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| '49er weekend (May 9-11) wrap-up |
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Folks, this past weekend in Winthrop was '49er Days Celebration and what a celebration it was! It certainly felt like the old west, beginning with the Ride to the Rendezvous Wagon Train and riders coming into town on Friday at high noon. At times the number of horses and mules in town seemed to out number the people. And speaking of people, between the town and the park, we had more cowboys, cowgirls, pioneer ladies, mountain men, outfitters and packers, fiddle players and saloon girls than a person could count.
The late breaking news stemming from the weekend is this:
The two winners to the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce's '49er Days raffle drawing were:
Kris McCain of Winthrop, who won the $500 shopping spree in Winthrop
and
Howard Summers Jr. of Monroe, who won a $500 Washington Outfitters & Guides Association guided adventure.
The winner of the $50 Winthrop shopping spree for casting her vote for the three Winthrop merchants whom she thought best portrayed or celebrated our western heritage and spirit was Claudia Cooper of Calgary, Alberta!
And the three merchants who were selected by popular vote as best portraying or celebrating the western spirit of our town were:
Ashford Gallery, which had old-time spinners sitting out front of the shop, spinning their colorful yarn on large, old spinning wheels. They also had more spinning wheels in the shop window along with saddles and other old west items.
The Courtyard Quail, whose sales people were all dressed up in cowgirl attire. They transformed the entire store with the help of hay scattered on the floor and country western music over the sound system.
and
Three Fingered Jack's, with its western motif inside and out, and the country music on the sound system. Inside, cowboy hats outnumbered baseball caps by a ratio of at least 10 to 1!
These three winners will be featured here on this web page in the weeks to come!
Three other merchants were in a dead heat immediately behind the three winners and deserve mention here as well. They are:
Ms Kitty's Place
The French Quail Boutique and
The Tenderfoot.
Many, many other merchants joined in the contest and either dressed up in period costumes or presented historical photo displays, book displays, cowboy boot collections -- you name it, they did it, and it was great fun for all!
So most of the horses and mules may now be gone from Winthrop's main street, and there aren't any official pie eating contests or gummie bear spitting contests scheduled, but the fun and excitement remain. There is just so much to do and see in this little western town. If you want to know, just contact our information center or look further on this website!
See you in town, soon! |
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| SR 20 (North Cascades Highway) is OPEN |
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May 20, 2008. 3 pm. SR20, the North Cascades Highway is open.
For further details on mountain pass conditions, click here or call Washington State Dept of Transportation at 511 for their automated travel service. |
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