Royal City gears up for Summerfest, library opening

ROYAL CITY — Royal City will pull out the stops once again July 11-12 for the town’s annual Summerfest. 

“We’re going to have lots of kids attractions,” said Summerfest Committee Chair Jill Larsen. “We’re going to have a rock-climbing wall. We’re going to have a carnival ride and bouncy houses on Saturday.” 

The event will start Friday evening with a whole lot of activity at Lions Park, according to the schedule on Summerfest’s official website. The Headlights and Summer Nights Car Show will feature vehicles of all shapes, sizes and vintages arrayed on the grass. Registration for vehicle exhibitors is $10 in advance or $20 on the day of the show.  

At the same time, the civic organization SHOC, or Strengthening the Heart of Our Community, will host bingo, and emergency vehicles will be at the south end of the park for Touch-a-Truck. There will also be a dunk tank with Royal City Police officers ready to be soaked, to raise funds for the RCPD’s K-9 officer. 

The fun run — or walk, depending on your condition — will start at 8 p.m. The time is a compromise, Larsen said. Some people like to do their running early in the morning before the heat, she said, and others don’t want to get up that early.  

“We like to do that so it ends right before the fireworks, but not too dark,” Larsen said. “It's pretty stressful for our police department to have people running in the dark, so we tried to do them a favor and meet in the middle and have it at eight o'clock, so that people will be done by about 9:15 in time for the fireworks but before it's pitch black outside.” 

The fireworks show will begin at 10 p.m., according to the schedule. 

Saturday will begin bright and early, with 7 a.m. yoga in the park led by instructor Erin Murphy. From 7 to 8:30 p.m., the traditional free community breakfast will be served. 

“The breakfast is provided by our Royal Educators Association,” Larsen said. “They're the ones who cook (and) provide the manpower.”  

Besides the REA, the Columbia Basin Foundation helped fund the breakfast this year, she added. 

The Grand Parade starts at 10 a.m. on Camelia Street, according to the schedule. This year’s grand marshals are Gerald “Spud” and Bonney Brown. The Browns farm and own several businesses in Royal City, and four of their six grown children live in town as well, Larsen said. 

The post of grand marshal is meant to honor residents of Royal City who have contributed to the community, and the Browns certainly fit that bill, Larsen said. 

“They’re always the first to help contribute to the school district,” she said. “Bonney was on the school board for many years during the ’90s. If anyone's in need, they’re the first to step up. Spud is also pretty integral in helping us add to our city park as well.” 

The parade will also include the Dancing Horses, a unique Royal City tradition, Larsen said. 

“We get (riders) from all over: Othello, Moses Lake, the Sunnyside area,” Larsen said. “One of our community members kind of sends the word out and all of a sudden we have 70 men and women who train these dancing horses all year long … they dance in the parade to the beat of a mariachi band, and then we have a spot for them at the park where they can dance for an hour or two.” 

The bouncy houses and vendors will be set up in the park Saturday afternoon, and there will be a quilt show at New Life Church next to the park. 

At 1 p.m. children will be treated to another Royal City tradition: the ping pong ball drop. A local pilot flies over the park and drops ping pong balls from the plane, for children to catch and exchange for prizes. 

Summerfest rounds out with Bandas in the Park, featuring live music from Los Dueños del Ritmo, Enlace Especial and Los Nuevos Coyotes. 

A celebratory addition to this year’s Summerfest will be the opening of the new Royal City Library. The Friends of the Royal City Library, with help from the city of Royal City and NCW Libraries, had been working for several years to construct a library building. The existing building, which was built in 1957, is only 1,200 square feet and so small that youngsters and parents can’t fit into the children’s section for story time. The new library won’t have that problem; the children’s section alone is 630 square feet, Friends of the Library President Susan Piercy told the Columbia Basin Herald in 2023. The entire building, located next to the park, covers 4,000 square feet and will include a space for teens to do homework or read, and a meeting room for community organizations. 

“There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, followed by a private event,” Larsen said. “Then on Saturday, right after the parade, there will be the public open house. We’re pretty excited about that.” 

    A firefighter helps a little girl aim the fire hose at the Touch-a-Truck during last year’s Summerfest in Royal City.
  

    Bouncy houses will be among the attractions at this year’s Royal City Summerfest.
  

    Children make a mad dash for ping pong balls dropped from an airplane at a previous Summerfest. The drop, a Summerfest tradition, will return this year.
  

    The Headlights and Summer Nights Car Show will be held in Lions Park at Summerfest.