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

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]

History

Originally known as Alexander Park, named after the Chehalis family who donated the land to the city in 1920,[1][3][lower-alpha 1] it once contained bath houses, a boardwalk, outdoor kitchens, and a wading pool.[4][5] 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.[6]

Major floods that occurred in Chehalis in 1933 and 1975 submerged Alexander Park. Extensive damage to the park resulted during the 1975 flood, with roads leading to the park washed out.[7]

The city briefly turned the park's responsibility over to the Boy Scouts in the 1980s.[3] 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.[3][8] In 2004, a prior resident, Jim Lintott, donated $25,000 in honor of his father, beginning a movement to renovate the closed park. 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][9]

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.[10][11]

World's Largest Omelet

On July 24, 1931, during the city's annual Famers' and Merchants' Picnic,[12] the park hosted a record-breaking event where a 7,200 egg omelet[lower-alpha 2] was cooked in a 1/2-ton custom-built frying pan.[6][13] The gathering, also known as the Egg Festival,[14] was attended by an estimated crowd of 7,000 to 8,000 people, backing up traffic into the city's residential areas.[15]

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,[16] 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.[12][16] 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.[15] 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.[17][18]

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.[19][20]

Notes

  1. ↑ While it is more than likely that the park was donated in 1920, a few sources mention either 1906, or a vague 1920s time frame, as to when the land for Alexander Park was transferred.
  2. ↑ 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

References

  1. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 3 The Chronicle Staff (February 11, 2004). "Small hired to restore Alexander Park". The Chronicle. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  4. ↑ "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.
  5. ↑ "Chehalis Parks To Open Summer Season Memorial Day". The Daily Chronicle. May 29, 1970. p. 14. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  6. 1 2 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.
  7. ↑ 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"
  8. ↑ McClurg, Dian (July 10, 2004). "Parks Gone Wild". The Chronicle. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  9. ↑ The Chronicle Staff (March 1, 2004). "Alexander Park project gets boost from donations". The Chronicle. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  10. ↑ "Lintott-Alexander Park". Chehalis Foundation. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  11. ↑ Stanton, Carrina (August 2, 2021). "A Party in and for Lintott-Alexander Park in Chehalis". The Chronicle. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  12. 1 2 "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
  13. ↑ Wilber, Amanda (September 9, 2003). "Park closed more than 10 years may reopen". The Chronicle. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  14. ↑ Madrigal, Alexis C. (September 2, 2010). "Old, Weird Tech: Huge Spatula and Bacon Skates Edition". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  15. 1 2 "The Annual Picnic Biggest Ever Held In District". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. July 31, 1931. p. 1,12. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  16. 1 2 "Everything Is In Readiness For Big Farmers' and Merchants' Picnic". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. July 17, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  17. ↑ "See Chehalis Big Frying Pan". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. September 18, 1931. p. 16. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  18. ↑ Mittge, Brian (September 20, 2006). "75 years ago, in 1931 - Famous Omelet". The Chronicle. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  19. ↑ "The Big Picnic Is Well Attended". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. August 16, 1935. p. 4. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  20. ↑ "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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