Six times through the bouncy tunnel, and 3-year-old Owen Weller showed no signs of tiring. Over at the dunk tank, Olivia the dog was running in circles trying to catch the spray from a huge squirt gun. Across the street, a couple danced in the hot afternoon sun to “Down the Road,” and in the arts pavilion, John Mullen coached kids on how to chant and drum. The Clan Gordon Pipe Band shook the walls and floor of Smokey Joe’s Tavern with “Amazing Grace” and then cracked jokes about bagpipes and accordions while they posed for photos.
Snoqualmie’s annual Railroad Days seemed to be non-stop action, but there were quiet moments, too. More than 25 artists, including 8-year-old Rachel Holloway, found quiet, shady spots to paint. One street over, people could take a leisurely wagon ride down Falls Avenue, or get their hair glammed up with feathers and other hair bling. On Sunday, there were 170 classic, custom, well-loved cars shining on Railroad Avenue, and throughout the weekend, the Corner Building offered a chance to get out of the sun and get a close look at the huge track set up by the Northwest Model Railroaders.
On Saturday afternoon, members of the Snoqualmie Valley Arts assembled at The Black Dog to make the difficult choice of the winner of the Plein Air Paint Out poster contest. Ron Raasch, of Powell Butte, Ore., won for his watercolor painting of the train engine outside the Northwest Railway Museum. This is his first appearance at the increasingly popular paint out, and he’d been looking forward to it since registering last February. But he almost didn’t make it because not a hotel room or campsite in the area was open.
Paint Out organizer Jeff Waters offered to host Raasch and his wife for the weekend, so Raasch decided to come after all. Now he says he has to come back next year, and as far as his accommodations, “I suppose we’ll have to negotiate that over the next year.”
Fun run results were posted on the Corner Building, and are also online at www.runsnoqualmie.com. Parade winners were announced throughout the day, and will be posted on www.railroaddays.com. For car show results, visit www.legendscarclub.net.