Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Songs Upon the River author will deliver keynote during historical fundraisers.
WALLA WALLA – The annual Frenchtown Rendezvous will take place Oct. 8 at the Assumption Church Parish Hall (2098 E. Alder, Walla Walla) from 1-5 p.m. Tickets are $35 and available online at tinyurl.com/frenchtownrv or by contacting any Frenchtown Historical Foundation board member.
The annual gathering of descendants of the French Canadian and Native American communities of the Inland Northwest is the principal fundraiser for the preservation and maintenance of the Frenchtown Historic Site.
Michel Bouchard and Rob Foxcurran, authors of Songs Upon the Rivers, will provide the keynote address titled "Bridging Cultures, Bridging Continents: What the History of the Founders of Frenchtown can Teach Us About the Ties that Bound Communities in the Pacific Northwest and Beyond."
A silent auction, history displays, coffee and cookies will be available from 1 – 4 p.m., with the keynote address at 4 p.m. A tri-tip steak dinner by Marty Bray will be held at 5 p.m., with beer and wine available for purchase. A Pendleton Woolen Mills "Shared Spirits" blanket will be raffled off.
All funds go toward maintenance, improvements and education outreach for the Frenchtown Historic Site. The site is located at 8364 Old Highway 12, eight miles west of Walla Walla, and features interpretive signage with family histories, burial records, information on the Oregon Trail, the fur trade, interactions between tribes and settlers, and more.
The Prince's Cabin, built in 1837 and believed to be the oldest existing cabin in Washington State, is located on the site. Over 4,000 volunteer hours went into the relocation and restoration of the cabin. The Saint Rose Cemetery at Frenchtown is the oldest Catholic cemetery in the valley.
To learn more about Frenchtown visit http://www.frenchtownwa.org. Frenchtown Rendezvous tickets are $35 and may be purchased at the site or Waitsburg residents can contact Margie Benson at (509) 629-2988 for tickets. Tickets should be purchased by Oct. 6 to allow for an accurate dinner count.
Reader Comments(0)