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Kla Ha Ya Days July 16 - 19, 2009   
Festival News

From the Tribune - Wednesday 9, 2008      NOTE  -  2008 DATES AND TIMES

 

Parade    Car Show    Salmon BBQ    Baby Crawl    Waterball    Eating Contests    Pit Spitting    Bed Race   

 

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Festival's favorite tradition -

The Kla Ha Ya Days FROG JUMP


Snohomish's Kla Ha Ya Days Frog Jump championship is absolutely the perennial favorite among children and adults alike. This is the largest and longest-running jumping contest in the Northwest.

The 2008 event takes place on July 19 at the corner of First St. and Ave. B. The frogs begin jumping at noon at this extremely
popular event sponsored by Frontier Bank.

Frontier Bank first sponsored this event in 1987, the year the branch opened in Snohomish. Frontier Bank has reclaimed the tradition and is sponsoring the Frog Jump for the fifth year in a row. "We're always excited about sponsoring the Frog Jump and look forward to sponsoring it again and again," said Patti Olsen, Manager of Frontier Bank's Snohomish branch. "I wasn't aware of the Kla Ha Ya Days Frog Jump Championship when I first came to town five years ago. One of our customer service representatives, Patti McCallum, who has worked at the Snohomish branch since it first opened, is the one who told me about it. Once we all heard, we were very excited about it and couldn't wait to reclaim Frontier Bank's sponsorship of the Frog Jump."

"My favorite part of being involved in this event is seeing the look on the little kids faces," said Patti. "It's just priceless! If they don't bring their own frog I always ask them if they want to pick out their frog or if they want me to pick it out." Spectators have been known to be entertained by children who have refused to touch their jumping entry.

Approximately 300 plus participants are drawn to this event each year. Bullfrogs are provided, thanks to volunteers. "We have an all-points bulletin out for frogs," said Patti. "We have family and friends of Frontier Bank who will be out Thursday and Friday night before the Frog Jump catching frogs. We go out with flashlights and fishing nets and just have a great time!"

Patti has many years' experience catching frogs, as she spent most of her life living on Lake Ky.

"If you know of a frog pond or want to volunteer to hunt the frogs, I would love to hear from you!" said Patti. "We're always looking for good frog ponds!" After the contest the frogs are returned to their ponds.

The first year Patti was out "hunting" frogs for the Frog Jump she went to Twin Lakes in Smokey Point. "First of all, I didn't know that it's a state park so it closes at dusk. I also didn't know you needed to have a license to catch frogs and that there was a catch limit of two," said Patti. When a sheriff approached her she tried to explain to him what she was doing. He finally figured that nobody could make up a story about something called "KlaHa Ya" and a frog jumping contest and let her keep the frogs. He did, however, tell her she had to leave the premise. "Now we only go to ponds on private property," said Patti. Of course, the ponds Patti hunts at are 'top secret.'

If you want to participate in the frog jump and like to catch frogs, feel free to bring one of your own to jump!

"History shows the winners are usually the ones that bring their own frogs," said Patti. "I am really surprised how many participants brought their own frogs last year and how competitive it is."

Prizes will be awarded to the person who can get his or her frog to jump the farthest. There were several adults (and a clown) who participated last year, even though the prizes are geared for the kids. All entries will receive a special frog hat and kids bicycles will be awarded to the top three participants. The bicycles are donated to the Kla Ha Ya Days Festival from McDaniel's Do-it-Center.

Last year's top three winners were: 1st Place: Megan Gordon, age 7 of Snohomish; 2nd Place: Emma Stewart, age 5 of Sultan; 3rd Place: Logan Purvis, age 7 of Snohomish.

The Frog Jump is fun for participants and spectators. Each frog is placed in the center of the circle and given three jumps. Once the frogs are placed in the circle, competitors can encourage the frogs to hop by making noise, using a provided water spray or tickling the jumpers with a feather. This is truly an event you won't want to miss!

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Don't miss the Top Foods Sunset Parade!

 

The Grand Parade, sponsored by Top Foods, will be held at 6pm on Saturday, July 20.

By popular demand, Snohomish's grand tradition will be in the evening again this year.

The parade will start on West First Street and head east to Lincoln Street. By routing the parade from west to east, it increases the route from 4-1/2 blocks to 8 blocks.

The Kla Ha Ya Days Drill Team competition attracts the areas finest and is fun for everyone! The parade also features marching bands, horses, antique cars, floats and much more.

The Grand Marshal will be Dallas Van Dyke who is retiring as President of the Kla Ha Ya Days Organization. Visit www.klahayadays.corn for additional information.

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Classic Rod and Custom at Show and Shine Sunday, July 20

Classic Rod and Custom Show and Shine will feature over 250 cars from around Puget Sound. The beautiful cars will
be on display on First Street in Historic Downtown Snohomish on Sunday, July 20.

Over $5 million worth of cars, antiques shops, music and entertainment attracts approximately 15,000 spectators to this annual event.

This year's Show and Shine will feature the Best of Show winner of the 2007 show. Rusty Rise of Plain (Leavenworth area) will be displaying his 1955 Chevrolet Model 150. Rusty grew up in Everett and graduated from Cascade High. He bought his
55 "gasser" in December of 2005. He was driving truck and didn't find driving across Wyoming in the snow and ice as adventuresome as he did when he was younger. He decided he needed to find a hobby to keep him busy during the winter
months. "I didn't want to sit around watching Oprah and C-Span all winter," Rusty said. "I've always been a car guy so I thought a project car would be a good hobby."

Rusty found the 1955 Chevrolet sitting on blocks and there began his new hobby. Most 55 and 56 Chevys sit real low, however, the car Rusty bought is called a gasser. These cars sit up higher and have a straight axle. Rusty had to actually cut the frame off to begin his restoration/modification. "I sat there with the sawsall in my hand wondering how I was going to do it," said Rusty. Then I just did it and hoped it was the right place!"

Rusty's trucking buddy, Jim, introduced him to car shows. "I never even thought about it but Jim built a car hauler and talked me into going to the Chelan Car Show," continued Rusty. "I had never met so many people with grey hair in one day my whole life!" laughed Rusty. He ended up entering seven car shows in one year and won five of them. "My car's not perfect so
Jim was surprised I won, said Rusty. "I guess the cool and unique outshines perfection."

Rusty's entry number last year at Kla HaYa Days just happened to be 55 and he couldn't believe it when they announced him as Best of Show"! had looked at the trophy thinking it'd be great to win something like that," said Rusty "When Powder Coating called my number I almost started crying! It's an honor to be picked Best of Show or even best in your class."

There will be over 90 trophies awarded at the 2008 Kla Ha Ya Days Car Show with too many categories to possibly list. Participants and spectators can visit the sponsor's booths to pick up items such as ballots, raffle tickets, dash plaques, T-shirts, etc...

"I really like Kla Ha Ya Days, and the car show is part of it," said Debbie McGeehan of Powder Coating. "It's great to see the
community of Snohomish enjoying themselves at the festival and having a great time at the car show."

The title sponsor of the car show this year is L & B Auto Repair in Snohomish. Associate sponsors are: Brian Taylor Studios, Powder Coating, Inc., Jamies Transmission, Bickford Motors, CarQuest, Alternate Blasters, Dreamers Rod-Custom & Classic Builders, Kompact Kar Korner, JB's Custom Auto, Magruders Upholstery and Jim Green Performance. The
presenting car club is Boeing Everett Strato Cruisers and the co-sponsor is the Washington Quarter Midget Association.

Broad participation from the Boeing Everett Stratocruiser Car club volunteers makes this show possible. "We couldn't do this show without the Stratocruisers," said McGeehan. "They provide all the bodies to operate this show and are just wonderful people to work with! This year they really stepped up and are helping us even more!"

Mike and Janet Burks of the Stratocruisers appear at the Kla Ha Ya Car Show at 4:30 a.m. only do it because it's for charity
said Mike. "My wife, Jan runs the entrance booth and we have a bunch of volunteers." The Stratocruisers is a family club and has about 80 members. "We also get help from Puget Limiteds Truck Club," said Mike. You can download the entry form at www.klahayadays.com or register the day of the show. Pre-registered participants can take their parking places at 7 a.m. Those participants registering the day of the show can park at at 8 a.m. Registration fee is $20 with all of the proceeds to be donated to the Snohomish community charity organizations.

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Catch the Tillicum Kiwanis Salmon Barbecue

The annual Tillicum Kiwanis Salmon Barbecue will be from :noon to 8:00 p.m. at Hill Park on July 19 and 20. Stop by and have a wonderful all you can eat meal consisting of delicious salmon, salad, baked beans, garlic bread and beverages.

The recipe used for the salmon is from an old Kiwanis member who went back four generations to get this mysterious secret recipe from Scandinavia. You'll have to agree that this is one of the best tasting salmon you've ever had.

Noreen Dana of the Hub Restaurant in Snohomish makes the tartar sauce for the Salmon Barbecue. "It's the best I've ever tasted," said Wally Walsh of the Kiwanis. "It's an icon of culinary achievement!" The Danas are very community-minded and volunteer often. "The Dana family has a history of service in the community. Their father is the originator of the Snohomish Food Bank," said Walsh. "We wouldn't have a food bank without him." Steve Dana also helps the Kiwanis and volunteered in the kitchen last year for the Salmon Barbecue.

Over 1,000 people were served last year and the Kiwanis are preparing to serve over 1,200 this year. That's about 1,000 pounds of salmon! The Kiwanis always use the same local salmon supplier. "For years the salmon was donated by the owner, then he passed away," said Walsh. You can count on the fish being extremely fresh and never frozen. They receive the salmon straight from the ocean within 24 hours. At that point, the Kiwanis use the large refrigerator at the Snohomish Food Bank to marinate the salmon with their top secret recipe.

"The salmon is absolutely fabulous and everyone is so pleased with the meal that they come back year after year," said Walsh. "It just keeps growing every year as the word gets out."

The cost is only $10 per person, $8 for seniors, youth age 6-10 are $5 and children five and under eat for free! Pre-sale tickets are available from John Diel at Sun Song, located at 1122 First Street in Snohomish.

There will also be a silent auction on both days of the event from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. There is a large variety of great items to bid on. Bids can be made on Saturday and Sunday and the highest bidders will be notified on Sunday after the dinner is over.

The Tillicum Kiwanis Club members are "very mature senior citizens. "There are about 35 members and they will all be participating in this event, as well as several volunteers.

The Kiwanis support the community in many ways, including the young Children Priority One Program, the Senior Citizens Center, youth scholarships. Junior Achievement, Camp Casey, a camp for children with disabilities and of course, they are quite active at the Snohomish Food Bank by donating time and money.

The Kiwanis have started a new project, "The Backpack Program, "that helps fight hunger in our community. There are approximately 2,300 children in the Snohomish School District that are nutritionally challenged. Breakfast and lunch is served to to the kids during school, however, the Kiwanis Club wondered just what these kids were eating during the weekend. They came up with The Backpack Program to supply food to kids so that they could take it home with them from school. "We're still trying to figure out what we can do, to help these kids during the summer," said Walsh.

Their motto is "Changing the world one child and one community at a time."

The Kiwanis' Young Children Priority One Program provides dictionaries to all third grade children in the Snohomish School District. They have expanded on this program and distributed 7,000 dictionaries to children in the Everett School District with the help of three different organizations. Every pre-schooler attending the Salmon Barbecue during Kla Ha Ya Days will receive a packet of books, courtesy of the Kiwanis Club.

If you would like to become a member of this wonderful organization, please contact Wally Walsh at (360) 568-5936. The Kiwanis Club is open to men and women of all ages.

Be sure to stop by Hill Park for this event and help support the Kiwanis Club!

Hill Park is located at 1610 Park Avenue on the east side of Blackman's Lake. Drive east 13th Street to Park Street and take a left, the park is 2-3 blocks on the left.

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Baby Crawl is for all!

Kla Ha Ya Days offers fun for everyone, even the littlest of children!

The annual Baby Crawl contest, which takes place at noon July 19 on First St. between Ave. A and B, attracts parents and crawling competitors from throughout the region.

It is this dedicated base of proud parents eager to show off the athletic aptitude of their little ones that have made this crawl so popular for more than ten years.

The thrill of the event is not lost on spectators, either, who usually stand four to five people deep straining to catch an eyeful of the excitement. If you've ever watched the Baby Crawl, you know that sometimes the parents provide just as much entertainment as the actual contestants do!

The parents get involved at the start of the race, getting the baby moving. The other parent has the task of luring the child to the finish line, which is where some real creativity and strategy comes in.

But whatever the method used, the crawl always results in spontaneous fun and laughs from the parents and appreciative audience.

This event is sponsored by First Heritage Bank. "We are honored to continue our commitment to community involvement by sponsoring the Kla Ha Ya Days Baby Crawl," said Cathy Reines, President and CEO of First Heritage Bank.

And, of course, great prizes are awarded to the winners. First Heritage Bank will be awarding big savings bonds to the racing
babies! "This year we will be awarding savings bonds at First Heritage Bank.We will give $ 100 to the first place winner, $75 to the second place winner and $50 to the third place winner," said Cathy.

So not only is the Baby Crawl Contest fun, there's a huge incentive for you to bring your little one down and creatively lure them over the finish line first!

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Learn to play Waterball

Snohomish Fire Dist. #4 Silver Dollar Club will be hosting the Waterball competition on Saturday July 19 during the Kla Ha Ya Days Festival.

The Silver Dollar Club is the association of volunteers who work at the Fire Department. Snohomish Fire District #4 is a combination department with career firefighters and volunteer firelighters.

The organizers of this competition describe Waterball as one big water fight - using fire hoses. A ball is suspended on a wire above First Street, and teams of "firefighters" compete against each other, trying to push the ball over to the other team's side using blasts of water from a fire hose. This competition is open to firefighters and anyone else with teams of three. The entry fee is only $15 per team and prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.

The money the Silver Dollar Club raises stays in the community. The money goes to needy families during Thanksgiving and Christmas for food and gifts and a yearly donation to the NW Burn Foundation.

The Silver Dollar Club is encouraging public participation. They will have equipment available for any and all citizens to wear whether or not they have a team of three. It's always more fun when the spectators become participants!

"All of the firefighters, both career and volunteer, are excited to be involved in community events such as Kla Ha Ya Days," said Marybeth 0'Leary. "It's nice to meet community members during fun events rather than when bad things happen."

So stop by and meet your firefighters during Kla Ha Ya Days!

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Look out brain, here it comes!

What could be more enjoyable than a cool bowl of ice creamon a July afternoon? How about sticking your face in it? That's exactly what happens at the Kla Ha Ya Days Ice Cream Eating Contest!

Top Foods of Snohomish has graciously volunteered to donate the ice cream for the contest, and with toppings and whipped cream it will be a great challenge.

The competition will be divided into appropriate age groups: children to 11 years of age (Youth), 12-14 years of age (Teen) and 15 years of age and older (Adult).

The contest will be Saturday, July 19 from 1:30 to 2:10 p.m. on First St. between Ave. A and B. Then the tables will be cleared and the Pie Eating Contest will begin!

Key Bank is the proud sponsor of this event for the third consecutive year. "The first year we sponsored this contest it was 94 degrees!" said Cindy Rydell of Key Bank. "And then last year we were lucky it didn't rain during the event!" Having volunteered for the event during both ends of the weather spectrum, Cindy prefers the overcast days rather than the scorching heat and humidity. It's also a lot easier to keep the ice cream from melting!

The entire staff of Key Bank in Snohomish has volunteered to run the Ice Cream Eating Contest and also the Pie Eating Contest.

The cost for a delicious brain-freeze is only $1. So come on down to First Street on July 19 and gorge yourself on ice cream! If you're really hungry and fast, you might even win!

If you like pie, this is the contest for you!

The Kla HaYa Days Pie Eating Contest is fun for participants and spectators alike. The selected pie will be Dutch Apple Crumb, donated from the wonderful people at the Snohomish Pie Company. They have created 20 very large pies to make sure they'll have enough pie for all of the contestants.

Cindy Rydell of Key Bank is helping to coordinate the event for the third year in a row. "We have really great participation in this event," said Cindy "We serve about 60 people in just 40 minutes. It's a timed event, so whoever can eat their large piece of pie the quickest wins."

Snohomish Pie Company's Dutch Apple Crumb Pie has been served at the 2007 and 2006 Pie Eating Contest. "Their Apple Crumb Pie has gone over big with the participants every year!" Cindy said. Cindy will be helping with the event along with the complete staff at the Snohomish Branch of Key Bank.

There will be three categories: children to 11 years of age (Youth), 12-14 years of age (Teen), and 15 years of age and older (Adult). Prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in each category The winners actually get to pick out their own prizes. Winners are given a ticket and then visit the nearby booth to select their prize. The Pie Eating Contest will be held from 2:30 to 3:10 p.m. on Saturday, July 19 on First St. betweenAve.A and B, right after the Ice Cream Eating Contest (which is also sponsored by Key Bank). The staff at Key Bank enjoys being a part of this community event. "Both the Ice Cream Eating Contest and the Pie Eating Contest are a lot of fun!" Cindy said.

The entry fee is only $1. Where else can you have a large delicious piece of pie with whipped topping for only $1?

Can you eat a lot of watermelon?

The traditional Kla HaYa Days Watermelon Eating Contest will be held Saturday, July 19 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on First Street between Avenues A and B. Come try and see how fast you can chow down a big wedge of delicious Stocker Farm watermelon!

Stocker Farms will equip the watermelon-eating competitors with a quarter of a watermelon (depending on age). The first one to eat the watermelon to the rind without having most of the melon still on the table will win. "The judges will be looking for quantity consumed in the least amount of time," said Keith Stocker of Stocker Farms.

"The Watermelon Eating Contest is one of the most popular contests of Kla Ha Ya Days," said Keith. "We encourage everyone to come bury their face in a watermelon! Everyone's a winner because they get to eat watermelon!"

There will be three age divisions for watermelon-eating competitors: Youth - age 8 and under, Teens - ages 9-15, and Adults - ages 16 and up.

The International Federation of Competitive Eating lists the record of 13.22 lbs. of watermelon eaten by Jim Reeves in 15 minutes. Anyone out there think they can do that? If you think you can eat a lot of watermelon quickly, come on down and prove it during the contest! "You won't have to eat 13.22 lbs. of watermelon, but you'll have to eat your sharequicker than anyone else!" said Keith.

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How far can you spit a cherry pit?

The 3rd annual Kla HaYa Days Cherry Pit Spitting Contest will be on Saturday, July 19 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on First Street between Avenues A and B.

Two years ago, Keith Stocker of Stocker Farms was asked to sponsor the traditional watermelon spitting and watermelon-eating contest and readily agreed to do so. However, Keith thought that a cherry pit-spitting contest would be better than the traditional watermelon seed spitting contest. "Cherries are readily available during this time and the pits would make a better spitting contest, so why not?" said Keith.

This year Keith said that the cherries will be bigger than ever! "With the odd weather we had this year, the cherries lost some of their blooms. This means the crop will be thinner but the cherries will be huge! There's less fruit so the fruit that survived will absorb all of the nutrients," said Keith. "I imagine this will hold true with all of the fruit this year."

Stocker Farms always carries a good supply of fresh fruits and vegetables so they will be able to set up everyone with plenty of ammunition to compete and have fun.

"That's the perk of being in the Cherry Pit Spitting Contest," said Keith. "You get to eat the cherries!"

Keith continued, "The Stocker family is happy to be a part of the community for so many years and sponsoring the Cherry Pit Spitting Contest and the Watermelon Eating Contest is a small way to pay back the community."

A firing range will be in place using barricades and butcher paper will be laid. Each competitor will be armed with three cherries containing three official pits to launch down the firing range. Pits will be taped to the paper and the longest launch will win.

The contest will be split in three age divisions: Youth - age eight and under, Teens - age 9-15, and Adults - age 16 and over.

The world record for cherry pit spitting is 95 feet, 6 1/2 inches! Come on down and see if you will be the next lucky person to
set a new world record!

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Are you up for the extreme bed race?

The Extreme Bed Race is a competition in which teams of four people push a bed with a passenger on it through a course set up on First Street.

This hilarious relay contest pits bed against bed and if you snooze, you lose!

People's Bank at the new Snohomish Station is the sponsor of the event this year.

"We decided to sponsor the Extreme Bed Races because it is one of the most fun events of Kla Ha Ya Days," said Marie Auriol of People's Bank. "People's Bank definitely wants to be involved in the community^' Marie continued.

"The manager, Carol Bell, and I have worked in the Snohomish community for numerous years and want to continue to be a part of the community."

Marie would like to have the Extreme Bed Races a timed event this year, rather than heats. "It will be 'best time wins' for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place," said Marie. "The winners will receive trophies and there will be prizes for everyone, "Marie continued. "We want this to be fun for everyone!"

Snohomish Fire District 4 is hoping to enter a team again in this year's event.

"We dominated in the Extreme Bed Races last year, as always," said Whitney Mansfield, a full-time firefighter with Dist. 4. "We'll probably dominate again this year because nobody can compete with us!"

I had heard that Les Schwab was going to enter a team last year, but evidently they chickened out," continued Whitney. "Top Foods entered a team and they did a pretty good job, but they just didn't have the stamina to beat us!"

So the challenge has been made! Get your teams together and see if you can give Fire Dist. 4 a run for their money!

This is sure to be a verycompetitive and fun event this year that is guaranteed to make you laugh!

The Extreme Bed Races will be on Saturday, July 19 at 3:00 p.m. between Ave. B and Ave. C.

Entry forms are available at www.klahayadays.com or at People's Bank, located just inside Fred Meyer at the new Snohomish Station on Bickford Avenue.

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Please direct any questions to info@klahayadays.com.