Sumner, Wash., calls itself the Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World.

How long it has done so is “actually a bit of a mystery,” said Carmen Palmer, the city’s communications director. She has found references to the designation dating back to the 1930s, but hasn’t found the minutes from a meeting where the decision was made.

“Really, what built our valley was hops,” Palmer said. “Then there was a blight in the soil that took that crop out almost overnight. So farmers were really scrambling.”

Farmer associations at the time gathered to figure out what else they could grow, ultimately turning to daffodils, berries — and rhubarb.

“To this day, you can see the crops that resulted from that hops blight over 100 years ago,” Palmer said.

The promotion was revived about 15 years ago to celebrate the town’s “classic American Main Street” feel.

Palmer sees a renewed interest in rhubarb, as it is featured on more cooking shows, and old-fashioned hobbies such as canning and making preserves gain new popularity. 

Half of the reaction is “It reminds me of Grandma,” and half is “I’ve always wanted to try that,” she said.

Sumner’s Rhubarb Days festival moved from late July-August to late June for the first time this year, to align more closely with the growing season.

“We always sell out of rhubarb pie,” Palmer said. “This is Sumner-grown rhubarb, Sumner-made pies that are being sold in Sumner.”

The festival draws several thousand people, she said.

“It fits Sumner so well, because it is authentic, it’s not something we just thought of,” Palmer said. “It’s really nice to have something that has an actual history and literal roots in our community.”