A Look Back in Time: Centralia Hosts Children's Pet Parade With 1,000 Pets, Owners in 1932

Apr. 29—More than 1,000 Lewis County children and their friends of the furry variety participated in the annual Pet Parade put on by Centralia's chamber of commerce in April 1932.

The brainchild of the chamber's Retail Trade Committee, the pet parade gave kids the chance to strut the streets of Centralia to show off their littlest family members.

"Not only were children in the procession, but hundreds of dogs, cats, rabbits, chicken, goats, birds, guinea pigs and every other class of animal or fowl that could be classed as pets," reported The Chronicle. "One entrant led a sheep, two had fish and even mice and turtles appeared."

The parade was formed at a local park and was led by the Centralia High School marching band and police officers on motorcycles.

The route took participants along Tower Avenue north of Hanson Street before countermarching along Magnolia Street, where several prizes were awarded.

"The judges of the parade, Mayor Tom Rowswell, W.H. Cameron and Ray W. Edinger, had a real job picking winners out of the motley array that was offered for their inspection," reported The Chronicle.

Some of the awardees included Letha Fletcher's best bird entry, James Goss' best trick dog, Betty Louise Smith's homeliest pet, Lorna Lyness' largest pet (a horse), Junior Barger's funniest pet, Carl Yantis' best farm pet and Harold Woody's largest dog.

The Fox Theater opened up for a free show for the kiddos after the marching concluded, though the animals were barred entrance to the entertainment venue.

It was not mentioned in the article whether there were hundreds of pets patiently awaiting their owners' return out in the theater's surrounding streets.

April 30, 1932:

—Susan N. Ingersoll, then 70, of Toledo, died the previous Thursday at the home of her sister, Eliza Jackson, of Montesano. Funeral services were set to be held at 2:30 p.m. on April 30, 1932, at the Presbyterian Church.

—"School men from all parts of the district were here today for a meeting of the Southwest Washington Principals' Association," reported The Chronicle. The morning and afternoon sessions were held at the Lewis and Clark Hotel.

—An ongoing litigation of whether the Cowlitz, Chehalis and Cascade Railway should see an extension and what receivership it would have had was rescheduled to a hearing in Lewis County Superior Court at 9:30 a.m. May 10, 1932. The postponement occurred at about 3 p.m. on April 29, 1932, when L.B. da Ponte, attorney for the NP Railroad, announced that he and the attorneys for two other rail companies had no more witnesses to present at the time.

—The first-ever American Legion Auxiliary Bridge Tournament in Centralia came to a close after three installments, separated by a week. "Mrs. Theodore Hoss and Mrs. Harold Clark" took the W.

—Mary Bolliger, sister of the Luedinghaus brothers who were pioneer lumber operators in the area, died April 29, 1932, in Vancouver, Washington. Funeral services were set to be held at 11 a.m. the following Monday at Boone Mortuary.

—The First Baptist Church posted a strong financial position by the end of April 1932 during its annual congregational meeting. The church's general budget was touted as being balanced on a night when each of the church's departments raised their budgets for scrutiny.

—Toledo High School won a dual track and field meet put on in conjunction with Mossyrock High School. Toledo amassed 48 points to Mossyrock's 33.

April 30, 1942:

—There was only one local news story on the first page of 1942's April 30 edition of The Chronicle. Headlines for the national and international stories published by the paper included "Allies Dealt Blow in Burma," "Gigantic War Effort Asked by President" and "Japs Reach Railhead of Vital Route."

—R.S. Reynoldson, 49, of Rochester, was "attacked and gored" by a bull, reported The Chronicle. Reynoldson was transported to Centralia Hospital to receive treatment for his injuries.

—"Centralia High School's baseball crew downed a scrappy Tenino Beaver nine at Tenino Tuesday afternoon, 5 to 4, in a non-league tilt," reported The Chronicle. Centralia had 6 hits to Tenino's 7.

—Southwest Washington track and field elimination meets were scheduled at the end of April 1942, with subdistrict meets for Longview, Centralia and Hoquiam being planned.

—"Mr. and Mrs. Jens Ellington" became the parents of a daughter born the previous Tuesday. The babe was premature and had to be placed in one of the recently acquired infant incubators provided to local hospitals by the Centralia Mothercraft Club.

—E.O. McNeely was said to possess the ability to banish foot discomfort and bring lasting relief from aching feet.

—The Federated Church and Office Supply company was set to close its doors the following Saturday, so it hosted a store close-out sale. This listing appeared in the "Locals" section of the paper twice.

April 30, 1952:

—Jackie Triplett, 17, was elected as a queen candidate for the Southwest Washington Fair, which would convene in fall 1952. Triplett was chosen by members of the Chehalis High School student body.

—No charges were filed as a result of a traffic accident, which resulted in the death of Arthur B. Cobble the previous Tuesday. Cobble, then 75, of Centralia, was killed after his car collided head-on with John Hillis Jr.'s vehicle.

—"That old standby of the dinner table, potatoes and gravy, is going to be mostly gravy by this weekend in the Twin Cities with potatoes becoming scarcer by the day," reported The Chronicle. A survey reportedly informed the paper that local stores were running out of spuds.

—The annual GOP Convention in Chehalis was scheduled for 10 a.m. the following Saturday at the Chehalis Civic Auditorium. The convention was set to name 20 delegates for the state GOP convention, which would run May 23-24 in Spokane. Chairman Dale Nordquist was ready to work the gavel.

—Armed with a new stick of chalk, Chehalis Police Officer Lee Snaza readied himself to mount his motorcycle and hit the parking meters while keeping an eye out for chalk-marked tires. The move followed a recent ordinance which made parking all day in the business district a punishable offense.

—The Lewis County Treasurer's Office reported a rush of business as area residents scampered to pay their real estate and personal property taxes before the following Wednesday's deadline. Interest on yet-unpaid, first-half property taxes would be imposed starting May 1.

—The Fox Theater was showing two movies on April 30, 1952. "Bitter Rice" was scheduled for 7 and 10:24 p.m., while "Treasure of Lost Canyon" would show at 9:04 p.m.

----"A Look Back in Time" appears in every Saturday edition of The Chronicle. News clips were reviewed at the Lewis County Historical Museum.