Last weekend, The Rhododendron Festival marked it’s 90th year. 90 years of community parties and service. Rhody is unlike most modern events. It’s not to celebrate a corporation, or art, or genre. It celebrates a people of a micro geographic region — ours. It’s not perfect or exact. And while it changes over time, much of it is evergreen.

I was born in Port Townsend in the early 80s. I grew up going to the Kiddie Parade, dressing as whatever random theme my Chimacum neighbors and I decided would work — Peter Pan and Tinker Bell with their entourage of pirates and fairies, or the Wizard of Oz — primarily so Greta could dress in sparkly red shoes.

Eventually, I roped in the kids I babysat to participate — Hey Diddle, Diddle with toddlers waddling through the pet parade holding hands as a large cardboard dish running away with a spoon while I pulled the poor cat in a cage atop a Rhody-decorated wagon.

Those times are dear to me. It required collaboration and creativity. It allowed us to find our people and work together — for absolutely no other reason than creating fun. To celebrate being alive and our town.

I’ve lived a lot of places. It turns out there’s no place like home. We moved back during COVID with our small kiddos and when the Rhody board announced that they needed way more volunteers to make it happen, I jumped in head first in 2021.

The Rhody board and crew were made up of a small group of people who quietly volunteer to pull off this annual feat of festivities for our entire community. They were determined, but seriously tired. Things had to change. The carnival couldn’t make it to Port Townsend because of COVID restrictions and not enough labor.

Historically, the Kiddie Parade ended downtown at the Carnival where tickets were purchased, and kids were able to jump on rickety rides that made their stomachs queasy while purchasing cotton candy. It was sweet, and for many it was a quintessential experience. We had to come up with a new tradition — what to do with what we thought were 300 kids after the parade.

Serendipitously, I met with Danny Milholland for coffee that week. The Production Alliance is Danny’s organization. Its mission is to create community through celebration. As he and I were spitballing on how it was now time for our generation to carry the weight of the next iteration of Port Townsend, I mentioned that I requested the new ending of the Kiddie Parade be at our beautiful Chetzemoka Park. The idea sparked that we should have an ice cream social. I couldn’t wrap my head around how to scoop ice cream for so many — and he mentioned getting the Co-op to help with bars or sandwiches. Genius.

“The Kiddie Parade is one of my favorite events,” said Lori Morris, president of the Rhody Festival.

That year, as every year, the festival was desperately needing funding and I asked if I could get more sponsors for the events to help raise funds to pay for the liability policy. The board, relieved to not have to think of one more thing, gave me the green light.

I “sold” the idea of sponsoring to those closest to me — my local realtors.

Abbie Little and I have been good friends for decades and she loves Rhody as much as me. I asked if Bell Tower Brokers could create an ice cream social for 300 kids and sponsor the Kiddie parade. She was thrilled to do it, but it was an undertaking.

That first year we ran out of ice cream way too early. The second year, we doubled our order to 650. We ran out again. Last year we hit the sweet spot and gave out 1000 ice cream sandwiches to kids. A thousand!

Every year, we look around after the parade to a park that is full of connection. There are a thousand kids and their parents, teachers, grandparents and community members all enjoying each other’s company. We have taken over the park with kids running wild and free. In a town of 10,000 people, about 2,000 are at the park together for those few glorious hours.

And now it’s a tradition.

A new Rhody event is added to the schedule. The festival is a living, breathing organization which requires community involvement. It will grow and change, just as it has over the last 90 years. And with help and new blood, it can continue to create community celebration, as if by magic.

“The Kiddie Parade is one of my favorite events,” said Lori Morris, president of the Rhody Festival. “It is a great feeling seeing everyone socialize. I think people sometimes only see each other once a year during Rhody week and the ice cream social gives them a chance to do that.”

Laina Amerson lives in Port Townsend and is a realtor with Bell Tower Brokers.