Where can a town of about 300 throw a birthday bash attracting up to 1,500 people?
On Presidents Day, it's none other than George, Wash.This dusty town in the central part of the state has thrown a party on the holiday - originally Washington's Birthday - since it was founded 37 years ago. What better place to do it?
"This is the only town in the United States that can wear the full name of a president, at least as of yet," said Merna Lutz, one of the Georgettes, a women's community group that organizes the party.
Lutz watched on July 4, 1957, when George founder Charlie Brown dedicated the town's first plot. Then-Gov. Albert Rosellini came to George to plant the first cherry tree, establishing a tradition for each new landowner.
Cherries are everywhere in George, largely because of the legend that a young George Washington confessed to chopping down a cherry tree because he could not tell a lie.
Roads are named Bing and Royal Anne, after types of cherries. Some lots are even shaped like pieces of pie, presumably cherry.
"I think over the years we've been scoffed at as being hokey or corny, but in view of what's happening in the rest of the country with crime and violence, this is a great place to raise a family," said Debby Kooy, the mayor's wife.
George boasts one restaurant, one gas station and one park. The town's 344 residents congregate at Martha's Inn Cafe, a diner with orange formica booths and friendly waitresses.
The American Automobile Association named George a "travel treasure," Kooy said.
Presidents Day isn't George's only bash. On the Fourth of July, the Georgettes bake an 8-foot cherry pie. That dwarfs Monday's birthday cake, which is only 6 feet by 3 feet. Monday's celebration also includes a carnival and bingo.