Chehalis, Washington: Yard Bird Statues

The goofy Yard Birds are cartoon mascot leftovers of a defunct chain store.

The Yard Bird statues are neat and the giant swap meet is very cool. Lots of hidden treasures.

There are two remaining Yard Birds outside, one in the front and one in the back. The largest is probably 30 feet long, and it was being repaired when I was there; workers putting sheets of wood over a wooden ribcage. I looked inside and, funny enough, there was a hammock hanging there. Not sure who would go in to relax. There was a six-foot-long bird inside, too.

"Birdfest 2011" was held in the Yard Birds parking lot on June 25, 2011, to raise the money needed to finish repairs on the Yard Bird statue. Years of weather have eaten a hole into its back, exposing the hollow interior that once sheltered the helicopter of the owners of a quirky surplus store (Santa would use the chopper to arrive every Christmas).

Although the store itself has changed hands several times, Yard Bird has remained, and has in recent years acquired a Bunyanesque status in the region as a kind of folkloric hero. Music for Birdfest was supplied by members of the Ventures, the Kingsmen, and Washington state Lt. Gov. Brad Owen.

Much has been said over the years about the Yardbird located in the parking lot at 2100 N National Ave in Chehalis, Wa. But little do people realize the number of lives this ICON has affected. We had a Yardbirds reunion two years ago and had a thousand people here being interviewed with funny stories and the greeting of old friends that had not been seen for years. The bird you see has been through various floods and still sits proud in front of the Yardbirds Mall. Now a movie has been released, to be shown locally on 6/17/2009 and then shown in the Yardbirds Mall on a regular basis.

Yardbirds was Walmart before there ever was a Walmart. Now it houses a Tattoo Parlor, Second Hand Store, 12 Step Club, drug counseling center, Chehalis High School, a theater that shows Spanish and English movies, a computer repair shop, an antique and variety Store, a specialty shoe store for diabetics, a huge grocery Store, and more.