Serving Franklin County, WA
Serving Franklin County, WA
Parades, other events scheduled
Combines do battle in Lions Club Arena in Lind in 2023.
LIND - The town will roar to life this weekend as the annual Lind Grand Parade and Combine Derby return to town.
The action begins Friday with car and pickup truck racing. Locals and visitors alike with "run what they brung" to Lion's Club Arena on state Highway 21.
Racing is set to begin at 6 p.m.
As of press time, racers were still able to get registered for the event by calling Eric Lund at 509-677-3432.
Expect racers from across Whitman, Franklin, Adams, Lincoln, Spokane and other counties to be among the field.
Saturday starts off at a leisurely pace but ends an impact.
Local car aficionados will bring their classic chasis to Lind City Park and the downtown area for a small car show. Spectators can wander the cars, talk to the owners and even participate.
At 10:45 a.m., the Kiddie Parade begins, immediately followed at 11 a.m. by the Lind Grand Parade.
The parade winds through the main streets of downtown.
This year's grand marshal is Barbara DeVore, a longtime city resident and Lind Chamber of Commerce member.
"She has volunteered countless hours to our community, and we cherish her kindness and pleasant personality," said Jamie Schmunk, organizer of the parade and community leader. "Barbara also runs the Lind Community Garden."
"I just want it to look nice when people come into town," she said.
The community garden is a work in progress, she said, noting she also runs an orchard despite health issues.
"I don't like that kind of attention," DeVore said of the award. "I just volunteer because my parents and grandparents loved the town. I just trying to make it better."
DeVore also hosts a dinner for the Lind Fire Association each year, and is active in the chamber, as well as the secretary for the cemetery board.
"I prefer to be just a worker bee," she said.
DeVore grew up on a farm outside of town, moved away, but came back home.
"The jobs I had I traveled a lot," she said. "I've come to appreciate a small rural town."
After the parade, the Lion Lions Club will host a barbecue in Lind City Park.
With full stomachs, combine derby fans will be able to make their way back to the Lions Club Arena for Day 2 of festivities.
Pickup truck racers are set to resume at 2 p.m., followed by the main event - the Combine Derby and Grain Truck Races.
As of press time, farmers with old grain trucks were still being encouraged to get into the action with box trucks of up to 1.5 tons and 20-inch rims and dual rear tires.
Grain truck owners wanting to get in on the action can call 509-677-3432.
Grain truck racing occurs between heats of the combine derby.
Combines from Sprague, Hay, Hooper, Ritzville, Lind, Cheney, Odessa and elsewhere have competed in the event in the last couple years.
They've sported names like the "Grain Digger," "Fubar," "Pour Life Choices," "Orange Crush," "Last Ditch Effort," and more. Former combine combatant Mike Doyle oversees the derby annually.
When there is only one combine left running at the end of the evening, the arena will transform into a makeshift dance arena, with live music.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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