Woodland prepares for 100th Planters Days celebration

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The city of Woodland is ready to host its 100th Planters Days celebration from June 16 to June 19.  

Jim Bays, the secretary of the Woodland Planters Days Celebration Committee, said a variety of people traditionally come back home to Woodland to take part in the festivities and he expects this year to be no different. 

“We expect good weather,” Bays said with a laugh. “I think our biggest thing is that we are looking forward to having a wide-open, totally in-person celebration that we haven’t been able to have for the last three years. I think the community is really ready for it and we’re going to do our best to make it worthy of the 100th anniversary. As is always, we’re expecting a big crowd.”

Bays said Planters Days came to fruition after farmers in Woodland built the first dike near the Woodland Bottoms, which is the farmland they cultivated in 1922. The dike took several years to build, but it helped alleviate the constant worry farmers had about the Columbia River flooding and destroying their crops. 

“(The farmers) decided that since they didn’t have to worry about the crops being flooded, they would have a celebration,” Bays said. “Since it enabled them to plant their crops without fear of losing them, Planters Days seemed to be a fitting name.”

Planters Days is the oldest continuous celebration in the state of Washington, Bays said. 

As time has progressed, the committee has consistently been on the search to add new events to the mix, while keeping some of the longtime traditions, like the frog jump which debuted 55 years ago. For the frog jump, kids of various age groups typically go to a creek or a marsh to find a frog they then bring to the contest. The kid who has the frog that jumps the farthest gets a prize. After that, the person can bring the frog back to where they found them. 

Other events include a fireworks show at 10 p.m. on June 16 at Horseshoe Lake Park. There will also be a car show and weekend market, which Bays said has been going on for over 25 years. The car show on June 19 is hosted by the Rose City Classics Car Club and will feature 200 to 300 classic cars. The weekend market will feature vendors with items like handmade crafts and food trucks.  

Some of the new events Bays highlighted for the upcoming celebration include the Planters Days Centennial Buffet and Bingo Bash on June 17 at the newly reopened Oak Tree Restaurant. The proceeds will benefit the Woodland Historical Museum. There will also be a children’s stage with entertainment at Horseshoe Park on June 18 that will feature a variety circus stage show, bubble mania and a magician. 

On top of that, Planters Days will host a mass wedding ceremony on June 17, which will allow newlyweds and couples to renew their vows.

On Saturday, the Planters Days parade will start at 11 a.m. and will travel from Fifth and Davidson to Goering and onto the middle school. 

As part of the 100th anniversary, Bays said people can expect the usual Royal Court members to appear, but this time, there will be a Royal Reunion, which brings former Royal Court members as far back as 1946 together with new members from 6 to 10 years old. 

More information and the full schedule for Planters Days can be found online at planters-days.com.