Royal raises the roof
A Seattle Cossacks rider prepares to jump over a Royal City Police officer at Summerfest Saturday.
Joel Martin
Marv Scott of Moses Lake buffs his 1956 Chevy at the car show at Royal City’s Summerfest Saturday.
Members of the Seattle Cossacks motorcycle team help 5-year-old Camila Solis pose for a photo at Summerfest Saturday in Royal City.
A young buckaroo stays in his seat on a mechanical bull at Summerfest Saturday in Royal City.
Ballet Sol Y Luna dancers whirl in the park during the Royal City Summerfest Saturday.
The Seattle Cossacks motorcycle stunt team does the apparently impossible during the group’s performance at Summerfest in Royal City Saturday.
Grand Marshals Bill and Donna Rexius wave to the crowd at the Summerfest parade in Royal City Saturday.
The Royal High School Class of 1972 takes a ride through their hometown in the Summerfest parade.
Four-year-old Daymon Lauriano, left, and Mia Sotello, 2, go after candy tossed to the crowd at the Royal City Summerfest parade Saturday.
The Royal City Summerfest parade makes its way down Camelia Street Saturday morning.
ROYAL CITY — Once again, Summerfest brought out huge crowds in Royal City Friday and Saturday.
“I think we had about 400 people that bought barbecue tickets,” said volunteer Tiffany Workinger, one of four committee members. “I bet we had close to 1,000 people in the park on Friday night for the fun run and the dinner and the fireworks, which is about half the town, I think.”
Summerfest, Royal City’s big annual event, started on Friday evening with a barbecue that included the traditional cookout fare of hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad and baked beans. The Royal High School volleyball team contributed strawberry shortcake for dessert, Workinger said. Organizers ran into a snag with the barbecue, she added, because the family that usually handles it wasn’t available, but Junior Hernandez and his team at Performance Tire stepped up to the plate and took it on.
The barbecue was followed by a talent show, the glow run and fireworks.
Saturday morning, about another 1,000 people lined the streets of downtown Royal City for the Summerfest Parade. The parade included the usual local dignitaries and candidates for office, as well as the Royal High School Class of 1972, celebrating its 50-year-reunion, and the Seattle Cossacks, a motorcycle stunt team.
“I think this is the third year in a row that we've had them,” Workinger said. “They seem to be quite the crowd-pleaser.”
The Cossacks stuck around after the parade and put on a full show of jaw-dropping stunts, including several human pyramids, one man riding two motorcycles simultaneously and finally, a rider jumping through a human hoop over a Royal City Police officer who lay on the ground. The Cossacks have been putting on shows like this since 1938, said Andrew Nicholson, the Cossacks member who announced the show. Members all ride vintage Harley Davidsons dating from 1934 to 1949, he said, and many of the riders are second- and third-generation members. The precision riding and stunts were led by Team Captain Sam Chedester and Team Lieutenant Jimi Wright.
After the show, the Cossacks let people pose for photos on their bikes, while the crowd headed to the park for food, craft vendors, a cornhole tournament and a car show, the last also spearheaded by Performance Tire. Among the vintage vehicles on display was Marv and Lilly Scott’s 1956 Chevy Hardtop, which Marv built himself.
“I’ve had it 12 years,” he said. “It took seven years to build it. I did all the work besides the paint and upholstery. It’s got tons of accessories – air bags, cruise wheels, disc brakes.”
The park also had a stage set up where various entertainment acts, including the folkloric dance troupe Ballet Luna Y Sol, performed for the crowd. For the kids, there was a wide array of bouncy houses, inflatable slides and even a mechanical bull.
The entire event was coordinated by a committee of four people, Workinger said, two of whom won’t be returning next year. If more people don’t volunteer to help coordinate, she warned, Summerfest might have to become a one-day event instead of two.
“I'd love to see it still be the two-day event,” she said. “I think it's good for the community. When I try to think of what we would cut out, it just leaves a hole ... There's nothing that I would want to cut out. So I'm hoping that we can get some new volunteers to step up and join and keep it a two-day event.”
Joel Martin can be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.
