Candy is tossed from an Egg Days float in 2017 during the parade in Winlock.
Horses make their way through town as part of the Winlock Eggs Day parade in 2017.
Members of the crowd at the Winlock Egg Days event pay their respects as the Honor Guard leads the parade in 2017.
Many annual events work to keep patrons coming back year after year by adding components, featuring first-time acts and advertising new gimmicks each time through the calendar.
That’s not the case with Egg Days in Winlock, which will take place for the 94th time beginning with a used book sale at 9 a.m. on June 14. The celebration of all things egg- and poultry-related will feature the coronation of an Egg Day court Friday night before an all-day affair Saturday, with the headline attraction being a “Superchicken & Mighty Egg” themed parade at 11 a.m.
The town with the world’s largest egg on display will play host to everything from a custom car show to a collection of “Renegade Rooster” memorabilia on Saturday. The party will continue well into the night with a street dance at The Club on First Street. But, no matter the roster of attractions, longtime organizer Misti Mayo knows why people circle Egg Days on the calendar.
“It’s the free egg salad sandwiches,” the aptly-named Mayo said with a laugh. “I think it’s kind of funny, but they’re very good and people say they’re some of the best they’ve ever eaten. People love our parade, there’s something fascinating about the history of Winlock and that giant egg, but people show up for those sandwiches.”
The sandwiches in question have been a staple of Egg Days for generations. Volunteers will meet at 4 p.m. Thursday in the Winlock High School cafeteria to prepare the egg salad, then reconvene at 2 p.m. Friday at the Winlock Miller Elementary School to make the sandwiches using eggs and bread donated by the Cedar Village IGA store. The finished sandwiches will be available to the public at the elementary school following the conclusion of the parade.
The Lions Club of Winlock organizes the various Egg Days activities each year, while an event committee oversees the festival as a whole. Dean Hendrickson has been involved in Egg Days since he ended his military career in 1954 and moved to Winlock. This will be the 20th year he has served as chairman of the oversight committee.
Winlock has put on an Egg Days festival every year since 1921, save for a four-year hiatus during World War II.
“It used to be that the Egg Day Program was run by the (Veterans of Foreign Wars) and the American Legion,” Hendrickson said. “As soon as I got of the service and inducted into the American Legion, I was automatically involved in Egg Day. … We have a lot of people who have lived in Winlock and have been involved for a lot of years. We get help from the Boy Scouts, volunteers from the schools, and we’re really blessed to have all that.”
Though the bulk of Egg Days will take place June 15, the night before will feature the coronation of either Rebekah Day or Maggie Maddox as the 2019 Egg Day Queen. Elora Smith, the reigning queen of Egg Day, will be on hand for the transfer of power.
Participants of both the “The Future is the Egg” kids dash and the 5K run can register beginning at 8 a.m. at 100 SE 1st St. Registration for the car show will also start at 8 a.m. Saturday on the downtown portion of Front Street.
Lewis County Fire District 15 will hold an open house and perform safety demonstrations after the parade. The Winlock Historical Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Renegade Rooster collection will be on display from 1-5 p.m. at 558 Rhoades Rd.
For more information on Egg Days, visit facebook.com/winlockeggdays or cityofwinlock.com.
