By Chris Hendrickson, Special to the Monitor
Photos courtesy of Debbie Copple.
Summer is here and the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce would like to welcome everyone to Sultan's 30th annual Summer Shindig!
The yearly event commemorates Sultan's colorful logging history and includes parades, a street fair, a carnival with rides, a logging show, car and motorcycle shows and live music. The carnival is set to kick off at 3 p.m. on Friday, July 12, with the street fair opening at 4 p.m. The festival will run through Sunday, July 14.
Friday afternoon's events will also include a Sky Valley belly dancing troupe called Shimmylicious, live music from local rock and
blues band Blutopia and a car show.
Car show events for Friday are scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will include competitions for loudest pipes, loudest stereo, best flames, best neon under-glow, best engine compartment and best interior.
Families can continue to enjoy the carnival and live music until 11 p.m. Friday night.
Saturday's festivities will begin with the children's superhero-themed parade at 10 a.m., which is open to kids of all ages. Superhero costumes are strongly encouraged but not required. The grand parade follows at 10:30 a.m. and will be led by Grand Marshals Judy and Larry "WoodyGÇ¥ Woods who are being honored for their community outreach work.
Larry Woods is the president of the Sultan Lions Club, and with his wife, Judy, has led the Lions in spearheading extensive programs that assist Sky Valley children in need along with victims of domestic violence. They collect donations such as cell phones, books and backpacks that they fill with supplies, and deliver them to local schools and a domestic violence shelter in Snohomish County.
The grand parade will also include Snohomish County Fire District 5, Sultan High School's marching band, Sultan Elementary School's unicycle club, the current reigning International Junior Miss Pre-Teen Miss Washington, Clair Sorgen, and her sister, Lydia Sorgen, who is the reigning Miss Sky Valley Pre-Teen, along with many others including Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick.
"It's hard to believe that this is our 30th year celebrating Shindig and the logging show,GÇ¥ said Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick.-á"There are some of the original event planners still in town. Susan Gudmundson Green from the Flat-áIron Gallery,-áBernie and Verline Swanson, myself and Lola and-áFred Wiesenberger from the Red-áApple Grocery.-á With the partnerships of the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce this should be the best Shindig-áever!GÇ¥
Following the grand parade, the car show will begin and Sultan's Main Street will be lined with hundreds of classic cars that people can peruse at their leisure. The "Show & ShineGÇ¥ Shindig car show will include 10 different show classes including muscle car, sports car, hot rod, low rider, custom car, custom truck and more.
Families can find food at River Park, and at 1 p.m. the logging show will begin with preliminary competitions. The logging contests are filled with fast-moving events such as speed spar-pole climbing, climbing races, axe throwing, an obstacle course, firewood chopping, sawing events, both a chockerman's and hooktender's race and more. Competitors from all around the state come to participate in the logging show.
Live music continues all afternoon and evening on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m., including several local performers and bands from various different genres. The Sultan High School Show and Jazz Choir will perform on Saturday afternoon, and Saturday night will feature performances from the winners of Sultan's Lip Sync contest held at the Sultan High School Commons in April.
Other musical performances on Saturday include folk and blues songstress Kristi DeVries from Lake Stevens; country singer Dakota Neuman of Monroe; country and classic rock band Classic Roads; and Dawson, a young singer and songwriter from Sultan.
The Saturday night lip sync show and headlining performance from the band Classic Roads will take place at the River Park Gazebo, where the grand finale fireworks display over the Sultan River will finish off the night.
The fireworks show is being sponsored by Republic Services.
Sunday will begin with a pancake breakfast that is being hosted by the Sultan Senior Center. Breakfast starts at 8 a.m. and is being held at Volunteers of America, located at 701 1st St. The breakfast will serve as a reunion for the Sultan Shindig Logging Marshals, past and present, allowing them to gather and tell tales. Food will be served until 12 p.m. and everyone is welcome to attend.
The Marshals will gather at the spar-poles at 12:30 p.m. for a group photo, just before the logging show competition finals begin at 1 p.m.
Shindig's 2013 Logging Marshall is Frank Roesler of the Roesler Timber Company.
Roesler served on the Sultan School Board for over 20 years and has spent numerous hours working with Sultan High School kids, advocating for sustainability and replanting logged areas. He has worked with families in the community to provide covered bleachers at the school's football field, an electric score board and much more.
There will also be a non-denominational community church service held at the pavilion in River Park at 10 a.m., led by the Sky Valley Ministerial Association, and all are welcome.
Sunday's musical performances include The Bobbers, an outdoors-themed band from Monroe who primarily sing songs about fishing, and Global Heat, a local hip hop and soul group whose live performances include turntables, breakdancing and conga drums.
Sunday's car show will feature an exhibit highlighting the past and future of transportation, including one block of antique tractors, farm equipment, fire engines and logging trucks, followed by another block of electronic vehicles. The display is meant to showcase U.S. Highway 2's status as an electric vehicle-friendly highway with electronic charging stations located in many towns including Sultan, Gold Bar, Skykomish and Leavenworth.
Other events, including the street fair and live music, will wrap up by 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
Discounted Shindig Carnival day passes can be purchased for $20 prior to July 12 at the Sky Valley Visitors Center, Coastal Community Bank, Sultan City Hall, the Loggers Inn, Sultan Liquor & Convenience, the Coffee Corral, Sahara Pizza, and at the Mountain View Diner in Gold Bar. Day passes are good for unlimited rides for one day.
Sponsors for this year's Shindig event include Republic Services, Sultan McDonalds, Werner Paddles, Sultan Dental Center, Sultan Mini Storage, Pacific Northwest ConstruXion, Summit Rehabilitation, Coastal Community Bank and the Sultan Chiropractic & Massage Center.
For more information about Shindig, please contact the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce at (360) 793-0983 or visit the following link:-á http://tinyurl.com/shindiginfo. Vendor and parade applications can be found at http://tinyurl.com/skyvalleyshindig.
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