POSTED 8/12/2018, IMMEDIATELY BELOW IS LINK TO STORY WHICH INCLUDES LINKS TO NATIONAL LENTIL
FESTIVAL RADIO COMMERCIALS FROM OVER THE YEARS … THANKS TO ROD SCHWARTZ
.....
Oh,
did you wonder about photo of Taste T. Lentil, mascot of Pullman's National
Lentil Festival, with Garth Brooks?
Here's the story:
Country superstar Garth
Brooks is performing five shows in Portland in April 2015. This brings back memories of 1993 when Garth
performed twice in Pullman.
His back-to-back sold out
gigs were Saturday, Aug. 7, and Sunday, Aug. 8, 1993, in Beasley Performing
Arts Coliseum at Washington State University.
Garth’s shows were the
largest events ever held at the coliseum, Jim Crow, then its director, to the
Moscow Pullman Daily News. The shows set the building record for attendance
(11,800 for the first concert and 11,400 for the second), gross sales, and were
the first sellouts in coliseum's history.
This photo is of Garth
posing with Pullman's National Lentil Festival mascot Tase T. Lentil, portrayed
by George Sharp, then National Lentil Festival director and later to become
Pullman Chamber of Commerce executive director. It was taken in a Coliseum room
before the first Pullman performance.
As a promotional item,
George had post cards made of the photo and asked people in Pullman and on the
Palouse to mail post cards to family and friends inviting them to the 1994
National Lentil Festival. While the post card promotion was effective, it
caused confusion since some recipients thought Garth was going to perform at
the 1994 festival.
To clarify, Garth did not
perform at the 1993 National Lentil Festival. He was in Pullman and performed
at WSU in August 1993, but not as part of the festival.
:::::
NATIONAL LENTIL FESTIVAL’S
UNSUNG HEROINE:
SHE NAMED TASE T. LENTIL
SHE NAMED TASE T. LENTIL
There's an unsung heroine of
the National Lentil Festival.
She's Jan Gaskins.
The National Lentil Festival
started in 1989. In September of that year the name of the festival's mascot
was announced after a "Mystery Lentil" name game contest.
Of 204 entries, submitting
the winner was Jan Gaskins, a teacher at Pullman's Jefferson Elementary School.
Hail to Jan Gaskins for
naming Tase T!
Lost to time are names of
all of the other entries; however one person with a long memory says two of
them were "Lenny Legume" and "Yvonne Lentil."
Lewiston Trib Sept 19, 1989:
PULLMAN -- School children sent off helium filled balloons, Mayor Carole Helm gave a speech and
Pullman's "mystery lentil" got a name Monday during kick-off
ceremonies for the National Lentil Festival. The festival's 8-foot-tall,
lentil-faced mascot was christened Tase T. Lentil which was the winning entry
in the Mystery Lentil Name Game Contest. Jan Gaskins, a Jefferson elementary
school teacher, won $100 for submitting the name. A total of 204 names were
submitted, said Kristi Kurle, festival chairman.
Lewiston Trib Sept 13, 1989:
PULLMAN -- The official festival kickoff is scheduled at 10 a.m. Monday at
Sunnyside School. Local officials will speak and the winning entry in the
"Mystery Lentil" name game will be announced. The costumed lentil
character will appear at all lentil festival events. Name contest entries can
be submitted until 5 p.m. Saturday at Balloons Etc., E. 246 Main St.; Flowers
by the Laurel Tree, E. 470 Main St.; and Busters Food Emporium, E. 1005 Main
St.
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