Loggerodeo prep update

Here is another photo of a downtown flower basket, for those of you who are following the saga.

This one is on Metcalf and State in front of Wells Fargo bank. Red, white, and blue. Unlike mine at home, which turned out red, white, and purple.

I haven't been to Burlington yet to check on theirs.

Also, they're going to run the "log" on July 11th this year. Historically, it was dropped in the river at Concrete on July 4th (early!) and floated down the river to the Skagit River bridge in S-W. An accompanying boat of log trackers followed it and clocked the exact time. There are rules about what to do if it gets caught in drifting brush or an eddy. The person who buys a ticket and guesses the exact hours, minutes, and seconds from bridge to bridge wins a cash prize! So we're all gauging the height and flow of the river this time of year. But it is harder and harder to find people willing to miss the entire July 4th celebration in town and sit on a boat in the river, watching that log. So the log drive has been moved to July 11th. This log on a trailer pops up in different spots around town - just for visibility, I think.

Finally, a photo showing the ballot box at the Post Office which is always there. We have red, white, and blue in our town all year long.

Getting Ready for Loggerodeo

We are approaching Loggerodeo season! So the red, white, and blue decorations are coming out and you can see things happening around town. The carnival is setting up at Riverfront Park - the first time in that venue ever. The carnival has always been somewhere around the downtown core, but this year the carnival and the fireworks on July 4th will be at the park.

There are also some very big logs staged in the parking lot at the corner of Murdock and State, where the chain saw carving events will be held. I think that JB Bryson had something to do with getting these logs. It is harder and harder each year to procure logs the size we need for the large, elaborate carvings that competitors make. Due both to the size required and to the value of the logs. Chain saw carving is one of the great events of Loggerodeo and we're glad to continue the tradition.

There was an article in the Skagit Valley Herald recently regarding the town's hanging baskets. We have them, they seem a little small (well, it's early in the season), and we're so grateful to Les Schwab employees who volunteer to care for them. But Burlington has baskets, too, and they have been trash-talking S-W a little about these baskets. Burlington thinks theirs are better. So here's a photo of a typical basket in S-W. I haven't been over to get a photo of the ones in Burlington, but they are nice. The S-W ones seem to be all different colors, except for the baskets lining Metcalf, which are all red, white, and blue. And there are fewer baskets this year; none in the 300 block of Ferry.

This basket is on State and Third Streets (Third goes to the high school). Photo faces east.

In other news, I bought some "blue" petunias at a local, unnamed, store for my own hanging baskets and they turned out purple. So I have red geraniums, white somethings, and purple petunias. Looks like I'll put a blue ribbon in each basket this year and be done.

Tuesday, June 30th, Class of 71 will have our monthly coffee hour as a pot luck dinner at Gary Rothenbuhler's house in Sedro-Woolley. We did it last year and it was so much fun it became an instant tradition! Wouldn't you rather be there in person than read about it here? Come on down!

Photo: Dollar Spree moved across the street to the former "Stonehedge" or "SW Floral" location this week. There's a flower basket on that globed lamppost. Coconut Kenny's (great place to eat) is on the right. Mural (sort of facing the post office) is on the left. I took this photo while driving...this is on Metcalf, the main street downtown.

Note: Blogspot is not a WYSIWYG application, so I have a heck of a time getting all these photos and the text to line up. Forgive me if it's a little choppy. JJJ