Founders Day offers new wrinkles

Medical Lake's Founders Day was an event that in some years had people wondering if it would happen at all.

As the founders and caretakers of the city's celebration honoring the community's past moved on - or passed on - the force behind it all would fade.

Until three years ago when the community cheerleader organization Re*Imagine Medical Lake, the future of Founders Day might have been in flux to say the least.

"I think it really did flounder for several years, pretty desperately actually," spokesperson and Re*Imagine's Terri Cooper said.

Then came a little injection of new worker bees and organization.

"When we took it over and scheduled the first meeting in January everyone fell out of their chair and said, 'We like start two or three weeks before" Cooper said. That's because the many longtime volunteers all knew who was doing what, where and when.

As the volunteer ranks thinned, so did some of the interest in certain events, like the Trailblazer Triathalon.

Once a notable part of Founders Day with over 150 entrants, it recently dwindled to just a handful, Cooper said. "We took that over in 2016, we did '16 and '17 so this is our third one," Cooper said.

In 2017 the triathalon had about 75 people finish. "We're shooting for 100 this year," Cooper said.

It's some of that new vision that has produced a buzz in town, and keeps Cooper awake many nights.

"There are so many moving parts I lay awake at night going 'Oh my God, what have we done,'" Cooper said.

The key additions are a series of events on Friday, June 15, with the goal to raise money for a special cause for the 2019 celebration.

"We're raising money to have the Traveling Vietnam Wall (come) to next year's Founders Day," Cooper said. "We're raising $4,000 to secure the wall for next year, that will be our deposit."

The cost of a ticket, $25, buys a lot, including a meal, front-row seating for the night's entertainment, including premium bleacher seating for the inaugural Founder's Day fireworks show presented by Rocketman Pyrotechniques.

"It's a little reverse, the advance tickets are more than the ones at the gate," Cooper said. By purchasing at the gate there is dinner but none of the special preference seating. Gates open at 5 p.m. with dinner served at 6.

Bottom line, Cooper said, "We're trying to guarantee we're going to raise the money." Friday events all take place at Waterfront Park with the fireworks being set off from the cliffs on the southeast corner of Medical Lake.

There will be plenty to see and do on Friday. The American Legion motorcycle group will be present to show off their bikes. A jazz band will play from 5–7 p.m. and Medical Lake Middle School's drama class will perform some comedy acts, "Which might be funnier than you think," Cooper said.

The Bobby Bremmer Band, one of the first street dance groups ever will also perform from 8 – 9:30 p.m.

Then comes the fireworks. "It will be like a Fourth of July show," Cooper said. "It will be really good, we're really excited to add that piece." And it comes at no cost as the company needed to recertify itself with the state and will use the night as required training.

The Saturday portion of the festivities include the parade and Pick-And-Roll 3-on-3 basketball tournament. There are about 20 different venues.

One of the new wrinkles, Cooper said, is that Lefevre Street will actually be closed with detours in place.

The end-goal is to plug money into Re*Imagine, which plans to assist with economic growth through the cooperation of businesses, civic groups and the city too. The money goes to sustain the festival and to encourage tourism.

A bigger project is to make the former Ball and Dodd funeral home property into a lasting tribute to veterans. It will serve as the temporary home of the traveling wall in 2019, but then hopefully a permanent wall honoring local veterans.

Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].