TOPPENISH — The McCarthy Family has been giving back to the community of Toppenish for over 75 years. This Memorial Day weekend will commemorate the 75th anniversary of Adeline’s Peonies being in business. 
Adeline and Roger McCarthy arrived in Toppenish in 1915 from North Dakota. Pat McCarthy told stories of his grandparents, Adeline and Roger and their love for Toppenish and its people. Adeline never turned away a hungry stomach, and sometimes traded food for work in the field. Roger McCarthy started the Mural Society that we know today and was its president for 10 years. 
The flower business was started in 1934 during the Great Depression, originally as a barter system to trade for food and other things. 
“Since no one had money back then, this is what they did,” McCarthy said. “They traded with the Yakama Nation for huckleberries and fish.
“It is cultural for Native Americans to honor their elders and respect the ones who have passed on and as a result we have had a large response and order request from our friends at the Tribe,” he added. 
“We have a bumper crop this year with no shortage of flowers,” Pat McCarthy said. 
The McCarthy family, about 40 people, gathers from all over the United States on Memorial Day weekend to pick the crop and prepare for customer pick-up. 
“We use this as a family reunion of sorts each year and it’s a lot of fun,” McCarthy said. “This past year was the perfect recipe for our perfect crop; we will have the biggest flowers we’ve had in years.
“When the winter is cold and the spring brings just the right amount of weather, along with a great growing manager to give them the right amount of care, like our manager Mr. Jones, all forecasts for perfect flowers this year.” 
Ron Jones has been the growing manager for Adeline’s Peonies for the last two years. 
Pat McCarthy’s son, Jay, is recently the 4th generation owner, and “we intend to have another 75 years,” Pat McCarthy said.  “This isn’t a job, its so much fun for us,” he added. 
Though their biggest demand is for the Memorial Day weekend, Adeline’s Peonies turned their old duplex into a production room. The production room has a table where the flowers are cut and the stored, then placed in a cold room for storage. 
“With our cold room we can keep the flowers for up to two months, so if someone wants a June wedding, we will be ready for them,” McCarthy said.