Sultan Shindig a summertime treat

Editor's Note: Aleah Bright is the granddaughter of logging grand marshal Neill Bowman.

The Sultan Shindig is a Sky Valley tradition spanning more than 30 years and enjoyed by all ages, and this year's excitement starts 3 p.m. Friday, July 8, downtown on Main Street. The celebration will run through the weekend

More than 100 volunteers turn out to help with the parade each year culminating with a community church service, karaoke contest and logging contest finals.

More than 100 volunteers come out each year to clean up Sultan in anticipation of the community celebration.

"Shindig is very special,GÇ¥ said Debbie Copple, Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce director. "

It's a small-town event, but it really provides diversity. There are a lot of interesting things going on.GÇ¥

Some of the festival and entertainment highlights include the street fair, carnival, logging contest, car show, motorcycle show, Gold Dust Days talent pageant, local music group Spike and the Impalers and a firework show.

Several residents nominated by the community will be honored in the Grand Parade starting at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 9. Leading the parade will be grand marshals Dave and Jennifer Moon, followed by their Sultan High School Tech Club students.

The Moons were set up on a blind date in 2004 and have been together since then. They were married in 2010 and have five children.

Dave started the student club in 1999, and both he and Jen volunteer to support students who have an interest in technology and performance production. Dave grew up in Marysville, moved to Snohomish in 1991 and then to Sultan in 1999, when he accepted a position with the School District.-á

Jen was born in Lancaster, California, but grew up in Germany. She graduated from Mojave High School in California, moving to Everett in 1999. She started working for the school district in 2005, and is now an office clerk at Sultan Elementary.

The Moons love the Sky Valley and are passionate about volunteering with students in their spare time. They also livestream school events, including sports, graduation, community awards and other community events. This past year alone, they had more than 80 events on TurkPride.tv, the station TurkPride.tv a celebrated accomplishment of the tech club. Created in the 2012-13 school year, Sultan's station has been awarded Select Status three years in a row by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Broadcast Network. Only the top 5 percent of schools in the nation on the NFHS Network receive this honor.

Logging grand marshal Neill Bowman will represent the Sky Valley timber industry and follow the grand marshals, officially kicking off the logging competitions, which start at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The climbing poles for the logging contest were provided and installed in Sultan River Park by Bowman Logging, Koehler Excavation and Ness & Campbell Crane. Many volunteers were crucial in the success of erecting the poles, as it is quite a task, each pole weighing 8,500 pounds.

Bowman has lived in Monroe for the past 62 years and spent most of that time in the wilderness, the place he loves most. He and his wife, Marlene, have been married for 61 years and have four children. Their son, Daniel, followed in his father's forestry footsteps and owns his own timber business, Bowman Logging. -á -á

Bowman served in the Marines in the 1940s. His career included cruising timber, fighting forest fires, climbing mountains, exploring caves for the National Speleological Society and managing logging operations for the Weyerhaeuser Company and Seattle-Snohomish Mill, cruising land from the Skykomish Valley to the Canadian border. He appraised and cruised in the North Cascades National Park, Alpine Lakes Wilderness and the Olympic National Park. He testified before Congress in Washington, D.C., as the spokesperson for the Northwest timber industry, in regard to how national park issues were affecting the industry at the time.

He retired at 84, thankful for his time as a forester.

"Nobody I know had a more enjoyable career working with the best,GÇ¥ Bowman said, "and working for the best people, in the best corner of this country than me.GÇ¥

While logging has changed drastically over the years, Copple said it has left a lasting imprint on the city today.

"It really changed everything here; the economy and what our people do for work,GÇ¥ she said. "The Shindig remains important because of this rich history in logging.GÇ¥

A nondenominational community church service put on by Sultan's local congregations will be held 10 a.m. Sunday morning. There will be a fundraiser for the churches, the proceeds to be used in emergency situations to help the community.

The car show also starts 10 a.m. Sunday, unique in that it allows a Commercial Big Rig Division. Copple believes this division is very relevant to Snohomish County, and hopes to expand the show through this division in the future.-á

The Shindig continues strong with the help of volunteers who care deeply for the history that formed their city and endures with a sole vision to honor the past and encourage the traditions of the Sky Valley for generations to come.

The Shindig has partnered with the Autism Run to raise awareness and funds for autism research. The run will coincide with the Motorcycle Show & Shine and culminate with raffles and prizes at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Sponsors for the Shindig main events include Sultan Mini Storage, Wagley Creek Automotive, Coastal Community Bank, Summit Rehabilitation, Werner, McDonalds, ACE Hardware, Monroe NAPA and The Loggers Bar and Grill.

For more information on the Sultan Shindig or other upcoming Sky Valley events, visit the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Information Center or call 360-793-0983.