Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum and Cranberry Museum co-host Cranberrian Fair, a Harvest Festival
Published 9:16 am Tuesday, September 27, 2016
- A painting celebrates local cranberries and canines having fun in the autumn sun.
PENINSULA — A celebration of local harvest including all things cranberry kicks off the Fall season on the Long Beach Peninsula, Oct. 8 and 9, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Foods, crafters, vendors and more will showcase the area’s rich heritage during this popular fair. Collectible Cranberrian Fair buttons are $5 each and cover admission to all events at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum. Admission to the Cranberry Museum is free.
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As part of Cranberrian Fair activities, the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco will host a variety of vendors, offering handmade items such as pottery, jewelry, paintings, cranberry vine baskets, homemade baked goods and more. Demonstrations include the Peninsula Rug Hookers, local fiber spinners, the Peninsula Quilt Guild, Blacksmith Gary Lewis and other artists will take place throughout the day both Saturday and Sunday throughout the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum.
Saturday, October 8 the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum welcomes three talented authors as they present short readings from their recently published books, each with a unique cranberry connection, with book signings to follow. James Tweedie, author of “Long Beach Short Stories: Possibly Untrue Tales from the Pacific Northwest” will keep us guessing until the very end. Was the body found in Cole McCrae’s cranberry bog the victim of a tragic accident or murder? What might happen if a valuable pearl was found in a Willapa Bay Oyster? Join us Saturday at 11 a.m. to meet Jim and ask him yourself.
Saturday at 1 p.m. Michael Lemeshko, author of “The Cantankerous Farmer vs. The Ilwaco Railway & Navigation Company,” explores the life of John Briscoe, a cantankerous farmer who served as the fifth representative for Pacific County to the Washington Territorial Legislature and as a probate judge, who’s “feuds” with developers and landowners, including the Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Co., were many and his legal wrangling well known.
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Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Sydney Stevens, author of “Jailhouse Stories from Early Pacific County,” brings true crimes to light. Hangings, lynching, and jailbreaks are long forgotten in Pacific County, where tourists flock to quaint attractions every season. But back in the early days, when the first jailhouse was built, this was a rough, rustic setting. Join us Saturday to meet the author and get your copy of her fantastic book signed.
The Cranberry Trolley will run between the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum and the Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday (space is limited and seating is on a first come first serve basis). Self-guided tours of cranberry harvesting will be underway at the Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation.
Sunday, Oct. 9, at 2 p.m. join the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum for a special free lecture by Julia Harrison of the Humanities Washington Speaker’s Bureau’s on the messy and juicy history of Washington’s produce industry, “Ripe for the Telling: Surprising Stories of Washington Fruit.”
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The Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum is located at 115 SE Lake Street in Ilwaco. The Cranberry Museum is located at 2907 Pioneer Road, Long Beach.