Washington Summer Classic holds strong for 6th year

The city of Washington was packed over the weekend as individuals came out to celebrate the annual Summer Classic.

The four-day event kicked off on Thursday, May 30, with Ag Day. The expected rain held off and made for a night full of learning as kids were encouraged to climb on tractors and other farm equipment as well as learn from local producers.

The Washington County 4-H Elite Professionals Team brought animals to encourage kids to get in touch with the livestock that can be found in the area. Hailey Shultz, a member of the team, said she enjoys showing the animals to kids because many of them do not have the opportunity to get close and personal with them.

'It brings out the agriculture to show the excitement about the animal and just kind of shows them the livestock side and the things that we see every day,” she said.

The theme for Friday, May 31, was Family Day. With most kids still in school this year, the morning was perfect for younger kids to try activities of their own.

Ryan Harris, sports director at the Washington YMCA, said this was his second summer volunteering at Family Day and what he enjoys most is having a place outdoors to encourage people to be active. He said numbers were down this year because of school still being in session, but said that only resulted in more activities for non school-age kids to play and participate in activities more geared toward their abilities.

The big event on Saturday, June 2, was the 1,000 ducks in the fountain. Local rescue divers sat inside and helped kids 'fish” for ducks. On the bottom of each duch was the name of a business. By returning the duck to said business, kids could earn a $2 bill.

Michelle Redlinger, director of the Washington Chamber of Commerce, said this tradition is a favorite of locals, and for her, too. She said by hosting fun activities that encourage families to get together and explore the community, it makes the community stronger through the many different learning opportunities.

'What I like about this festival is that it highlights different parts of our community like agriculture and families and our retailers,” she said. 'It's a great kickoff to summer before everybody gets too busy and it's just great to have the support of our businesses and our families and our retailers all working together.”