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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
December 1, 2011     Shelton Mason County Journal
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December 1, 2011
 
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Thursday, December 1, 2011 -- Week 48 -- The Voice of Mason County since 1886" Published in Shelton, Washington -- $1 Former Journa pno[o Dy atalle Johnson Evergreen Elementary School's physical education teacher Kenn Clark runs from students during the 32nd Turkey Trot. Children take to the streets for annual Turkey Trot By NATALIE JOHNSON Evergreen Elementary students gathered last Wednesday for a yearly ritual spanning more than three decades at the school - the annual Turkey Trot. "They've done it as long as the school's been here," Evergreen parent Sharon Fogo said. Kenn Clark, physical education teacher at Evergreen. volunteered to dress up as the turkey for the 32nd Turkey Trot. While the race is a quarter-mile long for kindergarten through second-grade students and a half-mile for third- through fifth-grad- ers,'Clark said the race is mostly for fun. Tiny turkey enthusiasts normally run on loop field, but heavy rains made the field a soupy mess, so the school roped off a city block and ran the race in the street. Fogo has two daughters in the race, fourth- grader Sierra and second-grader Jenessa, The Fogo family has a proud history of doing well in the race, she said. "My second-grader, when she was in kin- dergarten, she won the Turkey (Trot), so now she puts all this pressure on herself," Fogo said. Fogo's daughters aren't the only ones who take the race seriously, and for good reason. In each grade, the winning boy and girl each take home a turkey. The second place girl and boy in each grade get chickens, third gets a game hen and fourth place winners take home a dozen eggs. Evergreen staff members said they mar- vel each year at how a dozen eggs get safely home with an elementary school student. ason By NATALIE JOHNSON Mason County's local fair has been in a precarious po- sition since the county elimi- nated the event from its bud- get in 2010. In spite of the long odds against it, the Mason Area Fair will once again go on, with new leadership in 2012 and is scheduled for Friday, July 27 through Sunday, July 29. "Something that's been going on for over 100 years. Why wouldn't you wan~ to see it continue?" said Art Tozier. The Mason Area Fair As- sociation unanimously elect- ed a new executive board in November. Tozier was elected presi- dent of the board, with Julie Gray as wce president, Sha- ron Donaldson as secretary and Lissa McClanahan as treasurer. The only returning executive board member is Leilani Dixon as co-treasurer. In 2010. when the county announced it would no lon- ger put on a fair. a group of fair enthusiasts and super- intendents got together to create the Mason Area Fair Association, a nonprofit, in order to keep a local fair in Mason County. After two years, of put- ting on the fair. the associa- tion needed a new executive board for 2012. IllliJ!!l!i!il!!!!tli!llll will b Journa photo Dy Natalie Johnson Art Tozier, the newly elected president of the Mason Area Fair Association Executive Board, said counties need to work to preserve local fairs. community, if we have the capabilities to guide some- thing so pure as a commu- nity fair, then we should." Tozier said finding a new location for the fair needs to be a continuing conversation for the fair board. The current fairground property, near Sanderson Field on Port of Shelton property was leased to Ma- son County by the port for almost 50 years. In 2013, the original end of the "It didn't look like there was anybody who wanted to take the responsibility," Tozier said. "On a local level, if you don't have any sustainability in agricul- ture you have problems... I see it as something that needs to be carried for- ward." Tozier said the Mason County Fair, and agricul- ture, has always been a huge part of his life. "We're farming the same farm that has been farmed by my family for decades." he said. "I think it's truly truly important -- anything that connects people with their roots, family, agriculture." John and Rachel Han- sen, of Northwest Event Organizers, will also re- turn to organize the 2012 Mason Area Fair. After the 2011 fair, the Hansens announced that after two years, they would not organize the fair in 2012, after discourag- ing opposition from some members of the public. However, Rachel Han- sen said they reconsidered after seeing that by No- vember, no one else had stepped forward to orga- raze the fair. '%Ve waited and nobody else was doing it and I was surprised that a lot of peo- ple just kind of wrote the fair off. After a century, how can everything grind to a halt when two single people walk away?" she said. "With all the things that are being cut in our gain in 2012 county's lease, the Port of Shelton is required by the Federal Aviation Adminis- tration (FAA) to revert the land to airport use, and displace the fair. One way or another, the fair needs to go on, to help kids learn about agricul- ture and to bring the com- munity together, Tozier said. In an era when kids spend much of their time indoors playing video games and when many people don't know where their food comes from be- yond the grocery store, fairs are very important, he said. "It's important to keep traditions alive," Tozier said. "There's nothing more important than com- munity." Tozier and his fellow fair board members will begin working hard in January to put on the 2012 fair. "I don't know whether we can do a better job than anyone else has done but we ... can give it a good effort and stand behind something," he said. "If we do the things that are there better and add m it I bet it will be a success story." Fair association meet- ings are public and are usually on the first Mon- day of the month. There is no December meeting. The next meeting is at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 at the Port of Shelton admin- istrative office. SPD chief dies at 60 STAFF REPORT Former Shelton Police Chief Terry Davenport died Sunday, Nov. 27, following complications from a stroke. Davenport, who lived in Olympia, was 60 when he died. Davenport took over the Shelton Police Department in 2001 and retired this past March to take a job as a program manger for the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. Davenport's policing ca- reer began in Tumwater where he joined the force as a patrolman. While there, he Was promoted lieuten- ant patrolman, detective and acting commander. During his time there, he was responsible for bring- ing the D.A.R.E. program to Tumwater schools. Prior t'o becoming a policeman, Dav- enport served in the United States Army, from 1970 to 1985, including two tours in Vietnam. A complete obituary for Davenport appears in an ad on page B-7 of this week's Journal. Skok man's drowning ruled acCident By KEVAN MOORE Mason County Coroner Wes Stockwell has deter- mined that a 27-year-old Shelton man found dead on an Oakland Bay beach Fri- day, Nov. 25, died acciden- tally as a result of saltwater drowning. The fully clothed body of longtime Skokomish Res- ervation resident Edward Charles Cultee III. 27, was found by a couple walking the beach near Swindlers Cove Road. Investigators say that Cultee was a tran- sient at the time of his death and was likely living in a homeless encapment near where he die& Mason County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Dean Byrd said that there was no obvious trauma to Cultee's body or any other signs of foul play. Stockwell also said tha~ suicide was ruled om as a possible manner of death. An autopsy was performed Monday and toxicology re- sults are still pending. Journal, 40 et 8 Christmas donations surpass $7,000 A series of donations pushed the Journal and 40 et 8's Christmas baske~ fund past the $7,000 this week. The overall goal is to raise $40,000. Here's a closer look at the most recent donations: Sons of the American Le- gion, $200; Jim and Tina Nutt in Memory of Ted Hawk, $40: anonymous, $100; Mariano's Fine Jewel- ry, $300; Bill LaMont, $100; anonymous, $20: Shelton Kiwanis Club, $500: John and Patricia Tarrant, $100; Roslynne and David Reed, $300; Barbara W. McDow- ell, $100; Fawn Lake Ladies See Donations on page A-7