Forest Festival Memories

Festival Memories

"What Forest Festival means to me & why I stay involved year after year."

Mick, MCFFA Pres.

Wow how the time has gone by, this will be the 18th Forest Festival in a row that I have been involved in. It will be the 19th counting the year that I was Paul Bunyan in 1984. I have many great memories of attending the annual Paul Bunyan Grand Parade and festivities.

In 1984 we were celebrating the 40th Mason County Forest Festival. At that time the Mason County Forest Festival Association was made up of just a few people.

Darrell Andrews and Bill Valley were running the show, Darrel was President and Bill the Vice President. Our court spent a lot of time with Bill and his wife Barb along with Darrel going to Forest Festival functions and parades around Washington. Barb was the Royalty Chaperone and the kindest person. Bill was also the parade float designer and was was well known on the parade circuit for his award winning float designs. Being selected for the Forest Festival court was truly a great experience. It took us out of our comfort zones. We spoke at civic meetings around town and were center stage in eiught parades.

Forest Festival was in the Keep Washington Green Association. We attended their annual spring banquet at the Tyee in Tumwater where our Forest Festival Queen, Katrina Eichinger was crowned Miss Keep Washington Green. The guest speaker that evening was a retiree from the US Forest Service speaking about 40 Years of Smokey Bear!

Twenty years later, in the fall of 2004, I attended my first Forest Festival meeting and the following spring helped organize the 60th Mason County Forest Festival. It was great to be involved incommunity where I spent part of my life growing up, and see all of the smiles on the faces of the young and the old. Eighteen years later that is why I am still involved.

(Above) Junior volunteer, Caroline Cooper and Smokey the Bear prizes! (Top) Mick Sprouffske works with volunteers at 2019 festival (Below) 1984 Festival Program