Keeping the past alive at Crosby Days

Crosby Days started with a few old-fashioned events and 22 years later, organizers are keeping the tradition alive.

The admission-free family event is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, at the Crosby Community Club, 2135 Christopher Road Northwest. The fun gets started with a parade at 9 a.m. at the Camp Union store which proceeds to the community club.

“There will be a lot of military vehicles, fancy cars, Model Ts (in the parade),” event coordinator Darrell Durbin said.

He added that this is the first year there will be a large variety of Model T cars. The Kitsap Chapter of the Model T Club is displaying its classic vehicles, about 10 to 15 cars, including some that are from 1916, 1917, Durbin said.

“They’ll be a real thing to look at,” he said.

A wide assortment of activities for children will be available including games, train rides and face painting.

“There will be a lot of stuff for them to do, more stuff for kids this year,” Durbin said.

Other activities at this year’s Crosby Days will include the traditional logging events, a car show with more than 25 hot rods, a horseshoe tournament, food, craft booths, live music, a watermelon eating contest, a talent contest and the crowning of Miss Crosby.

“There will be a lot of things going on,” Durbin said.

It was 1983 when the community event first got its start and was made up of a variety of old-fashioned activities that ranged from a bubble-gum blowing contest and apple bobbing to tree climbing and even an axe-throwing contest which Durbin says can no longer be done because it is too hard to regulate it now.

“(Crosby Days) was really, really small and really old-fashioned,” he said.

Several traditional Crosby Days activities are still put on including the popular logging events.

“We still run all the old drag saws,” Durbin said. “There are a lot of logger roots in this area. People are intrigued when we bring in a big tree and cut it with a big drag saw. It’s something to look back on.”

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