It's been difficult to not talk about my town here at Writerquake. After last weekend's annual Homer Davenport Days celebrations here I decided, what the heck, I'm going to show you these glimpses of our breakfast in the park on Saturday morning prior to the Homer Davenport Days parade, as well as shots of the parade itself.
Homer Davenport was a famous native son of Silverton, described in a marvelous full article at the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission website, with this introduction:
Homer Davenport (1867-1912), the Silverton cartoonist, is one of Oregon's most extraordinary celebrities. Through the support of formidable newspaperman William Randolph Hearst, he would become the most influential political cartoonist in the U.S.A.Millions saw his cartoons. Hearst used his darling "Davvy" as a point man muckraking against political bosses and big trusts such as Standard Oil Company. Davenport cartoons, with direction from Hearst, ushered in the Progressive Era and promoted the ascendancy of the American Empire. Breaking with Hearst, Davenport helped reelect Teddy Roosevelt to the presidency in 1904. One might argue that he had more impact on the American way of life than radical journalist John Reed or poet-lawyer C.E.S. Wood, both Oregonians and players on the national scene.
Yet Homer Davenport's life is an enigma. Did this fantastic success bring him happiness? It is doubtful he ever would have left his beloved Silverton if his father Timothy W. hadn't cajoled, encouraged, and pushed his reluctant son toward a career in the arts. Homer remained homesick for his small town on the edge of the Willamette Valley all of his life.
This short clip (3:41) shows snippets of the Lion's Club Breakfast in the city park, passing vintage cars on display during our short walk through the park (as we followed a darling little girl with her family), and pieces of the parade.
The day began with breakfast in our city park.
After breakfast we enjoyed looking at some of the craft vendors' booths and the display of vintage cars in the park before the Homer Davenport Parade.
Mike and I marched with Silverton People for Peace in a huge, peaceful demonstration protest in downtown Portland just before the Iraq War began. I've also walked with them in the Homer Davenport Days parade in years past.
Another Silverton native son -- our mayor, Stu Rasmussen -- who is the first transgender mayor in the United States (read one of many articles at the link).
Silverton was voted as one of the Top Ten Coolest Small Towns in 2009!#9. Silverton, Ore. (3,142)
{The article is wrong...the population is 7,414}
An artsy, liberal town, that's perfect for nature lovers (It's the gateway to Oregon's largest state park, and it's home to the Oregon Gardens, an 80-acre botanical park).
Located: About 45 miles South of Portland
Population: 9,433
Silverton's also been dubbed the Mural City. Visitors can pick up a walking map of downtown to tour the 14 mural, including one by Norman Rockwell.
After the parade we enjoyed more of downtown and then took our memories home with us.
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