By Cindi Hamar
For The New Era
Despite an extreme heat advisory, participants showed up in droves for the fourth annual Hands on History day, celebrated Saturday, Aug. 23, in Library Park in Brownsville.
The free event provided opportunities for participants to engage first-hand in activities such as beeswax candle dipping, cornhusk doll making and washing clothes in an old galvanized tub on a washboard – especially fun on a hot day.
It also included a wide range of historical activities – from old time fiddlers to authentic Kalapuyan stories to learning how obsidian projectile points are made.
People stood in line, waiting for their turn to pan for gold, straighten wool, grind flour, make a corn husk doll or go on a ride in a carriage pulled by mules through the streets of Brownsville.
Water misters provided relief from the heat and participants sipped fresh-pressed apple juice as they listened to live music. For those who needed extra cooling, a visit to the museum offered that option.
Compelling presentations covered a variety of interests: Oscar B. Hult the embalming surgeon; Roy Houtz, president of the Mid Valley Prospectors club; and Mariah Rocker, who spoke on challenges faced by Black pioneers in Oregon.
Parents split up, going in different directions – one taking the baby to the fiddler playing music while the other taking children on the carriage ride. There was something for everyone.
