Special Events
There’s always something new at the Ol’ Fort!
Join us for our special events—from family-friendly history-themed games to reenactor encampments in full costume and antique car and truck shows.
Participants will use old tools and make a clock by laminating wood. The clock face and mechanism will be provided and will fit into the wooden structure.
Each participant will come away from the class with a clock like the one pictured that they built themselves.
This class will take place four Sundays in a row, from September 20th through October 11th, from 1 p.m.–3 p.m. all days.
Participants must be 18 years or older; hazardous and sharp tools!
This class requires caution and appropriate clothing, safety glasses will be provided.
What’s old is new again—regenerative agriculture combines modern science with many time-tested techniques to restore and strengthen soil. It is a holistic farming system that takes more effort, but aims to be healthier for the environment, livestock, and ultimately the people eating the food.
Participants will learn the ins and outs of this traditional farming technique and follow a guided tour of the Williams Brothers’ farm, where the practices of regenerative farming are still in use today.
This class will take place Saturday, September 26th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m..
Participants will create a picture of Clark Cabin that sits in the Museum’s Pioneer Village. Plus, kids will get to go into the cabin with a docent/Living History person.
Best for elementary-aged children.
This class will take place Saturday, October 17 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Students are encouraged to bring their own lunch.
This course will cover how to scan photos, negatives, & slides. Handouts will be provided on various film types to help you date your family photos. We will discuss options for naming image files & how to add metadata, making it easier to find images. We will also talk about options for having old home movies digitized.
Each student will have a chance to digitize 3 or 4 of their own photos on Epson scanners.
This course will be offered twice, once in October and once in November. The class will run for 2 hours, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. for both sessions.
We have all seen documentaries of museum curators wearing white cotton gloves and performing a delicate restoration on some precious artifact. But what if the artifacts weigh 800 pounds and are a working part of our museum infrastructure? Our 1900 Fire Station #1 doors are a valued artifact of Walla Walla history and are literally the opening to our steam pumper fire engine exhibit. So when they start to show their age a bit, it is time for a restoration… a leather glove restoration.
Join us for a presentation on the questions, techniques, mysteries, and materials in bringing these large artifacts back to a working life while honoring their historic components. Participants will preview the coming freshening of the overall fire station exhibit and maybe even do a bit of restoration work.
This class will take place on Saturday, October 24, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Contra dancing is a wonderfully vigorous, community-building activity. This class will accustom people to the fundamentals of hearing and stepping to the beat of the music and the musical phrase, as well as the basic moves of contra dancing.
There is nothing so necessary to human beings as the dance…without the dance, a man would not be able to do anything….All the misfortunes of man, all the baleful reverses with which histories are filled, the blunders of politicians and the failures of great leaders, all of this is the result of not knowing how to dance.
—The Dancing Master in Moliere’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (1670)
This class will take place on Saturday, November 15, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
In 1992, in order to bring the contra dancing experience to more people, Instructors Barbara and Dan Clark offered a beginning contra dance class at Walla Walla Community College, followed by a second advanced segment. Since then, they have presented successful contra dance classes in a variety of settings.
They hope this lively tradition will continue for many more!
This course will cover how to scan photos, negatives, & slides. Handouts will be provided on various film types to help you date your family photos. We will discuss options for naming image files & how to add metadata, making it easier to find images. We will also talk about options for having old home movies digitized.
Each student will have a chance to digitize 3 or 4 of their own photos on Epson scanners.
This course will be offered twice, once in October and once in November. The class will run for 2 hours, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. for both sessions.
Fort Walla Walla Museum may photograph, film, or videotape visitors for educational and promotional purposes. By visiting the Museum, you consent to the use of your likeness, voice, or video image for these purposes.