Historic Hood River
Pet Parades
7-5-2023
Notes
We’ve seen many views of Hood River’s “pet parades” from the 1930s, but I always thought this was something unique to Hood River. This article about Bend’s 96 year history of July 4th pet parades disabused me of that belief.
As the caption explains, this image shows one of the Hood River Rotary clubs entries in the parade. I liked their “Dumb and Bungle Corpse“.
Dale Nicol
There appears to be several road apples that need to be dodged while walking the parade route!
Really good photo and our dear departed neighbor, Dorothy Hackett Mellenthin’s family owned Hackett’s furniture store. I believe Dorothy’s father became a radio and TV repairman after WWII.
jnails
A wonderful photo of Hood River at it’s humorous finest. It feels like the Apple Blossom Cafe is not where it ended up being. Or am I not remembering correctly? Seems like it was more easterly. It was a gathering place for the local businessmen to have morning coffee and share local news.
We need an annual pet parade. Hood River is a very
‘doggy’ place as seen by many such animals having motorized transportation with chauffers included.
Cecelia
Actually, what block are we seeing? Concur with comment about Apple Blossom Cafe.
kmb
Is that a Paris Fair sign we see at the far right of the image? So this parade would be headed eastbound on Oak, between about 3rd and 2nd?
Arthur Babitz
That is the Hall Building at the SW corner of 2nd and Oak housing Hackett’s and the Apple Blossom Cafe. You also see the distinctive Smith Building at the SE corner of 3rd and Oak. The window projections have been removed but it otherwise looks the same. I’ll add a Google Streetview when I have a minute to create it.
Arthur Babitz
Done. Note the Apple Blossom Cafe in this view is where Trillium Restaurant is now.
Cecelia Goodnight
Thanks, Arthur. Wondering if the heights of all those buildings are still the same (trees block view); will check sometime and did the drug store next door get its Art Deco tile front later than this picture?
Arthur Babitz
Cecilia, the Hall Building and Smith Building are largely unchanged, but the building in the middle which housed Laraway Jewelry and Keir Drug was just one story in this era. I don’t know if they added a story or rebuilt it from the ground up, but when it became the “Medical Arts” building it probably got the Art Deco tiling.
jnails
Met a gentleman at the waterfront who talked of the HR Hotel being 4 stories at one time but a heavy snow took down the 4th floor. Said they just closed that off and made the hotel a 3 story working building. Verify?
Arthur Babitz
He’s probably thinking of the Hotel Oregon/ Hotel Waucoma building, which is 4 stories tall but the upper stories have been closed for years. Not sure about the snow story– it has a whole bunch of issues. Remodel has started and soon upper floors will be accessible for the first time in decades.