Another fantastic Christmas at the End of the Road Celebration has passed. So many people contributed to this great event and celebration of 40 years of Westernization. Below are some photos from the event and the touching tribute that Rick Lewis and Julie Muyllaert presented to our community.
Santa Arrives By Snowmobile!
Free 5k Run had it's largest attendance yet!
Marti Darling, John Lester, June Gatewood, Herb Gatewood and Carol Lester all in attendance to be recognized for their contributions to our town's westernization
92 year old Bill Imes cut all the firewood for the Snowmobile Association burn barrels
We were able to surprise Georgia with some recognition
The recognition included Udell who led the wagon rides all day.
Marti Darling was thrilled to be recognized for all her incredible artwork.
The lone firework display was supposed to say "40" but "4U" worked just as well :)
Despite the canceled fireworks show town was packed and people had a great time!
Christmas at the End of the Road was started by Chamber of Commerce members Karen Patterson and Karen Lundgren many years ago as a way for the Winthrop business community to thank the local community for their support. A lot of people and businesses have contributed to making this year’s event a success and we want to take a moment to recognize the following individuals and organizations for their contributions:
The Methow Valley Snowmobile Association for cutting and providing the evergreen boughs used to decorate the business storefronts, and providing and staffing the burn barrels to keep us all warm this evening. (Bob Adams, president of mvsa accepted the certificate.)
We’d like to extend a special thanks to Bill Imes, an active Methow Valley Snowmobile Association member, who at 92 years of age, chopped all the wood for the barrels that are keeping our hands warm tonight. Bill’s involvement in the community goes back decades. In 1932 he and his brother started the building of the auditorium and park (barn) in 1932. Since then, Bill has been the main care taker of the cemetery and every weekend of the winter pulls the weenie wagon to provide lunch to all snowmobilers in the valley. (Bill was present to accept certificate)
Georgia Sanders, affectionately known as Grandma Winthrop, and her husband Udell Sanders. Georgia is the friendly face in the Visitor’s Center, served on the Christmas at the End of the Road committee and reads children’s holiday stories during the holiday weekend. And Udell is perennially roped into service to the Winthrop community, this year conducting the tractor rides for children and their parents between downtown and the Winthrop Barn for the Santa Photos and the Children’s Winter Fest. (Georgia and Udell were present to accept gifts and certificates).
J&D Outfitters and Craig Boesel who provided the wagon and tractor.
Jerry Palm of Palm Construction who provided the big rig and Rich and Dolly Stahl who provided the ‘snowdeers’ for Santa’s grand arrival to Winthrop this year. Dolly also served on the Christmas at the End of the Road planning committee.
The Winthrop Kiwanis for all their service to our community and for this celebration, their leadership in making a lot of children happy by creating the Kid’s Winter Fest at the Winthrop Barn. (Bob Stone, president of the Winthrop Kiwanis, accepted the certificate). The Women’s Auxillary for the abundance of cookies and hot chocolate for the little ones at the Winter Fest. The Barn Auditorium Association for providing hot dogs and beverages and Methow Arts for facilitating the holiday arts project.
Doug Mohre, co-owner of Sheri’s Sweet Shoppe, for his seemingly endless enthusiasm for and commitment to bringing a spectacular fireworks show to Winthrop. Every year Doug raises approximately $15,000 to treat us to the best little fireworks show in the West.
We’d also like to thank Mike Walker, owner of the Winthrop Red Apple Market, for his corporate level sponsorship of the fireworks this year and North Village properties for providing the launch site for this year’s firework show.
The theme of this year’s event is Celebrating 40 Years of Western Spirit.
Turning Winthrop into an 1880s western theme town was the dream of Otto Wagner. Wagner owned the Wagner Lumber Company sawmill in Twisp, a major valley employer. After Otto’s death in 1967, his wife Kathryn took up Otto’s dream. She hired architect Robert Jorgensen, who had transformed Leavenworth into a Bavarian theme town, and by the fall of 1969 the plans and materials started coming together. Each business or property owner was to put in $2,000 and Mrs. Wagner would put in the rest. The project was overseen by the Kiwanis Foundation with Howard Weller as project superintendent.
100 percent participation of downtown property owners was required for the project to go forward but there were three holdouts. Representatives of the Kiwanis Foundation negotiated with the three owners and bought them out to meet the 100 percent requirement.
I’d like to invite Carl Miller from the Winthrop Kiwanis up to accept a certificate of our appreciation for the commitment of the Kiwanis to the project.
Larry Higbee, whose Higbee Cabinet Works was located where Almquist's Old Time Pottery Shop is today, was construction foreman for the Westernization project. In a recent presentation at the Winthrop Barn, Larry shared he had about 20 employees working on five-man crews and that every building had to be rebuilt according to the strict specifications of the architect. The power and phone lines had to be put underground and the sidewalks torn up and replaced with boardwalks. They couldn’t use any finish nails; only headed nails. His construction crews started on what was then the Trail’s End Motel building and worked down the street.
Chet Endrizzi was the project painter. Endrizzi researched paints used in the late 1800s/early 1900s and spent an entire winter painting on boards to make them look old. Marti Darling took over the brush from Chet and created many of the murals that we see throughout town today. Marti was recently coaxed out of retirement and is currently restoring several of the town’s murals. Marti, thank you for your contributions. (Marti accepted her certificate).
We have a family with us this evening that played a pivotal role in advocating for the westernization of Winthrop. John Lester, who was born in a house behind the Duck Brand Saloon, and his father-in-law Herb Gatewood, owned Herb and John's Inc, a hardware, dry goods-and-more store that extended from the corner of Sam’s Place to the corner where the Emporium now sits. John was one of the youngest businessmen in town at that time and went on to serve 14 years on the Winthrop Town Council and 12 years on the Westernization Committee. He and his wife Carol still own several building in Winthrop today, including the White Buck Trading Co. (Herb and June Gatewood and John and Carol Lester accepted their certificates)
There are several people who could either not join us today or who are no longer with us that we’d like to acknowledge:
Otto and Kay Wagner
Robert Jorgensen
Chet Endrizzi
Hugh Glassburn
John Husselton
Bill Walker
Elanor Drake
Janet Burkel
Washington State Department of Transportation
Okanogan County Commissioners
Winthrop Town Council
Congressman Tom Foley
Governor Dan Evans
That is it for our program for the evening. Don’t forget to contribute to the time capsule, which will be un-earthed in 40 years. Sign your name on the scroll or write a letter to a friend or family member. We invite you to enjoy some anniversary cake and enjoy the Fireworks Extravaganza, sponsored by the Winthrop Red Apple Market and dozens of individuals and businesses.
