Splash Bash a Hit for Tenino Quarry Pool

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The Splash Bash dinner and auction brought a veritable who’s who of local personalities to Tenino on Saturday. The fundraiser put on by the Tenino Chamber of Commerce raises funds for the upkeep of the historic quarry pool in town. 

“It was well attended. There were all kinds of people from Tenino and all over regionally. All of the county commissioner candidates and elected officials from Olympia were there,” said Mayor Wayne Fournier. 

In fact, the popular fundraiser brought in a record amount of money last weekend, with funds coming in right around $22,000.

“That’s just north of our record,” said Tenino Chamber of Commerce President Tyler Whitworth. "We're just very pleased with how much the community came in and supported that event."

The city’s popular public pool is located inside the cavernous belly of the former working sandstone quarry that literally formed the building blocks of Tenino. Fittingly, the Splash Bash was held inside the Tenino community center known as The Vault, which was constructed from chunks of that very same sandstone.



The dinner and auction event, which Fournier says has been happening for “at least the last two decades,” offers attendees a chance to buy many unique goods, services and opportunities. Those opportunities included lunch dates with Fournier and new Tenino Police Chief, Don Moody.

Auction items did not begin and end with high-profile lunch dates though. 

“There were lots of auction items. Everything from children's toys to weekends in Seattle. Mariners tickets. Gardening benches. It ran the gamut. The room was entirely wrapped in auction items,” said Fournier, who noted that the items were all donated to the quarry cause. 

“It’s been put on by the Chamber of Commerce the whole time so the Chamber recognizes the importance of the pool to the city,” added Fournier. “It’s one of our claims to fame I guess.”