As the Southwest Washington Fair winds down this weekend, members of the ABATE of Washington Lewis County Chapter will hold their 22nd annual Kickback Campout at Olsen Field, located at 141 Tucker Road in Ethel.
Events include bike games, cribbage showdowns, cornhole and more with live music and, of course, plenty of beer and food for those camping. Gates open at noon on Friday, Aug. 14. The event runs through Sunday, Aug. 16.
This event is for those 21 and older. The cost is $50 for ABATE members and $60 for non-members, which includes beer and food. Proceeds benefit ABATE scholarships for Lewis County high school students, according to ABATE member Paul Mordick.
“We support eight high schools in Lewis County with scholarships,” Mordick said on ABATE’s website. “Elk Country chapter takes care of the three in the east end of the county. Plenty of summer left! Get out and enjoy it while it lasts. Seems like the seasons go by fast these days. Maybe I’m just getting old. Remember to be careful out there. Watch out for the tar snakes on hot days. Always be looking out for the person not looking out for you. Mike Campbell, a long time ABATE and Lewis County chapter member, recently passed away. He will be missed. He was always supportive of ABATE and motorcyclists’ rights. A good friend to all that knew him.”
ABATE — which stands for A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments — of Washington is a nonprofit dedicated to motorcycle safety, education, awareness and freedom of choice.
To learn more, visit the Lewis County chapter’s website at https://www.lewiscountyabate.org/.
And while the sounds of motorcycles will fill the air this weekend at Olsen Field, they will be replaced by the sounds of old tractors and steam threshers along with tractor pulls next weekend, during the fourth Olsen Field Progress Days on Aug. 22 and 23.
Local vendors and food trucks will be on hand, along with a beer garden. Entry is $5 per person, with gates opening at 9 a.m. both days. Tractor pulls begin at noon on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday.
This event is open to all ages. The entrance will be located at 111 Tucker Road.
Olsen Field Progress Days was started by property owner Ken Olsen along with members of the Cowlitz River Two-Cylinder Club, who wanted to keep this kind of event going in the region after the longstanding Cowlitz Prairie Grange Threshing Bee ended just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of the ABATE Lewis County chapter also help organize this event.
First held in 1964, the Threshing Bee ended after the property owners of the location where it used to be held did not renew the lease with the Cowlitz Prairie Grange for the land.
Like the old Threshing Bee, steam-powered hit and miss engines will be on display along with the modern tractors in the pull competitions.
For more information on Olsen Field Progress Days, call Olsen at 360-978-6040, and to learn how to sign up for the tractor pull competition, call Cowlitz River Two-Cylinder Club President Matt Hamrick at 360-880-0549.
