BECOME A LIVING HISTORIAN!
PACIFIC NORTHWEST LIVING HISTORIANS
RECRUITING MEMBERS TO BRING HISTORY ALIVE

ASTORIA, OR –  Pacific Northwest Living Historians (PNWLH) is offering a free introductory program on living history with leading expert Jim Phillips on Thursday, December 28.  The program takes place at Fort Clatsop from 5:30 to 7:30.  This is a great opportunity to meet living historians and hear about how to bring history alive through this unique form of interpretation

Pacific Northwest Living Historians is a newly formed group who has been portraying members of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery for bicentennial programs at Fort Clatsop and Seaside since 2001.  The group has expanded and offered a living history program for the anniversary of the Peter Iredale Shipwreck in October and have plans to create Clark’s Camp at Cape Disappointment in July 2007 in addition to its annual Saltmakers Return program in Seaside next August.

“Living history is new to the region,” explained Jill Harding, Chief of Visitor Services at Fort Clatsop.  “During the bicentennial we noticed people really enjoyed ‘meeting members of the Corps’ and it adds a fresh new way to experience history that kids and adults enjoy.”

PNWLH President Dave Scott added that, “The Columbia-Pacific has an incredible depth of history and there are many other stories to tell.”  In order to tell those stories, however, more people need to be trained in this specialized field of first-person living history.  As more programs are developed there is also an expanding need for contextual and third-person interpreters.

The December program offers an introduction to Pacific Northwest Living Historians, regional opportunities for volunteers, and an initial program offering tips and secrets to great story-telling.

The program is free and takes place a the Fort Clatsop Visitor Center from 5:30 – 7:30.  Arrive before 4:30 and experience Living History first-hand by visitor the newly dedicated Fort Clatsop exhibit where members of PNWLH are portraying members of the Corps for the annual Wintering Over program.

Wintering Over takes place Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, from 10 am to 4:30 pm at Fort Clatsop, a unit of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.

For more information about Wintering Over call the Visitor Center at (503) 861-2471.

For more information or to register for the Living History introductory session call (503) 861-4403 or visit www.destinationthepacific.com.

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