By Bill Reynolds

La Conner Community News

As has been the case for more than a century, history comes alive in La Conner again this summer.

The 122nd annual Skagit County Pioneer Association Picnic and General Meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. Aug. 6 at Pioneer Park, with the public invited to attend this time-honored celebration.

The gathering here, always held on the first Thursday in August, will feature live music on the park grounds, pictorial story boards highlighting this year’s Pioneer Family of the Year and Pioneer Spirit Award recipients, Skagit County historical information, and opportunities to reminisce with new friends and those of longstanding.

Special honorees will be members of the Stiles Family, whose law office in Sedro-Woolley recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, as the 2026 Pioneer Family of the Year, and representatives of the iconic Oliver-Hammer clothing outlet, also in Sedro-Woolley, the choice for Pioneer Spirit Award recognition.

Five generations of Stiles’ have made their mark with varied pursuits in Skagit County, including but not limited to education, health care, entrepreneurship, the legal profession, and a wide range of civic, church, and public service initiatives.

“This is a great honor for our family,” said Brian Stiles, who practiced law at the family firm for over 30 years before being appointed as a Skagit County Superior Court Judge in 2015, retiring from the bench last year.

His brother, Brock Stiles, began practicing law 40 years ago this year, in June 1986.

The Stiles’ law office was opened in 1951 by the late William Avery Stiles, Jr., Brian’s and Brock’s father, a World War II era veteran who served as both a Navy and Army air corps aviator. He generously supported many community causes over the course of his career.

Oliver-Hammer has outfitted Skagitonians with specialty outdoor and work clothing since 1921. Founder Joe Oliver was a skilled tailor famed for creating clothes for Sedro-Woolley loggers and business owners. Retailer George Hammer, son of Washington State lawmaker and Territorial pioneer Emerson Hammer, soon joined Oliver in the venture. Oliver ran the back of the store while Hammer greeted customers in the front.

Oliver sold his share of the business to Hammer and moved to California in the 1930s. Hammer ultimately sold the store in 1958 to World War II vets Greer Drummond and Robert “Pinky” Robinson.

Today, Oliver-Hammer is stocked with a large selection of men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing and footwear.

In addition to honoring the event’s awardees, the Pioneer Picnic is also an opportunity to partake of a barbecue salmon luncheon prepared by the “Good Girls” of La Conner and served by members of the La Conner Civic Garden Club.

For the cost of $30, those in attendance receive a ticket for lunch, a colorful commemorative ribbon, an event program, and a memorial pamphlet.

Pioneer Association President JoEllen Kesti will open the organization’s business meeting after lunch, around 12:45 p.m., at which time the award recipients will be introduced. The program will also include brief association officer reports, group singing, and a memorial tribute to departed pioneers.

As an added bonus, the Pioneer Picnic attendance ribbon allows free admission to the Skagit County Historical Museum in La Conner through the ensuing weekend.

The Skagit County Pioneer Association was founded in 1891, but with quite restrictive requirements, it soon disbanded. In 1904, a group based in Sedro-Woolley revived the association under less stringent guidelines, and Pioneer Picnics have been held annually in La Conner ever since — other than in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.