Tags: Museums

Firefighting Exhibit at Museum

Coupeville - Island County Historical Museum is hosting a temporary firefighting exhibit. “Saving Lives – Killing Fires” will be up through November 15, and features such articles as Coupeville’s first fire helmet, an authentic steel-wheeled hose cart, an Uruguayan Bombero’s helmet, a hand-pumped Chinese water gun, vintage extinguishers and equipment and numerous photos and articles from the turn of the 20th century through present.

Island County Historical Society

P.O. Box 305, Coupeville, WA 98239

360.678.3310 - FAX 360.678.1720

ed-ichs@whidbey.net

The featured exhibit this year is "Christmas in Coupeville", and represents a Victorian Christmas scene.

The Captain Whidbey Inn is hosting Island County Historical Society as they present “A Holiday Feast”

In 1907, Judge Lester Still built what was to become a world-famous log Inn that over the years has hosted thousands of guests from all over the world. The Inn celebrated its first century last Christmas with a special dinner and program presented by Island County Historical Society This year’s program will feature tours of the Inn, live music, and a special tree decorating and lighting ceremony.

The Feast offers your choice of Cranberry-Glazed Pork Roast, Braised Lamb Shank with Cranberry Chutney, or Game Hen with Wild Rice. Tickets are $100 per plate, with all proceeds benefiting the Island County Historical Museum. Please RSVP early, as space is limited.

For reservations or information, please call 360-678-3310.

Attendees will have the opportunity to explore various
aspects of salmon life, history and significance in Native culture, as well
as current efforts and practices in salmon recovery. The program will
feature Native storytelling, music, and artwork by Swinomish and Samish

tribal members. The film 'Shadow of the Salmon”, a docudrama about the salmon and Puget Sound tribes will be shown throughout the day in the Museum conference room. Salmon related children’s activities will also be offered. This special program is structured with various “stations” to visit, to allow attendees to explore at their own pace, throughout the day.

Special all-day admission is $8; $20 for family of 3 ($2 for additional members); under 5 years, free.

Museum admission is by donation during Saturday and Sunday hours. Artists will display work of various subjects with a special emphasis on historic buildings or events in Island County history.

Interested artists are urged to register soon, as space is limited! Please visit our website at for a signup form or call

Coupeville - The third annual Wharf Fest returns to the historic Coupeville Waterfront on June 27 and 28. This year’s theme celebrates small boats. Kayaks, canoes, rowboats, small sailboats, model boats, and other, small craft are welcome join the festivities. The object is to assemble as many small craft as possible – in the water, or on land for display. Launching facilities are nearby, and moorage is available at the historic 1905 Coupeville Wharf, where kayak rentals are also available. At 2 o’clock, a small boat flotilla will be assembled and paraders will pass by the wharf for photo opps.

Wharf Fest is an all-free, family-fun festival, sponsored by the Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association, and features music, kids activities, hayrides, vintage boats and vehicles, and Pirates! The Island County Historical Museum will be open by donation during Wharf Fest, and will feature a special maritime exhibit.

Bring your boat and have a ball!

Please call if you’d like to join the Wharf Fest Small Boat Flotilla, or for more information, 360-678-3310.

The famous Telegraph racing canoe returns to the Island County Historical Museum on Wednesday, July 22, about noon.

The Telegraph, carved at Swinomish in1906 by Charlie Edwards, was once described as“…the fastest canoe on Sound waters.” For almost three decades, it was the canoe to beat during the annual summer races, and it dominated the competition from local tribes, as well as those from British Columbia. In 1929, the town of Coupeville began hosting the International Indian War Canoe Race. Six years later, the Telegraph retired from active racing. The Swinomish gave the canoe to Wiley Hesselgrave of Coupeville in recognition of his founding the Coupeville races, for his avid support of Indian canoe racing, and for the kindness showed the participants

The Telegraph eventually became part of the Island County Historical Museum’s collection, where it is cared for and displayed in front of the museum along with other classic Indian racing canoes such as the Elson and the Flying Cloud.

In May 2008, the Island County Historical Museum loaned the Telegraph to Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, for their year-long exhibit, World of the Shipwright. On July 22, members of the Edwards family will escort the Telegraph back to Coupeville. On the journey home, the Telegraph will be brought through the Swinomish Reservation in LaConner, at about 10am, where a blessing ceremony will be conducted, then she’ll proceed to Coupeville, where she will be placed back with her canoe companions, and into a newly-restored canoe shed.

Help celebrate 60 years of Island County History at our Birthday Bash & Auction that will include food for purchase from vendors at the Coupeville Farmer's Market, Kid's Tent with face painting, crafts, fun and games. Kids are encouraged to dress in pioneer attire for costume contest. The admission free fundraising event is open to the public.

Registration for the auction begins at 1:30pm with the silent auction from 2-3pm. The live auction, conducted by auctioneer Dale Sherman, will run from 3-4pm. All proceeds to to the Island County historical Museum (501(c)(3)) to continue daily operations. The Museum will be selling memberships, memorial bricks, gift shop items and hot dogs.

Consider donating an item for auction. Donations are accepted from July 1-July 18th. Items should have a value of at least $40. Cash donations are accepted. Donations are tax deductible.

Jane Richlovsky
"BUBBLE"
In "Bubble", her latest series of paintings on recycled domestic fabrics, artist Jane Richlovsky delves into the vast, cavernous dream spaces of mid-century modernist homes, and unpacks the battered and remarkably resilient American Dream promised by their spare, futuristic lines.

Inge Roberts
New works in porcelain. Using a thin-slab method for her hand built forms, Inge Roberts embellishes her works with symbols of ancient worship, texts, medieval images to honor those forgotten artists.

Anne Waterman is the featured artist for August. She began painting after moving to Island in 1998 from New Mexico. Anne uses photographs that she has taken as her inspiration.

It's true! Whidbey Island's Woolly Mammoths come "home" for a day of fun and informative activities, tailored for children, at the Island County Historical Museum.

All activities FREE with regular admission

Museum Day is a National Event sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution that showcases our nations museums and features free and special admission offers on the last Saturday of each September.

Island County Historical Museum collects and interprets local history from throughout Island County, and host special programs and events. The Museum also maintains an extensive archives and research library that is open to the public by appointment. Admission to the museum is by donation on the 26th.

Actual storytelling and story reading to illustrate Indian ways of preserving and passing on history. Exploring the similarities between storytelling and museum work which also preserves history – both ways ‘guarding’ the past from loss and/or corruption through misrepresentation.

$7 suggested donation at the door

A plein-air (outdoor, on-site) art class devoted to rendering images of historic buildings in our area. Pastel and oil mediums encouraged.

$45 per student, minimum of 4, maximum of 8 students. Weather permitting.

The Island County Historical Museum is featuring a temporary exhibit titled “Glory Days – from Sandlots to Super Bowls”, featuring local and national sports memorabilia. The exhibit centerpiece is a life-sized carved wooden baseball pitcher from the early 1900’s. As a Boston Red Sox player, he likely began his “career” as a cigar store attraction in Boston, but was discovered by a local collector in Southern California, and now calls Coupeville home! Also featured are vintage sports cards, football and baseball gear, rare autographs, posters, and a vast assortment of photos of local sports teams, including the Oak Harbor Oaks, and the Coupeville Sprouts, all from the early part of the 1900s. The exhibit is part of the “Community Collections” series.

For the young and young at heart, learning the simple but satisfying old skill of making dolls from dry cornhusks for the holidays.

$4 per student

Exploring the meanings beyond the names ‘raven’, ‘frog’, ‘bear’, etc in Northwest Coast Indian art. Second offering (held first in April) of this completely unique class, features slides, hands-on experience, handouts and lecture by museum educator Gordon Grant.

$10 at the door

The PBY Memorial Foundation in conjunction with the ANA will hold its annual Pearl Harbor Commemoration at the NAS Island CPO Club. This is a no host luncheon with speakers. Everyone is welcome.