Ain’t No Party Like a Town of Naches Is Turning 100 Party

It only happens once a lifetime in a place with unmatched natural geographic beauty, so let's celebrate it with a big party. Even the locals were excited about the upcoming 100-year celebration of the town of Naches on Friday, May 21. I saw quite a few excited comments about it in the Gleed/Naches Neighborhood and Community Group.

The city of Naches celebrated 100 years of being a corporated town. The town rests upon the traditional ancestral lands of the Little Naches tribe, who were part of the Yakama sovereign nation of tribes. The land was ceded to the United States by the Yakama Treaty of 1855 and then taken over by settlers, who used the land for farming and logging.

When I first moved to the Yakima Valley, I looked at the name of the town on the big green highway sign and presumed it was pronounced as "Natchez". If you were to call it by name that way today, you would be swiftly corrected by locals to say it as, "Nah-cheez". We do note that the town's original pronunciation by the native ancestors was indeed, "Natchez"!

The Yakima Herald reported the press release that a special beer was in the works along with a fireworks display. The town of Naches "provides a quality rural lifestyle to residents in close proximity to the larger city of Yakima for additional services", according to its website, townofnaches.com.

The Nachesians, as I affectionately will call them, met up at Cleman's View Sports Park (8894 US-12, Naches) in the evening and then the fireworks show began when the sky darkens at 9 p.m.

If you expected to get down to Clemans View Park and pick out a spot where you and your family would experience a guaranteed seat at the fireworks show, then you thought wrong because as the press release went on to say only "persons or organizations who donated to the west end development will be given preference." Seating was limited due to coronavirus precautions at the event.

Those who couldn't snag a coveted seat at the park offered up their homes and back yards to anyone who wanted to come watch the show. Happy Bday, Naches!