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JOURNALEDITORIAL
KOMENCOMMENT
Trust me, Mason
Lake was a star
The huge stump of an old-growth fir
that once towered 200 feet over the
lake is still there. It remains, in
its way, as a monument to a day in 1957
when Mason Lake was the stage for an
event televised live nationwide.
Black and white TV, of course. Color
television was still in its developmental
infancy. And the lack of color from this
Mason Lake event was sadly noted by
the program host. ,'If only we had color
for you,!' was the woeful lament from the
star of the program.
"Such woods! Such forests!" He looked
out over "this beautiful Lake Mason!" for,
his national radio and TV audiences.
Those who watched
By JOHN
KOMEN
and listened were in the
millions, for he was the
biggest broadcasting
star in America. And
the tree stump is there
to remind us of who he
was and why he had
come all this way from
New York City to sit in
the rain at Mason Lake.
And it was raining,
steady, unrelenting
LETTERS
rain. We who live here understand and
empathize with the star and his retinue
of singers, musicians and production
people. In their sweaters and raincoats,
their instruments and themselves wet
and soggy, they huddled under tem-
porary shelters and broadcast for two
hours from lakeside at the Simpson Log-
ging Company recreation park.
Just to be there was a major event
in its self. Power cables and telephone
lines had to be strung to the still almost
primitive park. It was being used, and
still is today, by Simpson employees and
their families who camped out in tents
and shelters, using gas lanterns for light
and camp fires for warmth. It wasn't
what Simpson Park now offers -- camp
sites for trailers and RVs complete with
electric connections and running water.
But the star and his cast toughed it
out, and they seemed to enjoy it, or at
least they acted like they were having a
good time.
Even the singers smiled as they
scrunched under the hastily built lean-to
that sheltered a microphone, and there
they entertained the nation, all the way
from Mason Lake. One of the singers was
to become a TV star himself many years
later. A very young Ken Berry, the same
Ken Berry who became a fixture on the
TV show "Mayberry RFD" and later had
his own variety show on ABC. Fifty-five
years ago on the Mason Lake shore, he
strummed a ukulele and sang, appropri-
ately, "It's A Rainy Day".
The highlight of the two-hour show
praising Simpson's logging practices
was the actual falling of a huge tree, the
same tree that once towered from that
now forlorn stump. The tree, estimated
to be 350 years old, was worked by two
Simpson loggers, live on camera. The na-
tion was shown how the men made their
undercut to insure the tree fell where
they wanted--toward the lake. Then the
logger with the chain saw did his job,
and the old-growth fir crashed with a
huge "whoomp" sending a heavy spray of
water from the rain-soaked grounds.
Just before that event the great
climber Hap Johnson, then 35 years old,
on camera, rapidly climbed another old-
growth fir and topped it 150 feet high
with just his hand saw.
But back to the stump. It is still large,
but ragged with age. A maple tree that
took root in the stump is now a hundred
feet high.
But as we said, the stump is still here.
And there, too, is a weatherworn wood
sign affixed to a sturdy post. Carved in
the sign are the words: "The Arthur God-
frey Tree."
I hear the younger generation asking:
Who is Arthur Godfrey?
Fifty-five years ago you'd know. He
was big, boys and girls. He was really
big.
Trust me.
WORDONTHESTREET
• John Komen, who lives on Mason
Lake, was for 40 years a reporter and
editor, TV anchorman, national TV net-
work correspondent, producer, columnist,
editorial writer and commentator. His
column, Komen Comment, appears each
week in the Shelton-Mason County Jour-
nal.
Community events prove county's merit
wo successful events in the last
two weeks, the 68th annual Ma-
son County Forest Festival and
the first big race of the year at the new
Ridge Motorsports Park, prove we live
in a community that knows how to get it
done.
Both events brought hundreds of visi-
tors to Mason County, and were welcome
distractions from what was one of the
most violent weeks in our area's history.
Most of the reviews we have seen on
The Ridge have been positive, and we
expect the facility will continue to bring
thousands of visitors to the area every
year- visitors who rent motel rooms,
dine at our restaurants and shop in our
business district -- providing a much-
needed economic shot in the arm. of living in a tight-knit community. It's
The Forest Festival was a success, as evident by the attendance that we are
usual, but event organizers are worried not alone in our reasoning. Too often,
about its future. More community mem~ though, we see the same names and fac-
bers need to step up and volunteer their es giving so generously of their time and
time and money or the long-running money so that others have an enjoyable
festival will perish. It takes financial experience.
support and hundreds of volunteer hours We urge those who are able to donate
from businesses and the community at financially to the area festivals to do so,
large to put on a quality event like the and those who are unable to help finan-
Forest Festival. cially to give the gift of time. Either is an
'That the festival is popular was evi- excellent investment and one that will
denced by the overflowing support from pay dividends for years to come.
visitors and area residents. Every event, In what would have otherwise been a
from the parade and carnival to the runs couple of very dreary weeks for Mason
and logging events, were well attended. County, event organizers put on a great
Community events, such as the For- festival despite being stretched incred-
est Festival, are one of the key benefits ibly thin. For that, we applaud you.
0
Festival a
success
Editor, the Journal
Kudos to the Forest Fes-
tival parade staff. "Jesse
Young for Congress" volun-
teers want to thank the pa-
rade staff for the award for
Most Creative Float. It was
very fun participating in
the festivities. Our thanks
to our float master Lori
Wood of Harstine Island,
and also to the fun-loving
and gifted musicians, Freed
Radicals Band from New
Horizons Church of God,
who entertained us before
and during the whole pa-
rade. Remember the name,
Jesse Young, when you
vote. He's a strong voice for
conservative politics and
will represent the sixth
district well. We praise
God for his many bless-
ings, including great parade
weather.
Jan and Bernie Walton
Harstine Island
How has the privitizations of liquor sales affected you?
Jonathan Porter
Nykol Garramone
"I'm an ex-alcoholic. I don't like the feeling that I get. It's more "It doesn't really bother me. The increase in tax is quite pricey.
of a temptation." I didn't vote for it (and) it shows me the people that did vote for
it didn t read the initiative.
Ed Lapinski
USPS 492-800
"I voted against it. I was told a long time ago the prices would go
Shelton-Mason County Ii~ up. No matter what you do, somebody's going to be unhappy."
-- ...... ___._ _m__
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