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By Elizabeth Brown
Residents of Washington City are excited to celebrate the city’s 151st birthday during the annual Cotton Days festivities, May 5-10. The theme of the festival is “Cotton Days 2008: Feels Like Home.”
“People come to Washington City for hundreds of reasons. They come back for only one – Washington City feels like home,” Mayor Terrill Clove stated in a message posted on the city’s Web site. “Here, every season brings something new to celebrate. Our matchless climate, in this green oasis amid the stunning red rock, makes Washington City a home for all seasons, a home for life.”
“Cotton Days is really family oriented,” said Kimberly Ruesch of the Washington City administrative office. “We have a little something going on each night. It used to be only a weekend, but last year we did it for a whole week, and we got a good response, so we’re doing the whole week again.”
Serving as grand marshal for Cotton Days 2008 will be Cheryl Rogers-Barnett, daughter of the late Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Rogers-Barnett and her husband, Larry, have lived in Washington City for several years. As grand marshal, Rogers-Barnett will attend each event during the week, as well as take part in the grand entry at the rodeo, join the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Green Springs Park, and have a booth at the fair where people can meet her.
Ruesch said that the opening event of the festival will be an ice cream social with the mayor and city council on Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m. at Sienna Hills Park (off Washington Parkway). Rogers-Barnett will be on hand to officially welcome folks, and another celebrity, former Brigham Young University football coach LaVell Edwards, will also make an appearance and say a few words to the crowd.
“Families are invited to bring picnics and blankets,” said Ruesch. “It’s nothing formal, just a good time together. We’ll have ice cream, we’ll probably have some games, and there will be fireworks at dusk.”
According to the city Web site, a variety of fun activities has been planned for the week of Cotton Days, including a junior rodeo, golf and softball tournaments, youth fishing derby, dog show, tractor pull, 5K/10K run, pie-eating contest, awards banquet, all-day fair at Veterans Park and, of course, the Cotton Days Parade.
“The parade is really fun,” said Carmen Snow, parade chairman. “Washington always has a good parade. It’s going to be a wonderful celebration.”
Cotton Days also has an educational aspect, in the form of field trips for second-graders at the Washington City Museum, where they can learn about the city’s pioneer heritage through tours and hands-on activities. In addition, the festival sponsors a student art/essay contest, the winners of which will be honored at the awards banquet.
The Cotton Days celebration began years ago, and then discontinued for a few years, according to Ruesch. The event has been held consistently for about the past eight years and is something Washington residents count on and look forward to.
Cotton Days was named in honor of Washington City’s original settlers. The first of these pioneers arrived in 1857, having been sent by Brigham Young to grow cotton in Southern Utah. The settlers were originally from the southern United States, where cotton was a major crop. They endured many struggles in Washington City, but persevered, and eventually succeeded in producing satisfactory cloth at the Washington cotton factory. The factory building still stands on Telegraph Road.
For a Cotton Days schedule and entry forms, go to www.washingtoncity.org or call 656-2322. For parade entry information, e-mail Carmen Snow at csnow@beyondbb.com.

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