Dave King unveils a project he and a team has been working on for the lighted tractor parade Monday afternoon at the King Agriculture Museum workshop in Centralia.
Dave King talks about King Solomon while pointing to a float he and a team has been working on for the lighted tractor parade Monday afternoon at the King Agriculture Museum workshop in Centralia.
Dave King talks about King Solomon as he unveils a float he and a team has been working on for the lighted tractor parade Monday afternoon at the King Agriculture Museum workshop in Centralia.
Dave King points to a rare collectible inside the King Agriculture Museum Monday afternoon in Centralia.
A 1964 Lamborghini 1-R tractor sits on display inside the King Agriculture Museum Monday afternoon in Centralia.
A Case-o-matic orchard tractor sits on display inside the King Agriculture Museum Monday afternoon in Centralia.
A rare USAF H1966 Tractor sits on display inside the King Agriculture Museum Monday afternoon in Centralia.
If baby Jesus were born in Lewis County in 2019 instead of Bethlehem oh so many years ago the age-old tale would likely have just one major change — Instead of riding a donkey around searching for refuge, the Virgin Mary and esteemed company might have found themselves riding around on the back of a decorated tractor.
Centralia’s Lighted Tractor Parade, a quintessential Lewis County happening if there ever was one, will take place at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14, in the historic downtown corridor. This year will no doubt be a special rendition of the seasonal tradition as it marks the 10th consecutive year that revelers have paused their busy holiday preparations in order to take in the bright lights, joyful sounds, and diesel smells of the parade.
“There’s thousands of people that turnout for this. There’s just no doubt about it. It’s become the event that people show up for because it’s grown so much,” said Dave King, purveyor of the King Agriculture Museum in downtown Centralia. “They limited the entries to 90 because the front catches the tail. It’s just one of those things that says, ‘Ok, it’s that season!’ It’s kind of the kickoff for us.”
A wise man, indeed, King has entered a float in every one of the Lighted Tractor Parades over the years and this year he’s got something special in the works. While he’ll once again be using his trusty 1976 David Brown tractor to pull a hay trailer, this year the rig has been outfitted with one of the light-up signs from the old King Solomon’s restaurant and lounge formerly located on Mellen Street.
King noted that he used his own crane to remove the sign and get it set up in inside his shop where folks like Aunnitta White, Herb Summer, Mike Gilligan, and Ron Bredl helped him put on the finishing touches. He added that the hay bale seats beneath the sign will be reserved for members of the Solomon family.
“There was 21 of us in the first parade and that was 2009. Every year I do something different. I don’t like repetition,” explained King who in year’s past has entered a lumber carrier, Peterbilt truck, and other machines outfitted with all the bells and whistles. “The one I got the best response from was when I put the ride-on train out of the Twin City Drive-In Theatre in this parade. The memories that brought back to the local people was unbelievable… I mean I rode on it as a kid. That’s the whole point. Just like this one. It’s the same thing.”
The Lighted Tractor Parade is a production of the Centralia Downtown Association and in 2015 they tabbed King as Grand Marshall of the event. This year, though, that honor has been bestowed upon the Gullett Family from Seedpod Farm. Those farmers will lead the procession from their perch on an orange serpentine trolly car that’s usually tucked away inside King’s museum. The trolley car, which will be familiar to Southwest Washington fairgoers, has been decorated by the Centralia Downtown Association and will be towed up and down Pearl and Tower streets by Fred Moses.
This year a shuttle service will be offered for attendees who don’t want to get stuck in the post-parade traffic jam. The Twin Transit shuttle will pick up and drop off at the Lewis County Mall between 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Donations of canned food and children’s toys will be accepted.
In addition to the evening’s festivities, King will be opening up the King Agriculture Museum for free all day for anyone who wants to poke around his world-class collection of antique tractors, equipment, and nostalgia inducing trinkets.
“We’re going to be here all day getting things ready to go so I figured, ‘Why not open it up to the public so they can see what’s going on inside?’” said King.
The King Agriculture Museum is located at 213 E. Maple Street in Centralia. Anyone with questions about the Lighted Tractor Parade can contact the CDA by phone at 360-827-1609, or go online to Downtowncentralia.org.
