HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2022-4654

HR 4654

ByRepresentatives Orcutt and Abbarno

WHEREAS, Over 150 years ago farmers settled in the Lewis River Valley in the area known as the Woodland Bottoms, growing corn, carrots, berries, other crops, and livestock; and

WHEREAS, The Woodland Bottoms lies within the floodplain of the Columbia and Lewis River and was prone to flooding that forced many farmers to have two farms, one in the Woodland Bottoms and another up in the surrounding foothills that forced the farmers to spend many hours traveling from one farm to the other to grow and harvest crops; and

WHEREAS, Devastating floods in 1876, 1894, and 1919 took their toll on farmers and, because the progressive farmers had finally had enough of the flooding waters, they developed a levee system that protected many acres of land and had a marked effect upon the local economy; and

WHEREAS, The dike was completed in January, 1921, but was breached by the Columbia River on May 30th at the north end of the Bottoms; and

WHEREAS, In 1922 the levee was repaired and protected the Bottoms and the town of Woodland, which relied on farmers for their prosperity; and

WHEREAS, E.C. Blue and L.N. Plomondon determined there needed to be a Thanksgiving type of celebration to commemorate the dike holding and the forthcoming prosperity of the farmers. In the spirit of good fellowship, with H.W. Mitchell being in charge, the community businesses gathered together and funded and organized an event; and

WHEREAS, In searching for a name, Gene Blue suggested Planters Day, because the farmers could plant their crops without fear of flooding, the first Planters Day was held on Friday, June 30, 1922. This first Planters Day was hailed as the "greatest event ever given in Woodland"; and

WHEREAS, In 1925 the Woodland Volunteer Fire Department was formed and they organized and funded the Planters Day celebration until 1970. But in 1970 the festival grew too large for a single organization to sustain, so the Planters Day committee was created and has continued to organize the celebration; and

WHEREAS, Over the years, Planters Days has included a parade, a street dance, a royal court, fireworks, a children's parade, firefighters muster/red ball competition, penny scramble, frog jumping contest, logging show events, motorcycle events, classic car show, bed races, military exhibitions, and truck and tractor rodeos; and

WHEREAS, There is a deep sense of pride in the Woodland community, an immense amount of volunteer time, dedication and cooperation by many individuals which has continued this incredible legacy; and

WHEREAS, 2022 marks the centennial celebration of Planters Day;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives, does hereby recognize that June 16th through 19th, 2022, will constitute the Centennial celebration by Woodland Washington of its "Planters Days" and joins with the Woodland community in acknowledging this remarkable contribution to the history of Washington State.