Editor’s Note: In honor of the 150th anniversary of George and Mary Jane Washington filing a plat that would later become the city of Centralia, Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston has compiled this list of “150 reasons to celebrate Centralia.”
Amenities and Activities
1. Centralia Arch: Beautiful gateway to our city.
2. Train Depot: This historic building is a great venue.
3. George Washington's Gravesite: Lovingly cared for by neighbors, this is a beautiful remembrance.
4. Discovery Trail: Quiet, beautiful trail along the Chehalis River.
5. Greenwood Cemetery: The city restored this cemetery and it has been the site of several services honoring veterans.
6. Southwest Washington Fairgrounds: A local resource for so many great events.
7. TransAlta Commons: This venue hosts everything from fundraisers to lectures and brings our community together.
8. Dick's Brewery: Julie and Dave Pendleton open the brewery doors Friday and Saturdays for a low-key, fun place for the community to connect.
9. Turf: Our sports fields are now turfed, allowing for year-round play.
10. Pickleball Courts on Gold Street: It seems like every time I drive by there are people using these courts.
11. Floating the Skookumchuck: Summertime fun.
12. Pints and Poses: Yoga and a pint once a month — need we say more?
13. Pine Street Plaza: A few people decided we should have a community gathering space, and then they did it. Pretty and helps keep us all connected.
14. Googly Eyes on Trees in Edison: I love this little bit of whimsy.
15. Centralia College Campus: The master plan has created a pedestrian gem in the heart of our city. Thank you Steve Ward and Dr. Mohrbacher!
16. Historic Homes: We have beautiful, historic homes lovingly cared for throughout our community.
Arts
17. Arts Community: Our arts scene is full of creatives making our community beautiful.
18. Evergreen Playhouse: Have you seen the set designs recently? They are staging wonderful productions.
19. Arts Walk: Each year, artists open their studio doors and share how they create.
20. Corbet Theatre: We are fortunate to have such a great venue here in town.
21. Washington Association of Culture and Arts (WACA): This emerging nonprofit started by Cameron McGee and others is building musical arts in Centralia.
22. NW Wind Symphony: Brings musicians together three times a year for high caliber community concerts in Corbet Hall.
23. Fox Theatre: A dedicated group of volunteers working to preserve our history.
24. Centralia Ballet Academy and SW Washington Dance Center: Both put on great Nutcrackers each year.
25. Arts-based businesses like Hubbub (Rebecca Staebler) and Rectangle Gallery (Jan Nontell) and Central Glassworks
City Team and Resources
26. Compost Program: Public Works provides low cost compost.
27. Leaf Program: The city's streets team picks up leaves each year for residents to keep our streets clear.
28. Our Aquifer: We have award-winning water protected by a forward-looking city water team.
29. City Staff: The city team is full of dedicated public servants.
30. Centralia City Council: I serve with six individuals who bring their hearts and souls to improving Centralia — Chris Brewer, Councilor Sarah Althauser, Max Vogt, Mark Westley, Norm Chapman and Adriana Garibay.
31. City Light: Did you know that our City Light team has ensured that we have substations on both sides of Interstate 5 built to withstand seismic events?
32. Public Comment: Our local residents regularly share perspectives and information.
33. The Centralia Clean Team: They clean up our streets and parks — need we say more?
34. The Centralia Stream Team: Keeping our waterways healthy.
35. Centralia Police Department (CPD): Our police department does excellent police work and community engagement.
36. Falling crime statistics: Our year-over-year crime rates are down in multiple categories — motor vehicle theft is down 57% and recovered stolen vehicles is up by 24%.
37. CPD Swearing In: If you haven't seen the swearing in of a new officer before, you should. Each person reads the code of ethics and family is there to support.
Downtown
38. Grit: This community is resilient and digs deep and rises to challenges.
39. Merchants Coffee: Every Friday, downtown merchants gather to support and collaborate with each other.
40. Centralia Downtown Association (CDA): MacKenzie McGee and the CDA board are preserving and evolving our thriving downtown with such creativity.
41. Downtown lights and flower baskets: The CDA and city partner to make our downtown beautiful.
42. CDA Block Parties: This is an award-winning innovative way to have business meetings and community gatherings and just plain fun.
43. Centralia Downtown Festivals Organization: Creative events like the Ghost Walk.
44. Girls Night Out: Twice a year, the ladies take over downtown.
45. Driving down Tower at Christmas: Our downtown is beautiful.
Economic Development and Education
46. Centralia Station and WinCo: Exciting to see new construction.
47. The Economic Alliance: Recently relocated to Centralia, the team is working hard to generate economic development here, including Richard DeBolt, Todd Chaput, Eric Sonnenberg, Dolly Tardiff, Amy Buzzard and Lenee Benham-Gackle.
48. Industrial Park at TransAlta: IPAT is a major resource for our future economy.
49. Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce: Cynthia Mudge and her team connect local businesses and provide fun ribbon-cuttings.
50. NW Sports Hub: Another vision for economic development brought to life and bringing thousands to Centralia most weekends.
51. Rising median income: We're seeing our median and average income rise. Not enough yet, but we're on the right track.
52. STP: For two days each summer, we welcome hundreds of people to our beautiful city who in turn use our hotels, restaurants and other amenities.
53. Local business owners: Our local business owners are our lifeblood. They create jobs. They support charitable needs and invest in our community. We couldn't exist without them.
54. Port of Centralia: The port staff and commissioners are an economic engine for us, focused on job creation. Commissioners are Kyle Markstrom, Julie Shaffley and Peter Lahmann.
55. Dr. Lisa Grant and the Centralia School District staff and board: They are working incredibly hard to improve our school district and we're seeing the changes thanks to Deb Parnham, Tim Browning, Cameron McGee, Sarah Holmes and Maritza Guzman-Bravo.
56. Centralia Athletic and Activities Facilities Fund (CAAFF): This group works tirelessly to raise money to support our school district
57. Centralia High School Construction Class: Teaching students a vocation while supporting meaningful projects.
58. Centralia Tigers: I'm inspired by the student-led process to create one identity in our school district.
59. United Learning Center: We expect this to open in September and provide early learning for our local families.
60. Centralia College: Now offering four-year degrees, affordable for our local kids.
61. Teachers and Coaches: We are blessed with educators who bring their best for our youth.
62. Dollars for Scholars: Our local community supporting kids and their future.
Events and Family Fun
63. Lighted Tractor Parade: A regional event that draws people to Centralia. Thanks, Mandi McDougall, for creating this!
64. Summerfest: Smalltown Independence Day fun!
65. The annual community college speech contest: Professor Jeff McQuarrie hosts students from all over the state each year, introducing them to Centralia.
66. Founder's Day: Celebrating our history each year. MacKenzie Mcgee and Hallie Ralls help make it happen.
67. Christmas Tree Lighting: a little smalltown Americana experience each year, complete with snow! Thanks, CDA.
68. National Night Out: Our police department and their partners put on a wonderful event each August for the whole community.
69. Juneteenth: This is a very special event each year. Jim McCully, Lujan Rodriguez, Usha Brooks, R Lea Green, Michael Green and Ibrahim Dembele help make it happen.
70. Centralia Pride: A local celebration planned and provided by our local community, including Wynne McHale and Stephanie Shields.
71. Hub City Car Show: A great summertime event.
72. Dia de la Independencia: A celebration of Latinx culture held each year.
73. Splash Pad: Fun in the sun!
74. Disc Golf at Rotary Riverside Park: An Eagle Scout project that is super fun.
75. Centralia Youth Sports: Committed to building the next generation of athletes and giving kids a great start.
76. Goodrich Pumpkin Patch: A family-friendly activity each year.
77. Centralia FFA: Teaching kids agriculture and caring for animals.
78. Wheeler Field: Baseball at its best.
79. Par 4 Sports: Offering fun activities year round for families.
80. Insert Coin: A unique family location.
81. Centralia High School Athletics: Bringing the community together to cheer on the Tigers.
82. Centralia Youth Soccer: A huge recreational program for our kids.
Flood Mitigation
83. Chehalis Flood Authority: J. Vander Stoep, Ron Averill and Edna Fund have worked for years to address flooding
84. China Creek Basin: this new-ish trail and flood mitigation project has provided recreation, beauty and protection.
85. River Gauges: Our river gauge system provides access to flood information for all.
We continue to see improvements with flooding. Our Centralia Community Development department has done some great work to make flood insurance cheaper, too.
Health and Housing
86. Schine Health: Levi and Patric Schine offer health care downtown Centralia.
87. Valley View Health Center: For 20 years, Valley View has been innovating health care delivery to provide access to local residents.
88. Northwest Pediatrics: Providing comprehensive health care to our local kids.
89. Health and Hope Medical: Provides free, walk-in health care every Tuesday in English and Spanish.
90. Hope Alliance Lewis County: Providing support to victims of abuse.
91. Providence Centralia Hospital: We have emergency care and hospital services right here.
92. Centralia Farmers Market: Local, fresh produce and products.
93. Emergency Room Diversion Program: Cascade Mental Health and the CPD partner to get immediate care for people with a mental health crisis and out of our ER.
94. New Shelter: a new, properly designed 70-bed shelter is being built on Kresky Avenue and should open this year. Sean Swope has been instrumental in this effort, along with many others.
95. Housing Improving: With over 800 units in the pipeline of all sorts of housing, we're definitely moving in the right direction.
96. Shalom Village: The vision of a partnership in the faith community to create high barrier, life changing housing options Harrison Square Presbyterian Church.
97. Scholar's Haven: a creative housing solution for high school seniors experiencing homelessness led by the United Way of Lewis County.
98. Dorms: Centralia College is partnering with the private sector to provide affordable student housing.
Kids and Kindness
99. Kiddin' Around: Strong board creating family and kid activities.
100. Business Week: This week is transformative for our high school juniors and brings together the community to support them, led by Cameron McGee and Naomi Robb.
101. Boys and Girls Club: Providing after school care for free to Centralia students, led by Sarah Althauser.
102. Free Laundry: A local church pays for laundry services at our local laundromat once a month
103. Twirl Foundation: Holly Phelps makes sure everyone has a pretty dress.
104. Local pastors: We have many local pastors working to heal and care for our community members.
105. Neighbors: We have some of the kindest, most generous people who care for each other.
106. Audrey Kimball: A long-term Centralian, she represents what is best of us.
Natural Environment and Parks
107. Mountain views: We can see views of Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams all over town.
108. Seminary Hill: We have a gorgeous urban forest right here in town, lovingly cared for by a team of volunteers, including Judy Bell and Brian Mittge.
109. 1,905 acres of shoreline: Seriously, what an incredible amenity we have.
110. Borst Arboretum: We have a beautiful arboretum right here in town.
111. WSU Master Gardeners: Tucked behind Borst Home is a working, educational garden.
112. Chehalis River Basin Land Trust: This volunteer group is dedicated to conserving ecologically significant lands, led by Pete Hammer.
113. Teitzel Road: One of my favorite drives to enjoy natural beauty right here.
114. Centralia College Campus in the Fall: The trees are some of the most beautiful we have.
115. Front yards in the Spring: A walk through any neighborhood brings joy with all the flowers.
116. Borst Park in the Spring: covered with beautiful white flowers, it's one of my favorite walks.
117. Open Space: We have over 250 acres of open space and natural corridors. This equates to 6 acres per 1,000 people.
118. The Red Rhododendron at the Nazarene Church: I look forward to it every spring. Thank you, Stacy Ridgley.
119. George and Mary Jane Washington: Our founders gave us a value-based legacy.
120. Historians: Heather Beaird, Brian Mittge and others preserve our history and tell our story beautifully.
121. Veterans Memorial Walk: Located in Washington Park, this memorial pays tribute to our veterans.
122. Central Park: Love this micro park tucked away downtown.
123. Parkins Park: Hidden gem!
124. Borst Park Trails: I have spent many hours walking these trails.
125. Accessible Parks: Accessible play equipment at Riverside and Borst, an accessible trail at Seminary and more.
126. Parks Department: They care for over 438 acres of parks, trails and open spaces for us and do it with ingenuity, grit and dedication.
127. Washington Park: Our town history is here, it is the site of multiple events and includes our library too!
Partners
128. The Chronicle: A local newspaper reduces corruption and creates connection. Chad and Coralee Taylor make sure it stays a community paper.
129. Blue Zones: From weekly walking groups to trail signs, Shawna Harriford and JP Anderson have been instrumental in bringing blue zones activities to Centralia.
130. Centralia Rotary: With Robert Cox’s leadership and dedicated Rotarians, this group helps our Riverside Rotary Park, provides flag service and much more.
131. Lewis County Transit: They consistently provide creative community solutions for keeping us all on the move. Led by Joe Clark, Rebecca Towner and others.
132. Rotary Flag Service: This subscription service puts flags in front yards four times a year, honoring our veterans and displaying patriotism.
133. Visiting Nurses: Helping make health care equipment and services accessible.
134. The Chronicle News Dump and Sports Dump Podcasts: Keeping us up to date on all the local news with humor and a little snark from Eric Schwartz and Aaron VanTuyl.
135. The Salvation Army of Centralia: Gin and Steven Pack and their team are a steady, faithful presence for people in need.
136. Our United Way: Working to reduce poverty and support our community, led by Annie Oien.
137. Young Professionals of Lewis County: We have an emerging class of leaders in Centralia, and Young Professionals of Lewis County is helping to incubate them.
138. Volunteers: Centralia is blessed to have people generous with their time and talent. We’ll be recognizing them at our next city council meeting!
139. Tribal Partners: The Cowlitz and Chehalis tribes partner and support our community in many ways Dustin Klatush is a wonderful leader and partner.
Small Business
140. Good Health: Amazing store keeping us all healthy for more than 30 years, and you can find the wonderful Julie Shaffley there with her positive spirit and great advice.
141. Lewis County Coffee Co: Sam Magnuson has six sites in Centralia, keeping us caffeinated and providing local jobs.
142. The Juice Box: Sarah and Levi Althauser have created a community gathering spot with great food downtown.
143. Zap Master Electrology: Stephanie Shields located her business and vision here and then brought her energy and commitment to our community
144. Small Business Entrepreneurs: Our dreamers and risk-takers are incubating their businesses right here and trusting us to support them, including Lisa Little, Michelle Little, Rebecca Williams, Gildardo Hernandez and so many more
145. Kraken Board Shop: A small business born out of Braden's passion that supports our skate park and is a great presence in Rotary Riverside Park.
146. Farmers and Farm and Flourish: Growing our food and making good, fresh food available, led by owner Alliyah Perry.
147. La Tarasca: When I'm out of town, this is one of the first places mentioned by folks who have been to Centralia!
148. Awards West Printwares: A Centralia staple embodying the community spirit of Tom Alderson.
Vision for the Future
149. Hub City Greenways: 20-year vision for growing our city and adding 23 miles to our trail system over the next 15 years.
150. Hayes Lake Trail: Part of our Hub City Greenways vision, this trail will connect Riverside Park to Borst Park going under I-5 and providing a safe walking trail for students.
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Kelly Smith Johnston is the mayor of Centralia. She can be reached by email at kjohnston@cityofcentralia.com.
