This community events calendar is the place to find fun activities and things to do throughout Lewis County, including Centralia, Chehalis and beyond.
On October 12, 1962, a windstorm fueled in part by the remains of Typhoon Freda struck the Pacific Northwest with deadly winds topping one hundred miles per hour.
The storm killed dozens, injured hundreds, damaged more than fifty thousand homes, and leveled enough timber to build one million homes. Join us for an author talk with John Dodge, former investigative reporter for The Olympian, as he reads passages from his new book about Typhoon Freda, “A Deadly Wind: The 1962 Columbus Day Storm.” This talk will include a slideshow and a question and answer session. A signing will follow the presentation, and copies of the book will be available for purchase.
Join the Chehalis River Basin Land Trust for a day on by river removing invasive plant species along the Discovery Trail. For all work parties, please dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes. Volunteers are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle. Youth under age 14 must be accompanied by an adult and all youth under 18 years of age must have a signed waiver to participate.
Coffee, Water, and Snacks will be provided.
We look forward to seeing you there!
The Borsts and other families built a “New Church” in c. 1872 … to gather together in fellowship and for weddings. Two of the Borst children were married in that church. As well as many other life events. Etta Keller, Reenactor has made a lovely mid-19th century wedding dress and will talk about weddings in that day. Miss Etta will lead the talk.
An Independence Day Celebration … mid-19th century style!
Putting up the bountiful harvest for a long winter. Activities and discussion of how to put up and store foods in the mid-19th century. Panel of our Living Historians. Mary Borst had a lovely, in that day, very modern cook stove. Joseph also built her a state of the art pantry, which kept things cool ~ one of my personal favorites in the house.
Join storyteller and Quinault Tribal Ambassador Harvest Moon to hear tales from the Northwest Coast Indian tradition. This program is part of Timberland Reads Together, featuring “There There” by Tommy Orange and Native Voices, focused on Indigenous Peoples history and culture.
Living Historian Beverly York will present Friendship Quilts, how the pioneers moving west would take a part of their friends and family history with them. Volunteer Coordinator Sara Light-Waller will show how to put a signature on the quilt block, as they did in the mid-19th century.
Our own Jean Bluhm (aka: Mary Borst since 1985) will share her findings of
more of the Borst Family story. Do join us for seasons end and celebration.
Refreshments are served and all are welcome to join our volunteers to keep our
history alive for future generations. See you there!
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, remember some of the remarkable, but often unsung, women of the Pacific Northwest.
Writer Mayumi Tsutakawa presents five “woman warriors” in the arts and journalism whose inspiring stories reach back to the early years of our region. Meet the pioneering photographer Imogen Cunningham, Black American jazz musician Ruby Bishop, Chinese American artist Priscilla Chong Jue, Leftist journalist Anna Louise Strong, and Native American linguist Vi Hilbert. Drawing on her own experience as an activist and writer, she explores how these women inspired others and changed our state and our society.
Learn about the history of the Olympia Brewing Company and the restoration efforts on the old brew house in Tumwater with a presentation from Schmidt House curator Karen Johnson and former Olympia Brewmaster Paul Knight.
