are lined up to perform throughout the three days. It’s a diverse playlist, Copple said.
“I’m always impressed with how they put it together,” she said. “It’s everything from old school rock ‘n’ roll to country and blues and kids acts and everything in between.”
Neill Bowman is being honored as this year’s logging marshal. He and his wife of 61 years, Marlene, have raised three daughters and one son. Bowman has managed logging operations from the Skykomish Valley to the Canadian border. He’s been an old-growth timber cruiser, meaning he scouted thick, untried woods to inventory the timber there. He worked timber cruising jobs until about four years ago, when he was 84 years old.
“Then the mountains got steep all of a sudden,” he said.
The shindig’s grand parade marshals this year are David and Jennifer Moon, who are being recognized for starting the Sultan High School Turk Tech Club. Teens in the club learn software testing, video editing and other practical technology skills. In February, they saved the school district thousands of dollars by testing a system to replace a sports score board.
The shindig is the largest annual Sky Valley festival aside from the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe, Copple said.
Another local celebration is planned for two weeks after the shindig and just six miles down the road. The ninth annual Gold Dust Days are scheduled for July 22 to 24 in Gold Bar.
Like the shindig, Gold Dust Days are a chance to honor the past. The festivities include gold panning, a Civil War encampment, live music, a street fair and parade, a motorcycle ride and a car show with a pin-up girl contest. Free games and shows are being put together for kids, such as gunny sack races against local firefighters and a performance by the Red Hat Ladies.
“We’ve got a really good line-up of music there, too,” Copple said.
Organizers are adding a street dance near Gold Bar Elementary this year from 4:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. on July 23. It’s expected to be family-friendly and the band can play 1950s songs up through current hits, Copple said.
The farmers market plans to have a tractor to take people on a loop of festival highlights, from the market to the car show to the Civil War encampment.
Dick and Arden King are this year’s Gold Dust Days parade grand marshals. They are longtime volunteers in the community who have put countless hours into helping students, veterans and low-income families through the schools, Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary and food bank.
For more information about Sky Valley celebrations, go to skyvalleychamber.com/events-and-attractions.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com
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