Vanderhoff named Apple Blossom Citizen of the Year
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 hour, 1 minute AGO
Delbert Vanderhoff
COURTESY PHOTO/APPLE BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | May 6, 2026 2:08 PM
WENATCHEE — Delbert Vanderhoff of Wenatchee had no idea he’d been named the 2026 Apple Blossom Citizen of the Year.
“I can’t believe they did that,” Vanderhoff said. “I’ve always told my kids, ‘This is a small town. I know everybody. You can probably do things, but you need to understand that I will find out.’ When Darci (Christopherson) came in and surprised me, I said, ‘I can’t believe you kept it a secret.’”
Christopherson, the Apple Blossom Festival coordinator, said Vanderhoff was selected by a board made up of past winners, who look for things like community involvement, commitment to furthering the industry and mentoring the next generation of growers.
“(Vanderhoff) has been in the business since he graduated high school,” Christopherson said. “He’s very passionate about it.”
Vanderhoff is the owner of Chamberlin Ag, a farm supply business his father co-founded in 1949. A native of Wenatchee, Vanderhoff graduated from Wenatchee High School in 1971, according to the Apple Blossom Festival’s announcement of his award. He attended Washington State University, then returned home in 1974 to help his father run the business. Today, Chamberlin Ag operates facilities in Wenatchee; Cashmere; Hood River, Oregon and Dublin, California.
“I also grow apples, pears, cherries and wine grapes myself,” Vanderhoff said. “So I have a little bit of a background and knowledge of what the growers go through.”
These are difficult times for farmers, Vanderhoff said.
“I wish the ag industry as a whole was doing a little bit better than it is,” he said. “Across the whole country, there aren’t very many segments of ag that are doing well … The price of fruit that we’re selling now is about the same as what it was 15 or 20 years ago, but our labor inputs are quadruple, and our product inputs are way up. It’s putting a struggle on guys to be able to manage all that.”
International issues like trade barriers and tariffs don’t help, Vanderhoff said. Washington is producing a lot of apples, he said, and opening up new markets would give them a place to sell them.
“Food security is a big issue, and I think we’re making a lot of strides there,” Vanderhoff said. “Overall, in the U.S., we have probably the safest, cheapest food supply in the world. It’s security for our citizens and all across the world.”
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
NCWJLS kicks off livestock show season
MOSES LAKE — Young animal growers started the season March 19-21 at the North Central Washington Junior Livestock, held at the Grant County Fairgrounds in Moses Lake. “We are the first (show) of the year,” said Michelle Farrer, show manager for the NCWJLS. “So we’re the first opportunity for kids to get their animals in the show ring and work those jitters out and practice for larger shows around the area, including county shows.” The sale is a three-day affair, Farrer said. The exhibitors weigh in Thursday afternoon, show their animals all day Friday, and then they’re judged on Saturday morning. Also Saturday morning is a meat judging contest, Farrer said.
Vanderhoff named Apple Blossom Citizen of the Year
WENATCHEE — Delbert Vanderhoff of Wenatchee had no idea he’d been named the 2026 Apple Blossom Citizen of the Year. “I can’t believe they did that,” Vanderhoff said. “I’ve always told my kids, ‘This is a small town. I know everybody. You can probably do things, but you need to understand that I will find out.’ When Darci (Christopherson) came in and surprised me, I said, ‘I can’t believe you kept it a secret.’” Christopherson, the Apple Blossom Festival coordinator, said Vanderhoff was selected by a board made up of past winners, who look for things like community involvement, commitment to furthering the industry and mentoring the next generation of growers. “(Vanderhoff) has been in the business since he graduated high school,” Christopherson said. “He’s very passionate about it.
Rusty Mammoth Sale supports museum in a big way
MOSES LAKE — This year’s Rusty Mammoth Sale at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center was, well, mammoth. “We about doubled what we usually bring in for this type of thing,” said Museum Superintendent Dollie Boyd. “We got really close to $6,000, and we’re accustomed to making closer to $3,000. Our friends and supporters really came out to show us some love.” Part of the reason, Boyd said, was that the sale came at the beginning of yard sale season. “The bargain hunters are hungry after a winter of being trapped inside,” she said. “And I think people are seeing what’s going on with city budgeting and want to help any way they can. And if they get to take home some treasures, then all the better.”