Wikipedia

Lintott-Alexander Park

Lintott-Alexander Park is a 6-acre (2.4 ha) park in Chehalis, Washington, located west of I-5 and south of Washington State Route 6.[1] Due to its location in a bend of the Chehalis River and at the confluence of the Newaukum River, the park can flood in most years.[2]

Lintott-Alexander Park
Alexander Park
World's Largest Omelet, Alexander Park in Chehalis, July 24, 1931
Lintott-Alexander Park is located in Washington (state)
Lintott-Alexander Park
TypePlayground, picnic, water access
Coordinates46°39′08″N 122°58′59″W / 46.652108612168725°N 122.98304853890993°W / 46.652108612168725; -122.98304853890993
Area6-acre (2.4 ha)
Createdapproximately 1920
FounderFamily of John Alexander
StatusOpen; occasional flood closures
PathsPerimeter walking path
TerrainFlat, river bank
WaterConfluence of Chehalis and Newaukum rivers
Threatened byFlooding
ParkingVehicle parking; 50+
FacilitiesCovered picnic areas, bathrooms

History edit

Locally referred to as Alexander Park after the family who owned the grounds, the land was used as a park by the regional population before it was donated to the city of Chehalis. The park, situated in a curve of the Chehalis River, was known at the time for its deep swimming hole, also known locally as the Ol' Swimmin' Hole,[3][4] and its sandy beach.[5][6]

Initial offers by the Alexander family to donate the land for a park began in 1919[7][8] and in April 1920, the 4.5-acre (1.8 ha) parcel was deeded to the city.[5] Plans such as the building of bath houses, water and sewer systems, and more accommodating access from Ocean Beach Highway, were undertaken before it was to be officially transferred.[6][9] The Alexander family formally donated the land to the city during a picnic on July 26, 1920.[10][1][11] The land had been under renovation for use as a park for some time and at its official transfer, funds were still required to fully open the site.[10] In addition to the early improvements, the park once contained a boardwalk, outdoor kitchens, playgrounds, and a wading pool;[10][12][13] a baseball field was located in the park during the 1930s.[14] In 1924, the Alexander family donated an additional acre to expand the recreation area[15] and a 20 foot (6.1 metres) diving platform was constructed.[16] A radio antenna was installed on the grounds the following year.[17] A minor outbreak of typhoid in the city in 1926 was connected to the river and all swimming at the park was temporarily suspended.[18]

The park was noted on a national level in 1928 for hosting the baking of the "World's Largest Strawberry Shortcake" and again three years later for the cooking of a record-breaking omelet.[19]

 
The sandy beach of Alexander Park

A major flood occurred during December 1933 that eroded the banks of the Chehalis River at the park, jeopardizing the loss of the beach.[20][21] A severe flood event in 1975 submerged Alexander Park leading to extensive damages at the site, with roads leading to the park washed out.[22]

The city briefly turned the park's responsibility over to the Boy Scouts in the 1980s.[11] With increasing liability concerns due to vandalism, coupled with budget and maintenance issues, the park became "overgrown and abandoned" and was closed by the city in 1988.[11][23] In 2004, a prior resident, Jim Lintott, donated $25,000 in honor of his father, beginning a movement to renovate the closed park. He raised his donation to $100,000[24] and other contributions followed quickly, including a donation raised by a local power plant and its employees to commemorate a local Chehalis resident, Traci Hampton.[1][25] The following year, an additional pavilion was needed and Lintott donated the funds to cover the project.[24]

The restored park was renamed officially as Robert E. Lintott-Alexander Park with permission from the Alexander family and reopened with playgrounds, sport courts, picnic areas, and a perimeter walking path; future maintenance is to be overseen by the Chehalis Foundation and voluntary efforts of the community.[26][27]

World's Largest Omelet edit

On July 24, 1931, during the city's annual Famers' and Merchants' Picnic,[28] the park hosted a record-breaking event where a 7,200 egg omelet[a] was cooked in a 1/2-ton custom-built frying pan.[19][29] The gathering, also known as the Egg Festival,[30] was attended by an estimated crowd of 7,000 to 8,000 people, backing up traffic into the city's residential areas.[31]

The picnic was originally planned to boil 10,000 eggs but a decision to make an omelet instead won out. A 9 foot (2.7 metres) brick oven was built for the occasion and the 8 foot (2.4 metres) frying pan,[32] constructed by a Seattle-based company, was displayed in the city the week before the picnic. The skillet was greased by tying bacon to the bottoms of the feet of several volunteers who would skate around the pan. An egg-cracking contest was held and representatives from Fox and Movietone News attended to document the ceremonies. A variety of sporting competitions were held, including plow polo. A vaudeville act was staged and the festival was attended by the governor, Clarence D. Martin.[28][32] Approximately 7,000 dishes of ice cream, 120 US gallons (450 L; 100 imp gal) of coffee, and 4,000 US gallons (15,000 L; 3,300 imp gal) of lemonade were handed out to spectators.[31] After the event, the frying pan was put on temporary display throughout the city, including at the Peacock Theater where movie reels of the record omelet festival filmed by Universal Pictures were also shown.[33][34]

Another attempt to set an omelet record was held at the 20th annual picnic in 1935. Containing 6,000 locally provided eggs, the omelet also used other regional ingredients, including 250 pounds (110 kg) of Darigold cheese.[35][36]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Early reporting about the event lists the number of eggs used as 10,000, however the pan could not fit that many eggs. See sources already listed in the section.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c McClurg, Dian (March 27, 2004). "Community meeting shows high interest in Alexander Park project". The Chronicle. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  2. ^ The Chronicle Staff (July 7, 2021). "Lintott-Alexander Park Benefit Party to Raise Money for Repairs, Maintenance". The Chronicle. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  3. ^ "City's Parks Will Attract". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. May 15, 1925. p. 1. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  4. ^ "Many People Regularly Visit Alexander Park". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. August 5, 1927. p. 9. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "The Alexander Park Accepted". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. April 23, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Commission To Take Over Park". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. February 6, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  7. ^ "Busy Time At Club Luncheon". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. June 6, 1919. p. 9. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  8. ^ "City Should Acquire The Alexander Park". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. July 25, 1919. p. 1. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  9. ^ "The City Parks To Be Improved". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. April 30, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c "A Fine Picnic at Alexander Park". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. July 30, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c The Chronicle Staff (February 11, 2004). "Small hired to restore Alexander Park". The Chronicle. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Chehalis Park Board Plans Improvement For The Parks". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. Vol. 38, no. 47. April 29, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Chehalis Parks To Open Summer Season Memorial Day". The Daily Chronicle. May 29, 1970. p. 14. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  14. ^ "Alexander Park Crowds Grow". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. May 17, 1935. p. 5. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  15. ^ "Another Acre In Park". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. April 25, 1924. p. 4. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  16. ^ "Aquatic Meet Here July 4". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. June 20, 1924. p. 1. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  17. ^ "Radio For Alexander Park". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. July 3, 1925. p. 1. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  18. ^ "No Swimming At Park Now". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. June 18, 1926. p. 20. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Stein, Alan. "Record-breaking 7,200-egg omelet is cooked in a record-breaking frying pan in Chehalis on July 24, 1931". historylink.org. HistoryLink.org. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  20. ^ "Thousands Of Dollars Worth Of Damage". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. December 15, 1933. p. 1. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  21. ^ "City Dads Asked To Hasten Work Of City Council". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. December 7, 1934. p. 1. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  22. ^ Julie McDonald; Edna Fund (December 6, 2017). "From Native American Legends to 2007: A History of Flooding in the Chehalis River Basin". The Chronicle. Retrieved July 26, 2023. Article a copy from the book "The Flood of 2007: Disaster and Survival on the Chehalis River"
  23. ^ McClurg, Dian (July 10, 2004). "Parks Gone Wild". The Chronicle. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  24. ^ a b Pearson, Adam (March 9, 2010). "Lintott Presented With Key to Chehalis". The Chronicle. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  25. ^ The Chronicle Staff (March 1, 2004). "Alexander Park project gets boost from donations". The Chronicle. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  26. ^ "Lintott-Alexander Park". Chehalis Foundation. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  27. ^ Stanton, Carrina (August 2, 2021). "A Party in and for Lintott-Alexander Park in Chehalis". The Chronicle. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  28. ^ a b "Annual Picnic To Bring Large Crowd To Chehalis". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. July 24, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved November 15, 2023. Photo of frying pan located next to article
  29. ^ Wilber, Amanda (September 9, 2003). "Park closed more than 10 years may reopen". The Chronicle. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  30. ^ Madrigal, Alexis C. (September 2, 2010). "Old, Weird Tech: Huge Spatula and Bacon Skates Edition". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  31. ^ a b "The Annual Picnic Biggest Ever Held In District". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. July 31, 1931. p. 1,12. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  32. ^ a b "Everything Is In Readiness For Big Farmers' and Merchants' Picnic". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. July 17, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  33. ^ "See Chehalis Big Frying Pan". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. September 18, 1931. p. 16. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  34. ^ Mittge, Brian (September 20, 2006). "75 years ago, in 1931 - Famous Omelet". The Chronicle. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  35. ^ "The Big Picnic Is Well Attended". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. August 16, 1935. p. 4. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  36. ^ "World's Largest Omelet To Feature Big Picnic". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. July 19, 1935. p. 1. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
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