Crunch Pak Grand Parade starts at 11:30 a.m. on June 29
The Cashmere Chamber is gearing up for the 35th annual Founders’ Day events on June 29.
New this year, the Crunch Pak Grand Parade has been moved to a morning event. The Grand Parade kicks off at 11:30 a.m.
Also new this year, the Doane’s Valley Pharmacy Ping Pong Ball Drop, which marks its 26th year, will follow after the Grand Parade at Riverside Park. The one-of-a-kind family event will be beefed up, including adding more than one drop to accommodate the different age groups. Ping pong ball events start at 1:30 p.m., with the first drop expected at 2 p.m.
“Moving both the parade and ping pong ball drop to earlier in the day means we can concentrate on the two events that have always been strong and successful,” said Jill FitzSimmons, Chamber manager.
Other organizations will continue to join in the fun that Saturday. The Cashmere Lions Club will again kick off the weekend with its Friday evening community barbecue. Bike with Brian returns for the ninth year and the Mt. Cashmere Golf Course will sponsor its annual golf tournament.
The Studebaker 5K Fun Run, a new event last year that was a hit with both participants and volunteers, returns for the second year, beginning at 8 a.m. with both a kids run and an all-ages run.
And the arts and crafts fair, with food vendors, returns to Woodring Street. Due June 1, applications for that all-day event are available by contacting the Chamber office at 782-7404 or info@cashmerechamber.com.
Parade applications also are due June 1. Applications are available on the Chamber website. A complete list of events is expected to be out in early June.
O’Bryan brothers named grand marshals of St. Paddy’s Day parade
Brothers Gary, left, and Harold O’Bryan will lead the 11th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday in Cashmere. The parade begins at 7ish.
For brothers Harold and Gary O’Bryan, people fall in one of two categories.
“There are only two types of people,” Harold said. “The Irish and the ones who want to be Irish.”
Harold and Gary, longtime Cashmere residents, will lead the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Cashmere on Sunday. The brothers will serve as grand marshals for the parade, which will celebrate its 11th year in Cashmere.
Harold, 72, and Gary, 65, moved to town as children when their father, the late Phalan O’Bryan, was hired as a meat cutter at the old Simpson’s grocery store in downtown Cashmere. They haven’t left since.
The brothers go together like corned beef and cabbage.
They can be spotted daily walking through downtown as part of their morning walk. They are big Cashmere Bulldog fans, sitting and cheering together at many athletic events. They are also fishing buddies. And while the brothers admit they are competitive, they also say they are very much alike.
“We have the same kind of sense of humor,” Gary said. “Our wives don’t appreciate it, but that doesn’t stop us.”
So just how Irish are the O’Bryans?
The men’s great-granddad emigrated from Ireland, landing in the Great Lakes area. The brothers have proudly celebrated their Irish roots throughout their lives. St. Patrick’s Day has always been a favorite holiday in their homes. With their children and now their grandchildren, they celebrate with Irish stew, soda bread and corned beef and cabbage. For the last 10 years, the evening has ended with a family gathering to watch the parade cycle through downtown Cashmere.
Still, while Harold and Gary never have missed watching a parade, the brothers have never participated in the parade. This year, they will be at the front in Gary’s 1953 Willy’s Jeep, which he bought last year.
“That’s why I wanted it – to put it in the parade,” he said.
The Wenatchee Valley’s best lil’ parade marches through Cashmere’s downtown March 17. Entrants are encouraged to line up at 6:15 p.m. at Riverside Center, 201 Riverside St. The parade begins at 7ish.
Help us honor Business, Citizens of the Year on March 15
Gary Cheever and Pam McNulty, who operate the Cashmere-Dryden Ministerial Food Bank, share the honor of 2012 Citizen of the Year.
The Cashmere Chamber of Commerce on March 15 will honor Webb Accountancy with the 2012 Business of the Year award and Pam McNulty and Gary Cheever with the 2012 Citizen of the Year award.
The 2012 Business of the Year honor was awarded to Randy, Dennis and Keith Webb, brothers who have called the Wenatchee Valley home for more than five decades. Webb Accountancy, opened in 1981 in Cashmere, today has offices in Leavenworth and Wenatchee as well.
The Webbs are being honored not only for their efforts as businessmen but also for the impact they have made as community leaders in the Wenatchee Valley. Together they have served on numerous boards and committees in Cashmere and throughout the valley. Their efforts have impacted various local nonprofits, from museums and chambers to community foundations and youth programs, as well as the Cashmere schools and the Leavenworth City Council.
“The Webbs epitomize what a good small business owner is,” said Alex Cruz, president of the Cashmere Chamber. “They understand the role business owners can have in building a healthy community, and they embrace this role. We are very grateful the Webb family calls Cashmere home.”
Pam McNulty and Gary Cheever, who together run the Cashmere-Dryden Ministerial Food Bank, share the honor of being named the 2012 Citizens of the Year.
McNulty started working with the food bank in 1989 as a volunteer, taking over as director in 2001. Cheever has been working alongside her for the past 10 years. Together, the couple coordinates the assembling of some 500 food boxes distributed during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Boxes are delivered to the low-income apartment facilities in Cashmere and distributed at a community distribution site. McNulty and Cheever also assemble boxes of food for anyone in need throughout the year.
“This type of dedication does not come along very often,” wrote Marilyn Lancaster of Cashmere in a nomination letter. “Our community is very fortunate to have Pam and Gary and their care for the hungry in our area. They both go above and beyond just volunteering. They have made it a part of their lives.”
All honorees were chosen in February by a committee of five of their peers following a community-wide nomination process in January.
Webb Accountancy and McNulty and Cheever will be honored at the Cashmere Chamber of Commerce Annual Recognition Dinner and Auction, to be held 5:30 to 9 p.m., March 15, at Riverside Center. Tickets for the event are $25 a person. Tickets go on sale Feb. 19 at the Chamber office, or will be available through a board member.
“The recognition dinner is an opportunity for the community to come together to honor the contributions Webb Accountancy and Pam and Gary have made to Cashmere,” said Jan Meredith-Evans of Cashmere Cottage Yarn, co-chair of the auction committee. “So come help us honor them on March 15.”
The Cashmere Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit member association whose purpose is to promote and support new and existing businesses in the Cashmere community.
March 17: St. Paddy’s Day Parade marks 11th year
Line up beginning at 6:15 p.m. March 17 at Riverside Center, 201 Riverside Drive, if you want to march in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
The Wenatchee Valley’s best lil’ parade marches through Cashmere’s downtown March 17.
This year’s parade marks the 11th consecutive St. Patrick’s Day parade hosted by the Cashmere community. The short but lively parade has built a reputation for packing in a lot of fun in just a couple of blocks. The parade draws hundreds of people each year, including many motorcycle enthusiasts.
Entrants are encouraged to line up at 6:15 p.m. at Riverside Center, 201 Riverside St. The parade begins at 7ish.
The parade does have a couple of rules. If bringing candy to hand out, it must be handed, not thrown, to people along the parade route. Secondly, no off-road motorcycles are allowed in the parade. Anyone showing up at the parade on an unlicensed motorcycle will be asked to leave.
The Cashmere Chamber of Commerce encourages participants and viewers to stick around after the parade and visit one of the many restaurants in town that are joining in the fun. For more information, contact the chamber at 782-7404.
Join us Jan. 30 for General Membership Meeting
The Jan. 30 General Membership Meeting is hosted by Overall Kitchen & Bath Design Center, 127 Cottage Ave.
The General Membership Meeting is 6 to 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 30, at Overall Kitchen and Bath Design Center’s newly designed showroom, 129 Cottage Ave., next to Clifford’s Hardware. The 1,600-square-foot showroom, which opened in December, spotlights the latest trends in flooring and cabinetry. It is owned by Dan and Kelli Dean of Cashmere.
The meeting is a chance for members to hear what the Chamber’s goals and projects are for the year, as well as listen to a presentation from Jenny Cravens, CFO of Cashmere Valley Bank. Cravens will present “Small Towns, Big Ideas,” a look at what other towns similar to Cashmere are doing to spur economic development.
Much of the meeting also will be used for networking and socializing with other Chamber members. Refreshments to be served by Cashmere’s Red Door Desserts. For more information, call the Chamber manager at 782-7404.
