At the corner of Main Street and 101st Avenue Northeast, a local firefighter kept an eye on a 1929 fire engine. Maybe 50 yards away, kids jumped rope, played hopscotch and received yo-yo lessons from a woman in a 100 year-old dress.

Just off to the side, kids and parents alike almost pressed their noses to the large mural that dominates the west side of 101st Avenue looking for, among other things, horses and – by several reports the hardest item to find – an insect.

Oh, and right in the middle of it all sat a table that eventually helped hold up some 200 cupcakes. The occasion was, of course, the 100th anniversary of Bothell’s incorporation as a city. The April 18 celebration on Main Street was sponsored by the Downtown Business District and the Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce.

“There’s been a steady flow of people. It’s a great event for the centennial,” said Randy Parkhurst, a battalion chief for the Bothell Fire Department, the already mentioned firefighter stationed by the already mentioned historic fire truck, which served the city until 1936.

“I think this is great. I’m having fun,” said temporary yo-yo instructor, Whitney Phelps. Phelps was one of several volunteers from the Chateau at Bothell Landing helping 21st Century kids play games from the early 1900s. She had gotten her antique, hand-stitched gown from a co-worker who inherited it from her grandmother.

Bothell residents one and all, David Tran brought his daughter Ellen, 7, and son Isaac, 5, downtown for the festivities.

“It’s our little town,” Tran said. “We need to teach our kids about where we’re from.”

Ellen admitted she was surprised Bothell is as old as it is. “Maybe” was her answer when asked if she thought the city would be here in another 100 years.

Representing the Kiwanis Club of Northshore, Pat Cowles was collecting entries into the event’s “passport” contest, which had youngsters and adults trying to track down historic buildings up and down Main Street.

“I’m proud of the city of Bothell,” said Cowles, a former Bothell mayor and City Council member from the late 1980s and early 1990s.

“I’ve lived and worked here for 23 years,” Cowles added. “They’ve made some great progress.”

“This is a great day,” chimed in Edith Ericksen-Berg, a member of the city’s Landmark Preservation Board. “It marks a century of dedication and loyalty.”

Ericksen-Berg said the centennial celebrated everything for which Bothell is famous, mainly the friendliness of the people, along with the small town feel and history apparent everyday on Main Street.

Visiting from nearby Woodinville, Anthony Hardwick brought his three children, ages 3 to 15, to see