THE CITY OF EAST WENATCHEE

By Luke Ellington

“The mission of the City of East Wenatchee and its employees is to maintain the trust of and give quality service to all who live in, work in and visit the City of East Wenatchee.”

Ballard Park across from Douglas County PUD Headquarters Building

Timeline of East Wenatchee 

A Look Back
(Bridging the Gap) 

The days of the early pioneers who settled here, their wagons coated in sagebrush, and the hardships they endured have been nearly forgotten.  Yet, in today’s bustling community of East Wenatchee, all one has to do is drive down Sunset Highway or up Grant Road to see that those pioneering dreams have become a reality.  The sandy scabland along the east side of the river, once considered uninhabitable, has flourished through a combined vision for East Wenatchee that has led to years of prosperity for families, orchardists, and businessmen alike. 

Today, many pedestrians and athletic enthusiasts take advantage of the “walking bridge,” as part of their journey along the extensive Apple Capital Riverfront Loop Trail.  The  bridge, however, has historically served as much more.  Completed in 1908, the bridge was the first form of reliable transportation between the Wenatchee area and the then sparsely-inhabited lands to the east.  Before the bridge was finished, those wishing to travel across the river relied on ferries, which were sometimes powered by oars, sails, or horses.  Even dugout canoes were sometimes lashed together to carry a wagon to the other side.  Disaster was not uncommon. 

Along with the ease of transporting people and goods, the bridge brought hope to the East Wenatchee area in the form of irrigation water.  The  pipeline system that was built across the bridge came from the High Line Canal, which is now called the Wenatchee Reclamation District canal.  Irrigation waters were directly responsible in prompting the planting of orchards and turning the East Wenatchee area into a thriving agricultural hub.

 Early images of the modern “Walking Bridge”

On such untamed land, the early settlers were only able to thrive by harnessing all that nature offered them.  They drank from the Columbia and ate animals that were nourished by its presence.  It was only a matter of time before the true power of the Columbia River would be fully harnessed and distributed equally.  In 1930, an initiative was passed authorizing county citizens to form their own public utility district.  Since the 1936 county vote to form Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County, citizens have been offered reliable, low-cost hydroelectric power from the Bonneville Power Administration in the beginning and later from the Wells Hydroelectric Project and Rocky Reach Dam.  With the beautiful terrain, quality schools and other social services, it is no wonder so many past and modern settlers have traveled from around the world and chosen East Wenatchee as their home.

The Trans-Pacific Miss Veedol Flight:

The men that first put East Wenatchee on the maps would not come by horse, wagon, car, or even train, however.  On a cold foggy October night in 1931, two men, Hugh Herndon and Clyde Edward Pangborn, flew eastward over the Cascade Mountains with no landing gear.  Exhausted from piloting the first non-stop flight across the Pacific Ocean, the two would decide to belly land near Fancher Field, a small airfield near the current site of the Fancher Heights subdivision.  Pangborn had grown up in Douglas County and wished to see his mother and brother, who lived in East Wenatchee. 

Life-size replicas of Herndon and Pangborn as well as other historical information can be seen in the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Culture Center on Mission street in Wenatchee 

News of their trans-Pacific flight crossed the world in record time and made the pilots stars.  Though they themselves would never break records circling the globe, their most memorable flight would take them from Misawa, Japan to East Wenatchee, Washington, and effectively put those city names next to each other in the history books.  Nearly eighty years later, it is clear as you drive the streets of East Wenatchee that the historic flight of the “Miss Veedol” has not been forgotten.  Adopted as the East Wenatchee city theme around 2001, signs of the historic flight as well as the city’s connection to Misawa are visible everywhere you turn. 

  Ballard Park                                     Bridge of Friendship                 “Miss Veedol” Memorial
  Across from PUD       Japanese Garden on 9^th and Eastmont    In Fancher Heights subdivision

In 1951, with the construction of the Columbia River bridge, now dedicated to Senator George Sellar, business traffic has been directed up Grant Road.  Valley Mall Parkway, formerly known as Main Street, was once the hub of the town.  To restore consumer interest in the businesses located in some of the oldest buildings in East Wenatchee, a major renovation project of Valley Mall Parkway was undertaken in 1996.

Prehistoric Clovis Points:

In addition to being a concentrated business area, Grant Road is the site of the most impressive archeological find in the history of East Wenatchee to date.  On May 27, 1987, in an orchard along Grant Road, Moises Aguirre and Mark Mickles had no idea that tools of the ancient past would surface and make them locally famous.  During the routine installation of an irrigation line, the men uncovered fluted “Clovis” points  These prehistoric tools would later be dated back nearly 12,000 years, making their owners the first recorded people in America.  During the excavations in 1988 and 1990, nearly 70 stone and bone artifacts were collected from various dig sites.  The monumental discovery prompted debate over the rights of the state, land owners, native Americans and archaeologists.  In late 1990, the excavation site was filled in and covered with trees.  (More information can be found about “Clovis” points and the “Miss Veedol” at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Culture Center on Mission Street in Wenatchee)

   Prehistoric “Clovis” Points from Grant Road dig site

East Wenatchee’s school district, Eastmont, has an annual budget of approximately $38 million and offers education at ten separate locations.  The elementary schools in the district are Cascade, Grant, Kenroy, Lee, and Rock Island.  The elementary schools offer classes K-5.  Students are then divided between Sterling Middle School and the newer Clovis Point Middle School for grades 6 and 7.  Grades 8 and 9 are provided in the Eastmont Junior High building, built in 2003.  Paw-prints painted on surrounding streets lead students to Eastmont High School, the domain of the Wildcats. 

Since the population boom following the building of the “walking bridge” nearly a century ago, East Wenatchee has not yet looked back.   The humble community remains a peacefully rural backdrop to the modern shopping and residential living areas that have flourished recently.  But as you catch a glimpse between homes and businesses¾beyond the tall trees to the surrounding barren hills¾it’s not hard to imagine yourself back in a time when dirt roads and water would have been luxuries.  Early surveyists declared the land unfit for habitation, yet because of the work of proud East Wenatchee pioneers, over 8,000 current residents could not imagine life any other way.

Local Leadership

(Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Mayor)

No, East Wenatchee’s 54-year-old Mayor, Steve Lacy, doesn’t wear a white sequined jumpsuit or blue suede shoes to work, at least not in America.  However, speaking with him in his City Hall office he did tell me that, although he doesn’t look much like the king of rock and roll, his Elvis impersonation is all the rage in Japan. 

Profile:

Name: Steve Lacy Age: 54 Occupation/Duties: Mayor of East Wenatchee, Full Time Trial Lawyer, Applearian, Member of Board of Governors of the WA State Trial Lawyers Association, Board Member of the Wenatchee Valley Convention and Visitor’s Center, Board Member of the East Wenatchee Events Board, Husband and Father of Four Notable Attributes: Fluent in Spanish, Devoted to LDS Faith, Golf Enthusiast, Japanese Elvis Act Mayorly Advice: “If you have a cat that’s not a housecat, you’d better educate it.”

Many people who live in East Wenatchee remember a story about Mayor Lacy from the Wenatchee World newspaper.  “It’s not something I’m particularly proud of,” admitted Lacy.  “I got in a little dispute with my neighbor over my cat.”  And what was this dispute over that made one of the year’s top stories?  No less than cat trespassing.  “I talked to my cat but he just wouldn’t listen,” joked Lacy.  The cat, named after the apache war chief Jeronimo, has “mysteriously” died, but the story lives on.  Steve Lacy has long since given up battling laws on animal trespass and is focused on growing the city and increasing East Wenatchee’s influence on the North Central Washington community.  “The more revenue you get, the more you can accomplish,” Lacy explained.  Part of his plan has been to increase tourism by creating a city theme and the East Wenatchee Events Board to plan related events. 

  With a grin on his face, Mayor Lacy leaned back in his chair and spoke proudly about the relationship he has helped build with East Wenatchee’s sister city of Misawa, Japan.  He and his wife first became involved with the Friends of Misawa in the mid-80’s, eventually leading a Wenatchee area delegation to Misawa in 1991.  “You’ve never been treated to real hospitality until you’ve gone and been entertained by the Japanese,” Lacy said confidently.  “They are tremendous.”  Lacy recalled coming back from Misawa and speaking with Dawn Collings, then mayor of East Wenatchee, about the need for further involvement between Misawa and East Wenatchee.   

“I kinda spearheaded that whole thing since the beginning,” chuckled Lacy.  Lacy remembers taking Misawa’s Mayor Suzuki aside, following his third trip to Japan, and pointing out that Pangborn and Herndon actually landed on the East Wenatchee side of the river¾following their famous 1931 flight across the Pacific Ocean.  In 2001, Suzuki came to the Wenatchee Valley and signed a document making East Wenatchee a sister city to Misawa, along with Wenatchee.  The sister city bond sparked a whole city theme in East Wenatchee revolving around the “Miss Veedol” flight. 

So how did commemorating the Miss Veedol flight get East Wenatchee’s mayor into those blue suede shoes?  Mayor Lacy said assuredly it was just “a gag.”  Lacy, who has performed as Elvis three times now in Japan, said his most recent show was the best.  He even had an encore song prepared ahead of time to please the audience.  Lacy insisted, however, that he is “purely a Japanese Elvis” and won’t be performing in America anytime soon.

Mayor Steve Lacy is unsure about his future after his current term expires in 2007.  The East Wenatchee mayor said he, “hasn’t decided yet.”  Until he does, he’ll keep doing what he does best though: playing the “Courthouse Rock.”

30 Minute Scenic Drive:

Enter town southbound on Sunset Highway and turn left onto Valley Mall Parkway. Relax at the park gazebo across from Douglas County PUD. Continue south on Valley Mall Parkway and turn left at 9th Street. You will pass City Hall.  
Explore and unwind in the Bridge of Friendship Japanese Garden at the intersection of 9th street and Eastmont Avenue. Head northbound on Eastmont Ave. and up Badger Mountain Road. Turn left into the Fancher Heights subdivision and take the first left to the “Miss Veedol” memorial and scenic viewing area. The view cannot be beat.
 

Faces Around Town

(The Mockingbird Sings, High Above the Mountain so Free) 

Each and every rural town is bound by unwritten law to have at least one local legend -someone in the public eye who to many remains a mystery.  East Wenatchee’s own legend has been seen by most everyone picking up cans for recycling.  If they talked to him, they just might have been lucky enough to here a yodel.  Though he is called many names by many people, East Wenatchee’s most known resident just might be the mild-mannered Don Griffen. 

As I began my search for a man who seemed to be known by almost everyone, I quickly realized that I might as well have been searching for Big Foot or The Lochness monster.  But after numerous inquiries, I at last found myself at a “white house below Sterling Middle School” asking for “Bob.”  The woman who answered the door didn’t know any Bob.  When I described who I was looking for, she only laughed.  “Oh!” she said.  “You want Don.”  I asked if she knew where he lived, and she laughed again.  “He lives here!”

   Don Griffen 

For those that haven’t seen Don around lately, don’t worry, he’s doing just fine.  He no longer picks up cans around town but he’s still got quite a grip in his handshake and still loves to chat.  And you’d better believe he’s still yodeling.  “Just to drive me crazy,” as his wife, Pat, told me with a smile. 

Don, who is 77-years-young, has lived in East Wenatchee most his life but was born in Chelan.  Too little to start school with children his own age, Don wasn’t admitted until age 8.  He was 21 when he graduated and was helping teach Driver’s Ed classes because of his age.  “At least I graduated,” Don said proudly.  “I stayed and didn’t quit because of my age.” 

Don Griffen worked for Great Northern railroad before going to a trade school and becoming a hydroelectric mechanic at Rocky Reach Dam.  “Early retirement came, I grabbed it and ran,” he told me with a laugh.  After retirement, Don spent his time building and flying remote control airplanes and helicopters.  He was most proud of the Cessna 310 he built to scale with a 10-foot wingspan.  It had two sets of engines and propellers.  Don and his Cessna 310 could have been seen at East Wenatchee’s first air show, Don told me.  A group of remote control flyers Don helped organize, the Red Apple Flyers, are still flying high.  They can be seen during the annual Wings and Wheels celebration held the first weekend in October.   

These days Don plays Pinochle five days a week with his friends and enjoys peaceful relaxation when he’s home.  The Griffens tell me they have been blessed with seven grandkids and three great-grandkids from their four children, all of whom grew up in the valley.  Don tells me that he’s never done anything with his yodeling: it’s “just fun.”  In his favorite song, Don yodels that “The mockingbird sings… High above the mountains so free.”  And here in East Wenatchee, the city’s legendary mockingbird will keep singing, here in the valley so free. 

Recreational Pursuits

(Dawn till Dusk)

A Few Reasons Not to be Bored in East Wenatchee:

Bowling:  Eastmont Lanes

Car Races:  Wenatchee Valley Super Oval

Festivals:  Classy Chassis Parade and Car Show during Apple Blossom weekend, Wings and Wheels held the first weekend in October

Fitness Centers:  Basic Fitness Workout Club, Curves, Mountain View Fitness

Gambling:  Buzz Inn, Keglers’

Golf:  Highlander Golf Club, Wenatchee Golf and Country Club

Libraries:  East Wenatchee Library

Movies:  Columbia Cinema, Hollywood Video

Music Lessons:  Chinook Music

Outdoors:  Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail, Columbia River

Parks:  Eastmont Community Park, Kenroy Park, Ballard Park, Bridge of Friendship

Shopping Centers:  Wenatchee Valley Mall

Public Sledding:  Kenroy Elementary, Sterling Middle School

 …And much much more

If you’re looking for fun events for the whole family, you need look no further than East Wenatchee’s Classy Chassis Parade and Car Show or Wings and Wheels festivals.  And for information on these events, no one is more knowledgeable than the Executive Director of the East Wenatchee Events Board.  Dawn Collings, who served as East Wenatchee Mayor from 1992 to 1998, not only heads up the Events Board but also works part-time as a marketing person for East Wenatchee’s Pangborn Airport. 

To commemorate the first non-stop trans-Pacific flight, the annual Wings and Wheels Festival is held on the first weekend in October. “It should be the biggest yet,” said Collings confidently.  “We’re trying to reach a broader market.”  This relatively new event has been organized each year by the East Wenatchee Events Board, which until recently was an all-volunteer group.  Collings said excitedly that Wings and Wheels, “kicks off on the Friday night with the Big Band dance out at the airport.”  She added, “it’s fun and we truly have something fun for everyone of all ages.” 

Currently the Wings and Wheels festival offers a car show, motorcycle stunt rally, fly-in of the “Miss Veedol” replica at the airport, airplane and helicopter rides, food and craft vendors, a carnival, the Red Apple Flyers, the Nitro Dash for Cash remote control car show, and various kid’s events including face painting and a petting zoo.

Of course, if you miss Wings and Wheels you will get another chance to join in East Wenatchee’s festivities at the annual Classy Chassis Parade and Car Show in late April, which has been happening since 1985.  At Eastmont Community Park off Grant Road, the valley’s classy vintage and antique cars and trucks line up and then take to the streets.  The vehicles honk, burn rubber, rev up their engines, and do anything else they can to excite the crowd.  The Classy Chassis, which used to be organized by the East Wenatchee Chamber of Commerce, fell into the hands of the Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce when the two merged.  When East Wenatchee formed the Events Board, “we took it back,” said Collings.  “It’s an East Wenatchee event.” 

“We believe it’s more important to do things and do them well than to do too many things and not do any of them well,” Collings explained.  With that in mind, she discussed the possibility of a Christmas event, but was in no rush.  She added, “I don’t know what the future holds.”