Is Rhubarb Days the Sumner Art Rhubarb Festival, or Visa-Versa?

Over the course of the last four weeks, the has received numerous calls from folks who seemed a bit confused regarding Rhubarb Days vs. The Art and Rhubarb Festival.

Of those calls, I took some harsh criticism from art lovers who thought we were placing the well-loved art show second to Rhubarb Days. For most, it was just a basic sense of what each event stood for and hoped to accomplish. Some of the inquiries received included:

“I’d like a booth space at the Rhubarb Festival on July 13th and 14th.”

“Are you having the Art Festival this year?”

“Why are there two events celebrating Rhubarb?”

“Is Rhubarb Days the Rhubarb Festival?”

“How do I sign up for an art booth at Rhubarb Days?

“Will the Art Festival allow craft booths?”

“Is the Rhubarb Festival the same event SDA held last year?”

“Why is SDA having two Rhubarb events?”

“Why doesn’t the Art Festival logo show it to be the 41st or 42nd Annual Art Show and why is the word Rhubarb in that logo so much bigger than the Art Show?”

So, I hope to clarify the issue by explaining what each event represents, who is sponsoring the event and how you can contact the appropriate party to determine how you might get involved. In the meantime, I will continue to clarify what each caller wants and then direct them to the appropriate responsible organization.

Rhubarb Days (Fri. July 13 and Sat., July 14): This event was first establishes last year by the Sumner Downtown Association (SDA). SDA wanted to create a signature event for Sumner that incorporated our agricultural history combined with the Rhubarb Pie Capital theme for which Sumner is so widely known. Agriculturally, Sumner has been growing Rhubarb for over 100 years and we are the number two producer of this crop nationally.

(Patch was at last year's event! Check out our photo gallery ).

This event would be indicative of an “old-fashioned” festival filled with family games, pie eating contests, a rhubarb bake-off, great tasting food, music, creative entertainment and connections to the overall history of Sumner. There would be historical walking tours and agricultural talks. We incorporated fun and educational events, like the living history presentations and aprons from the archives of the Ryan House. In addition, we’ve grown the event from one day to two. As Sumner’s signature event, we expect to bring to Sumner more tourists and overnight guests to support our local economy.

The Sumner Art & Rhubarb Festival (Fri., Aug. 3, Sat., Aug 4) came about after the . In order to prevent the loss of the Art Show altogether, and with the assistance of Mayor Enslow, the and SDA were invited to give a presentation to help determine who would assume the Art Festival. The initial thought was to somehow combine both the Art Show and Rhubarb Days; making them on big event annually.

While this did not work out, the Puyallup/Sumner Chamber graciously assumed ownership of the event to ensure the Art Show continued its long history in Sumner. Because attendance with this event had dwindled in the past few years, the Chamber of Commerce felt it important to grow the event to encourage more participation, while filling the need to grow tourism in Sumner. 

To do this and to enhance the event, they decided to also include our agricultural history and status as the Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World.

How does one small community incorporate two large events spaced just two weeks apart? Compromise! 

This year, the overall theme will be Rhubarb Season in Sumner. This will encompass Rhubarb Days as well as The Art and Rhubarb Festival. In the end, both SDA and the Chamber hope to build a wonderful month filled with Rhubarb events and activities that will draw visitors from far and wide while supporting our downtown retailers. With that being said, you can obtain more information about both events by contacting the appropriate organization listed below:

Rhubarb Days, hosted by The Sumner Downtown Association:

www.rhubarbtimes.com  or www.sumnerdowntown.com  or 253-720-9846

The Sumner Art and Rhubarb Festival, hosted by the Puyallup/Sumner Chamber of Commerce:

www.puyallupsumnerchamber.com  or 253-845-6755

For those who have a keen interest in the community of Sumner, I hope this puts to rest the confusion and concern.  Come enjoy both events and make some wonderful memories.

Regards,

Laurie A. Miller

Program Manager

Sumner Downtown Association