Arts Stage

Located under the pavilion at Community Railroad Park. Wine Garden sponsored by Northwest Railway Museum featuring Sigillo Cellars wines!

SATURDAY, AUGUST 17TH

10:00 – 11:00 SNOQUALMIE VALLEY WINDS

11:15 – 12:15 ERIC FRIDRICH/LEIF TOTUSEK “LOVE GANGSTERS”

12:15 – 12:45 CASCADE DANCE ACADEMY

1:00 – 2:00 BIFF MOSS

2:15 – 3:15 RYEGRASS

3:30 – 4:00 ALESSANDRA

4:15 – 5:45 CASCADE JAZZ

6:00 – 8:00 MAPLE VALLEY BIG BAND 40’s DANCE

SUNDAY AUGUST 18TH

10:30 – 11:30 FUTURE VOICES OF THE VALLEYS’ SHOWCASE

11:30 – 12:00 KAIYA BUFFELIN

12:00 – 12:30 WILL CHADEK

12:30 – 1:00 LUCIA FLORES WISEMAN

1:00 – 1:30 ISABELLA CARLONE

1:30 – 2:30 ARTHUR KEAST

2:30 – 3;00 BRIAN KOHLER

3:00 – 4:00 SUSANNA FULLER

Main Stage

The Main Stage will be held in King St lot at Falls Ave. Join us for a Friday Night Music Crawl in advance of the event!

Beer Gardens provided by Snoqualmie Falls Brewery and the Bindlestick Cafe. Performances include:

Friday Night Music Crawl

7:30pm – 10:30pm – Black Dog – Brooksie Wells

9pm – 10pm – The Bindlestick – Everson Pines

10:30pm – 11:30pm – Smokey Joes – Steal Beans

Saturday, August 17

Noon – 12:45pm – The W Lovers

1:05pm – 1:50pm – Deacon Raleigh Saint James

2:10pm – 3pm – Susie G

3:25pm – 4:25pm – Together Collective

4:50pm – 5:50pm – Garrett & the Sheriffs

6:10pm – 7:10pm –  Blake Noble

7:35pm – 8:35pm – Mr. Feelgood & the Firm Believers

9pm – 10:00pm – Cytrus

Sunday, August 18

Noon – 1pm – Birch Pereira & the Gin Joints

1:20pm – 2:20pm –  Sparkfarmer

2:40pm – 4pm – Los Orchids

Snoqualmie Railroad Days is an annual festival that celebrates all things “Trains, Timber, Tradition.” But the original Snoqualmie Days celebrated a specific and important event – the arrival of the town’s first fire truck.

Before the fire truck, fires were suppressed using two hose carts operated by volunteers. When a fire was detected, a volunteer would run to the fire siren (still heard downtown each day at noon) to summon help. The first volunteer to arrive would grab a hose cart and run to the fire.  Despite best efforts, volunteer firefighter and later fire chief, Martin Fringer, recalled that even an “average fire meant a completely burned building.”

By the 1930s, efforts to establish an official fire district and raise funds for a community fire truck were underway. In March of 1939, voters passed a $5,000 bonds measure for the purchase of new firefighting equipment.

“The Church is on fire!”

Before the new truck arrived, however, disaster struck. In the early afternoon of May 10, a fire started in the downtown church woodshed. The origin of the fire has never been determined. However, a group of boys seen running from the woodshed as the fire quickly spread caused speculation.

Volunteer firefighters and community members immediately jumped into action. Margaret Hackney rushed into the burning building to save the hymnals within. Her husband, volunteer firefighter Frank Hackney, arrived with the hose cart. The “water pressure…was not strong enough to break the windows to get water in the church” he recalled, “We had to use rocks.” Despite being dressed in a “nice new grey suit with a grey fedora hat,” Charlie McGarrigle, an ex-firefighter from Renton and manager of Puget Power, also ran towards the fire. According to Frank, Charlie “grabbed the [hose] nozzle and…went so fast I tripped on the step, and the only thing that kept me up was hanging on to hose.”

Lorna Jean (Wallace) Young was in second grade arithmetic class when the fire started. Hearing shouts from other students, she looked out her window and saw “smoke billowing up over town.” Her teacher, Miss Peggy McKay, insisted students return to their desks and work for the remaining ten minutes until lunch recess.

“Five volunteer firemen of the Snoqualmie fire department narrowly missed death when a 400-pound church bell plunged down from the burning steeple – barely five feet from the firemen.” – Snoqualmie Valley Record, May 11, 1939

As Young fled home, she was “stopped dead in her tracks,” horrified at what she was witnessing. As she gathered herself, she heard yelling come from inside the church. “Then, I saw the men run out just a fraction of a second before the [church] bell came crashing down.” The bell was so hot, it was said, that it sizzled in the water that was collecting on the church floor.

Despite the damage, the church structure was saved and rebuilt six months later. And the old bell that came crashing down was re-installed in a new steeple.

Fire truck arrival and celebration

While the church fire was devastating for the community, the arrival of the new fire truck just two months later was cause for celebration. On July 29, residents came out to participate in the first Snoqualmie Days festival, later to be known as Snoqualmie Railroad Days. Volunteer firefighters sold red cardboard fireman hats for 25 cents to raise funds for the department. Any man caught without a red hat was said to be subject to a 10 cents fine. The event included a parade, street dance, carnival and even a water fight between the Snoqualmie and Issaquah fire departments.

“Trains, Timber, Tradition”

Today, Snoqualmie Railroad Days celebrates many aspects of the city, its history, and its community members. The Snoqualmie Firefighters Association continues their central role in this event by hosting an annual fundraiser pancake breakfast, raffle, and silent auction. And the fire truck? It remains a central feature of Snoqualmie Railroad Days and continues to be included in the annual Grand Parade, nearly 80 years later.

Thanks to our friends at Snoqualmie Valley Museum for providing historical accounts of the church fire and the early Snoqualmie Volunteer Firefighters. Historical images provided by Snoqualmie Valley Museum. Pancake breakfast image provided by Snoqualmie Firefighter’s Association.

]]> https://railroaddays.com/grand-marshal/ Fri, 01 Jun 2018 18:08:56 +0000 https://railroaddays.com/?page_id=1944 Grand Parade and Kiddie Parade

The Grand Parade has been the central feature or Railroad Day since 1939! And, back by popular demand, the Kiddie Parade kicks everything off.

Applications for the parade can be found here.

Questions? Contact our festival coordinator at elizabeth@TrainMuseum.org.

Each year, the Snoqualmie Railroad Days committee selects a community member to serve as Grand Marshal to head the annual Grand Parade. Grand Marshals are selected in recognition of their dedicated service to the community of Snoqualmie. in 2018, committee members selected Snoqualmie City Clerk, Jodi Warren, for the distinguished title. You can read about Jodi here.

The Snoqualmie Depot is located at 38625 SE King Street in Snoqualmie and faces SR 202 (Railroad Avenue). Traveling on Eastbound I-90

1. Take exit 27 “Snoqualmie & North Bend” ( there is only one ramp).
2. Turn left at the foot of the exit ramp and pass under the freeway. You are now on North Bend Way (formerly old I-90 and highway 10). Proceed for approximately 3/4 of a mile. (Stay in the right hand lane to go through the round-about at the Snoqualmie Casino.)
3. Turn left on Meadowbrook Way. Proceed for approximately 1/2 mile, crossing over the railroad tracks.
4. Turn left on Railroad Avenue (SR 202). (This intersection is signalized and features a local landmark called the Milkbarn.) Proceed approximately 1/2 mile into downtown Snoqualmie (you will be following the Museum’s railroad tracks). The Snoqualmie Depot is on the left at the intersection of King Street. There is diagonal parking on Railroad Avenue and parallel parking on side streets. There is an additional railroad parking lot off of Fir Street, one block north of the Depot.

Traveling on Westbound I-90

1. Take exit 31 “North Bend” (there is only one ramp).
2. Turn right at the stop. You are now on SR 202 (Bendigo Street) and in North Bend. Follow SR 202 for approximately six miles to Snoqualmie. The Snoqualmie Depot is on the left at the intersection of King Street. There is diagonal parking on Railroad Avenue and parallel parking on side streets. There is an additional railroad parking lot off of Fir Street, one block north of the Depot.

Join us as a vendor! Participating as a Snoqualmie Railroad Days vendor is a great way to connect with our thousands of annual visitors – from Snoqualmie Valley and beyond.

New in 2019: Local vendors (with a Snoqualmie Valley address) will receive a discount in honor of our 80^th anniversary! All Snoqualmie Valley based businesses, artists, and nonprofits will receive a $39 discount in honor of Snoqualmie Day’s first year, 1939. Business address must be verified for discount to apply. Acceptable documents must include both your business name and a Valley address (Snoqualmie pass to Preston). Example documents include utility bills, government issued documents, bank statement, proof of insurance, and mortgage or lease agreement. Questions? ask elizabeth@trainmuseum.org.

Apply Now!

Snoqualmie Railroad Days Vendor Application

Snoqualmie Temporary Business License All vendors (except non-profits who are not selling anything) must have a City of Snoqualmie business license or must apply to the City of Snoqualmie for a temporary business license. A $15.00 check made out to the City of Snoqualmie must accompany your form. Please mail it to the City of Snoqualmie, PO Box 987, Snoqualmie, WA  98065.

Bryan and Wendy of Carmichael’s Hardware

Sponsors

Snoqualmie Railroad Days sponsors help keep the event on track. They make the live music, parade, and other events possible We couldn’t do it without them, and we wouldn’t want to!

With over 11,000 visitors annually, Snoqualmie Railroad Days is truly a unique community festival. This year’s events will be scheduled from sun up (pancake breakfast) to well after sun down and span from Snoqualmie to North Bend, the Snoqualmie Falls, and beyond. Event partners include the Northwest Railway Museum, the City of Snoqualmie, the Snoqualmie Arts Commission and business and community leaders from the Valley. If you are looking for a fun and meaningful way to connect with your community, consider a sponsorship!

Become a Sponsor Today!

Contact elizabeth@TrainMuseum.org to learn how you can support Railroad Days!

Thank you 2019 Sponsors!

With Additional Support from :

Chapman Electric

Handy in the Valley

Mt Si Golf Course

Perteet Engineering

Sequoyah Electric

Sno Falls Credit Union

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Events

Railroad Days has built 80 years of tradition! Since 1939, the event has grown to include a Grand Parade, live music and entertainment, commercial and artisan vendors, a Family Field of Fun, TimberSports, Art in the Park and more! Of course, you can’t have Railroad Days without a working Railroad. The Northwest Railway Museum invites passengers aboard historic coaches for Train excursions to the top of Snoqualmie Falls and beyond!

80 years of Trains, Timber, Tradition

August 17 and 18, 2019

Snoqualmie Railroad Days is an annual festival held the third weekend of August in Snoqualmie, WA, just 30 miles east of Seattle.  Originally organized by volunteer firefighters to celebrate the arrival of the town’s first Fire Truck in 1939, Railroad Days celebrates all things Trains, Timber, and Tradition.

Today, Snoqualmie retains a strong connection to its past. Residents and visitors experience this connection while visiting the Historic Downtown Commercial Landmark District, Snoqualmie Falls, and the Northwest Railway Museum whose passenger rail program operates on the same rail line that brought the first regional tourists to the Falls on July, 4 1889.

Snoqualmie Railroad Days is your community festival – one stop for family fun. You won’t want to miss it!

With generous support from local partners: