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| May 18, 2017 Shelton Mason County Journal |  |
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After receiving
his own red
hat, Gov. Arthur
Langlie in 1955
"crowns" King
Douglas Fir
Dick Goodwin
in Olympia,
while Queen
Ariel Dunbar
enjoys the
moment.
Photo courtesy of
the Mason County
Historical Museum
HISTORY AT A GLANCE
orest Festival activities for
1955 officially kicked off on Feb.
14, with the queen's selection
dinner held at the Colonial House.
Each candidate for the royal
court delivered a brief talk
on "What the Forest Festival
Means to Me" before a seven-
member selection committee.
Irene S. Reed High School
senior Ariel Dunbar was By JAN
chosen as queen from among PARKER
six candidates elected by
the school's student body. Princesses
from the local high school were Sha-
ron Bain, Joan Baker, Martha Ann
Hermes, Nancy Sharpe and Gwen
Watson. Shirley Martin joined them as
princess from Mary M. Knight School.
Dick Goodwin was selected from
three candidates to be King Douglas
Fir, "a new position in the festival
realm of royalty." Kirby Cleveland
and Earl Minor became princes. A
few days later, the selection commit-
tee had to name an alternate princess
when Nancy Sharpe resigned from the
royal court. Gall Seibel, next in line in
the original list of girls from Irene S.
Reed, was chosen to replace her.
On Monday, April 4, the Forest
Festival court traveled to Olympia to
present Gov. Arthur B. Langlie with
the traditional symbol of the Forest
Festival -- a red woodsman'S hat. A
large contingent of Sheltonites ac-
companied the court on the Kiwanis
Club-sponsored trip, many members
cruising to the Capitol on Roy Kim-
bel's luxury yacht, "Flamingo." On the
return trip, the Forest Festival court
traveled on the "Flamingo" and Ki-
wanians returned to Shelton by auto.
More than 50 students in Mrs.
Esther Phillips' high school art class
submitted designs for the 1955 Forest
Festival button contest. Sharon Peste
won the competition, and buttons
featuring her design went on sale on
April 7. As had been his tradition for
many years, Gus Olafson bought the
first one, sold to him by Mrs. Merle
Waters at the Journal office, and add-
ed it to the collection of buttons pinned
to his red hat.
For many years, Sheltonites
sported a traditional Forest Festival
"costume," in which red hats and plaid
shirts played prominent roles. On
April 18, 1955, city and county officials
proclaimed April 18 through May 14
to be "Red Hat Month." All local resi-
dents were urged to wear the red hats
as a means of creating Forest Festival
spirit.
A story in the April 14 Journal
said the festival was in danger of los-
ing one of its most popular acts -- the .
square dancing performance that was
traditionally included in the Forest
Festival Pageant. The Journal ap-
pealed to local square dance groups to
supply four couples to appear in the
pageant and to make a trip to Seattle
to appear on television for pre-festival
publicity.
From April 25 through May 14, all
letters leaving the Shelton Post Of-
fice received a cancellation that read
"Forest Festival, Shelton in May,
Keep Washington Green." The
festival committee paid the cost
of having the special dye made.
In the week leading up to the
parade, work crews decked the
town in festive flags and bunting,
and set huge replicas of Paul
Bunyan at the corners of First
and Railroad street, to greet visitors.
Downtown merchants decked out their
windows with Forest Festival displays.
Just prior to the Pageant and Fun
Fest that took place at Loop Field on
Thursday and Friday night before the
parade, five 2,000-watt surplus Navy
lights were hooked to the overhead
announcelZs box in the grandstands to
illuminate the pageant stage.
The first 45 minutes of the show
featured the Queen Ariel, ruler of a
great forest kingdom, receiving her
crown. Fifth- and sixth-grade students
played the queen's subjects and music
was provided by the combined junior
high band and senior high chorus. To
celebrate the kingdom's mood of joy at
the coronation of their queen, a Seattle
dance troupe performed "authentic
Northwest Indian dances," local ninth-
grade students performed folk dances,
and square dance couples Fred and
Jean Archer, Jim and Pauline Barrom,
Dick and Marian Saeger, and Bud
and Wanda Wyatt, who had answered
the Journal's call, also performed,
with Al Hughes as caller. The March
of the Forest Guards that closed the
coronation segment was followed by a
90-minute Fun Fest, featuring KING
TV's Junction Jamboree, starring
SheriffTex.
Saturday's parade drew over 25,000
spectators and more than 100 entries,
including 11 in the Schools and Com-
munities Division, which Mary M.
Knight School won "by an eyelash."
The logging show at Loop Field fea-
tured world-famous highclimbers Hap
Johnson, Malcom Harper and Stan
Lyon competing in speed climbing and
tree topping. Other events included
ax throwing, log chopping, log truck
driving (through an egg-lined course),
and bucking and falling events. South
Olympic Tree Farm presented a tree
planting demonstration, and the Shel-
ton Fire Department joined with U.S.
and State foresters in a live demom
stration of fire fighting.
According to the Journal, when Ma-
son County's llth annual Forest Fes-
tival became history at about 4 p.m.
on Saturday, May 14, "an estimated
25,000 witnesses would attest to the
fact that it equaled; if not exceeded,
any of its predecessors."
• Jan Parker is a researcher at the
Mason County Historical Museum. She
can be reached at parkerj@hctc.com.
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