Welcome to Our Historic Fishing Village

Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum is hosting

The 18^th Annual Peninsula Quilt Guild Exhibition

Sponsored by the Peninsula Quilt Guild

On Friday and Saturday 15^th and 16^th March from 10:00am – 4:00pm, and Sunday 17^th March from noon to 4:00pm the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco will host the 18^th Annual Peninsula Quilt Guild Exhibition.  Admission is free.

The Peninsula Quilt Guild has 55 members and includes some of the area’s most talented fabric artists.  The exhibition will have quilts of all types and sizes with over 100 quilts on display in three galleries, all donated by members of the Quilt Guild.  Tickets for the “Beach Wedding” Prize Quilt raffle, will be available throughout the show at a cost of $1.00 per ticket, the drawing will be on Sunday afternoon, it is not necessary to be present to win.  Proceeds from ticket sales will go to Peninsula charities.

Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco hosts Legacy of the Columbia River Fishery

 through March 10, 2013

Conceived and written by Irene Martin, the foremost historian of the Columbia River fishery, designed by Keith Hoofnagle, recently retired from designing exhibits for the National Park Service, and fabricated by Lisa Mooers of Laser Designs, it is a project of the Wahkiakum County Marine Resources Committee and the Columbia River Life Interpretive Center in Skamokawa, Washington.  Numerous agencies and organizations contributed to the exhibit.   Each of the exhibit’s 12 panels explores a different theme.   The Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum will augment the exhibition with items from its collection including a 1903 ledger from Keystone Cannery in Ilwaco, vintage local salmon labels, photographs and antique net-making tools.

Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 – 4 and Sunday noon to 4.  Thursdays are free thanks to the support of the Port of Ilwaco.

For more information call 360-642-3446 or visit columbiapacificheriatgemuseum.org

The Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum is very excited about the 3^rd Annual 6×6 Art Show and Auction – “6×6 by the Sea” to be held on Saturday November 17^th. We have more than 70 wonderful art objects produced by over 60 regional artists. The silent auction is 5-8pm and the live auction will begin at 6pm with Bruce Peterson presiding. These extraordinary art pieces are all unique originals made specifically for this show. Come to this exciting event, have some fun, enjoy some great refreshments, take home your very own masterpiece and, most importantly, show your support for the cultural headquarters for all things Columbia Pacific.

“Your support is our most important asset.”

All these terrific pieces of art are available for viewing in the Museum and on our website, www.columbiapacificheritagemuseum.org    Tickets for the auction will be available at the door for only $10.00 each.

The Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday noon to 4pm.  Thursdays are free thanks to the sponsorship of the Port of Ilwaco.

Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum, 115 SE Lake St., Ilwaco, WA  98624 – 360-642-3446

Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum Presents YOU ARE HERE! Maps from the Collection

The Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum, like most historic collections has many maps in their collection and the types of maps we have reflect the life ways of our particular place.  Few regions in the country have maps of ship wrecks and even fewer have maps of oyster beds and fish traps!   Fire Insurance maps are valuable historical documents that tell researchers where buildings and homes were located at the time the maps were drafted.  Tourism maps promote the sights and pastimes of our community and encouraged visitors to “stay and play.”

The exhibition will highlight maps of all sorts from the early plat maps of Whealdonburg (now Ilwaco) and Ocean Park to navigational charts of Baker Bay and the Columbia River and land maps of railways, roads and even hiking trails.  In addition to local maps the exhibition will include map-making and surveying tools that played an important role in mapping our region.

This will open with a reception on Friday September 14^th from 5-7pm.  The exhibit will be on view through December 2012.

Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 – 4 and Sunday noon to 4.  Thursdays are free thanks to the Port of Ilwaco.   For more information call 360-642-3446 or visit columbiapacificheritagemuseum.org

Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum Presents Clamshell Railroad Days 2012

The Museum will offer lectures, bus tours, the Kids Craft Corner and more.

 Tour the Pullman Passenger car NAHCOTTA.  Local historian Harry Bell will give a slide presentation on the Ilwaco Rail & Navigation Co.: Then and Now.  He will be joined by Nancy Gorshe of the Depot in Seaview for a bus tour of the old rail lines from Ilwaco to Nahcotta on Saturday and from Ilwaco to Megler on Sunday ($5 reservations required). 

 Kids will have plenty to see at the Museum with an expanded Lego Train and The Kids Craft Caboose.  Visiting model railroad clubs from Oregon and Washington include the return of the Portland Cascade Z-scale with their fantastic diorama.  The Mt. Rainer N-scale club wowed last year’s visitors with their 34 foot long exhibit and will return with new additions this year.   

 Entrance to Clamshell Railroad Days is $5 and includes a souvenir pin and Museum entrance for 2 days, kids under 12 are free.  For more information call 360 642 3446 or visit http://columbiapacificheritagemuseum.org/news-events/clamshell-railroad-days/

Saturday, May 5, 2012

• COAST GUARD DISPLAY 52-foot Motor Lifeboat on display at the Port of Ilwaco from 10 am – 3 pm
• CHILDRENS PARADE Downtown Ilwaco. Entertainment, vendors and parade registration begin at 11 am. Formation starts at 11:30 and the Parade starts at noon.
• SATURDAY MARKET AND BLESSING OF THE FLEET After the parade, head to the Ilwaco Marina for the Saturday Market and the annual Blessing of the Fleet. The memorial service includes a free scenic boat ride sponsored by the Ilwaco Charter Association. Boats leave the dock at 1 pm.

The artists in the exhibit WORKING WITH TRADITION: FOLK ARTISTS OF WASHINGTON STATE have all been associated with the WSAC folk art program. Our region is represented by Wilho Saari of Naselle, Washington, who is a kantele player in the tradition of his Finnish ancestors.  He will present a kantele concert during the exhibition opening on Friday May 18 from 5 – 7pm at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum, 115 SE Lake St., Ilwaco, WA.  The exhibition will run until July29th.

Wilho Saari

Saari has a wide knowledge of the history of the kantele, as well as a sincere commitment to many other aspects of Finnish folklore. The kantele is a wooden stringed instrument usually played on the lap or on a table. It generally has from 15 to 40 metal strings and produces a harp or bell like sound.  Saari is the recipient of the Governor’s Heritage Award in 2005 and was bestowed the nation’s highest award for traditional arts when he received a 2007 NEA National Heritage Fellowship.