White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1932-09-22
Valley Apples
Well Received
At Convention
LOCAL DELEGATE TO LEGION
CONVENTION TELLS OF
BIG PARADE

Local members of the American Le-
gion who attended the national con-
vention in Portland last week have all
returned home. Asked how the truck
load of apples, donated by growers OF
this valley through John Lindblad
Post, went over at the convention, DR..
E. F. Newton, commander of the Post,
said:
I'VE had made arrangements to have
a photographer and reporter for one
of the large Portland dailes meet us
at the Congress hotel at 3 o'clock Sun
day afternoon. However, the truck did
not arrive in Portland until o'clock
in the evening which lost us our pic
lures and publicity. Tuesday was the
day of the big parade and, believe me,
it was a big parade. I have seen sew
eral large conventions in Portland
Elks, Shriners, and others-but this
parade, while not as large as the ones
at the Boston and Detroit conventions,
was the largest ever seen in the Pa
cific Northwest 1t was estimated that
over 100000 persons witnessed the par
ade and about 10000 took part. 1t re-
quired four hours to pass a given point
The length of the route was two miles
THE Washington Department was
the largest Department in the parade.
1t took exactly forty minutes for the
Washington boys to pass the reviewing
stand. The Oregon Department was the
next largest taking 35 minutes to pass
The Washington Department was
led by the Olympia Post band, followed
by a Naval unit of the West Seattle
Post acting as color guard for the
massed colors from all Washington
Posts participating The massed colors
presented very impressive sight
Comrades Shaw and Brown carried the
national and Post colors of our Post
in the massed colors of the state.
"Thc Department officers followed
the colors with the different districts
of the state coming in their respective
order of membership standing. Our dis
trict, No. 6, was third and was followed
by the truck load of apples.
"Comrade Fouty drove the truck
while Comrade Biart and myself, as
sisted by Comrade James Shepherd OF
Prosser, rode on the truck and dis
tributed the apples to the cheering
crowd along the line of march.
"As we passed the reviewing stand
we sent a box Of the fruit up to the
reviewing officers. AS we entered the
stadium the crowd IN the grandstand
arose and cheered. Rather, that was
my impression. / thought some one
had made a touchdown. / soon found
out that it was not cheers but requests
for apples and from the way in which
they waved their arms I think most
of them were Jews.
After the parade, assisted by Boy
Scouts, we distributed apples to the
various delegations at hotels. Several
boxes were also placed in the conven-
ton hall. A number of people on the
street as. well as in the hall spoke to
me about the apples. One delegate
from Kansas came up with half eat
en- apple in his hand and wanted to
know what variety it was. I told him
it was Jonathan. He said, well, we
grow ions back home Ours are redder
than yours but this is the best tasting
apple I have ever eaten. I told him
our ions take on more color later in
the season.
"A policeman on the street wanted
to buy ten boxes. He said he had never
been able to buy apples like them in
Portland
Another remark I heard was made
by a Kennewick woman. She said,
And to think that couple of little
towns like White Bluffs and Hanford
had a truck load of apples in the par
ade and Kennewick had nothing
II believe our valley received a lot
of publicity with the apples and 1
want to express the thanks of the
Post to the contributors and am sure
every one who ate one of these won
derful apples would express the same
sentiment