Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center

A Different Kind of Story Time featuring the cast of Little Mermaid
2017-11-04 04:00 - 05:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
The cast of the Little Mermaid reads Clark the Toothless Shark

First Friday - Hoyer Brothers Trio
2017-11-03 12:00 - 14:00

Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos)
2017-11-01 11:00 - 13:00
Live music, dancing, crafts and festive food marks Day of the Dead celebrations from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1 at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center. The event, sponsored by Columbia Valley Community Health, is free and open to the public.
Visitors will have a chance to learn about this important Mexican holiday tradition of honoring the dead and see beautiful displays designed to memorialize deceased family members.
Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. Traditions associated with the holiday include creating altars decorated with sugar skulls, marigolds and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed.
In Brazil, the holiday is known as Dia de Finados and is marked by visits to cemeteries and churches. In Spain, the day is marked by festivals and parades, graveside observances and prayer for dead loved ones.
The museum also is hosting a free altar workshop from 9 am to noon Wednesday, Nov. 1 for those interested in creating Die de los Muertos altar. Pre-registration for the workshop is required.
Community members are invited to create an altar to honor loved ones and set it up at the museum beginning Oct. 23. The altars will be displayed through Nov. 6.
For more information about the event or to reserve a spot for an altar, please contact the museum at 509-888-6243.

Día de los Muertos: Workshop and Celebration
2017-11-01 02:00 - 05:00
Come join us in celebrating this important Mexican holiday by participating in a free Alfenique altar building workshop and puppet show from 9:00 AM to Noon with artist Pedro Sosa. Then come back for live music, dancing, crafts and festive food from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
REGISTER HERE

Trivia Night
2017-10-27 11:00 - 14:00
Put on your thinking cap for a casual evening of trivia for local history buffs, culture gurus and museum lovers from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. Bring your friends and meet some of the smartest people around. Test your knowledge of museum exhibits, Wenatchee valley history, natural science, music and current events.There will be six rounds with five questions each. Each round will have a different theme. At the end of the round, each team will submit their answers for the questions asked and the scores will be tallied. A great way to prepare for this special trivia night is to visit the museum and check out its Facebook page.
Museum curator and trivia co-director Melanie Wachholder sees the trivia night as a great way to make new friends, learn more about local history and show off what you know.“We will have a mix of questions, some will be focused on our local history.” Wachholder said. “We want people to come in and test their knowledge on all sorts of subjects!”
“We will have a mix of questions, some will be focused on our local history.” Wachholder said. “We want people to come in and test their knowledge on all sorts of subjects!”
Trivia night will take place in the performance center of the historic museum building at 127 S. Mission Street in Wenatchee.
Bring a group (up to six people per team) or come alone and enjoy snacks, drinks and a win-the-pot prize during this friendly competition. Cost is $1 per person. Wine and beer will be available for purchase.
For more information, contact the museum at 509-888-6240.

A Different Kind of Story Time
2017-10-21 04:00 - 05:00
Vern Smith reads The Jazz Fly, followed by an instrument petting zoo.

Environmental Film & Lecture Series: Coppermine River Trip
2017-10-17 12:00 - 13:00
In late July of 2016, four men from Wenatchee pushed off from the short of Point Lake in Canada’s Northwest Territory and launched down the Coppermine River. The group will share highlights of this grand adventure Tuesday, Oct. 17 at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center. Their talk is part of the Wenatchee Valley Environmental Film & Lecture Series.
After 24 days of paddling and 350 miles, the four reached their destination: the Arctic Ocean and the Inuit village of Kugluktuk. The trip inspired poetry, song and left all four adventurers wishing to share their experience of rapids, canyons, wolves, loons, bugs, char, storms, scenery and wonderful wilderness.
Kids are welcome and the Museum Makerspace is open for hands-on science activities for ages 6 and up thanks to support from Wenatchee Valley Medical Group. The event is free and open to the public. A $5 donation is suggested. There will be light snacks and an opportunity to purchase beer or wine.
Series sponsors include the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, Trust for Public Land, Wenatchee River Institute, Wenatchee Valley Museum and the Wenatchee Valley medical Group.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the program begins at 7 p.m. For more information, contact the museum at 509-888-6240.

Fire and Ice Geology Tour
2017-10-14 02:00 - 10:00
There is still room on the Fire and Ice Geology Tour slated for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14. Tickets are $40 for members, $45 for nonmembers.
Tour guide and geology enthusiast Ken Lacy leads this all-day excursion through the Lower Moses Coulee, Waterville Plateau and Brewster’s Grand Terrace. Lacy will talk about the immense forces behind the formation of towering basalt cliffs and describe the features the inspired the ice age vocabulary of moraine, kames, eskers, drumlins and kettles.
While touring Brewster’s Grand Terrace, tour-goers will see the source of the glacial ice-borne boulders (erratics) that cover so much of the Waterville Plateau. Also featured are the volcanic feeder dikes of Pine Canyon and a stop for lunch at Chief Joseph Dam.
Lacy is a board member of the Ice Ages Floods Institute and is passionate about sharing the story of North Central Washington Geology.
For more information, contact the museum at 509-888-6240.
Grab some tickets now!

A Different Kind of Story Time
2017-10-07 04:00 - 05:00
Rob Spradlin reads Dog Breath by Dave Pilkey

Apple Label Swap Meet
2017-10-07 03:00 - 09:00
Fruit label collectors will converge on the Wenatchee Valley Museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7. The free swap meet is a great opportunity to add to existing collections or just to peruse an art form that died out after the advent of the cardboard box in the late 1950s.
Fruit labels identified and promoted Washington State fruit on the ends of wood fruit crates starting in the early 1900s. From the valley to the orchards, the art on the ends of the boxes has left an enduring history of the early days of Wenatchee and North Central Washington fruit growers.
Collectors are as interested in the tales of the past as much as the discovery of a rare label.
“I got into collecting because I was working in the industry and thought the old labels were cool,” said Mike Doty. “Then I started to get to know people who had worked in the industry when labels were still used. All of us collectors try to gather as much information as we can when we add to our collection. We love the stories.”
Doty, who has about 2,000 labels in his private collection, says there are about 8,000 labels in circulation from the extremely rare (and valuable) to the prolific.
Label designers, inspired by the scenic beauty of the Pacific Northwest, painted idyllic scenes filled with flowing rivers and quaint villages, rosy-cheeked children and a country brimming with perfect fruit.
The work of producing the labels did not stop in the artist studio, however. Fruit label lithography was not a Xerox process. It was a slow and highly skilled profession. The printing process required using heavy limestones, careful alignment, specially treated paper and meticulous attention to detail.
That craftsmanship is part of the lure for avid collectors.
The event includes live demonstrations of the museum’s 1920s apple sorter and a chance to see a display of vintage fruit labels.
The swap meet is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the museum at 888-6240 or go to wenatcheevalleymuseum.org.

First Friday - Public Opening of Apple Capital Records
2017-10-06 12:00 - 14:00

Apple Capital Records: Members Only Opening
2017-10-05 10:30 - 12:30

Environmental Film & Lecture Series: Lost Homeland
2017-10-03 12:00 - 13:00
Historian E. Richard Hart and biologist/musician Ken Bevis team up to deliver a fun, scholarly program on the history of the Methow tribe, the Columbia Reservation and the beautiful valley and river system that sustained indigenous hunter/gatherer populations for centuries. Hart will use slides of newly discovered images featured in his book “Lost Homeland,” while Bevis will perform original songs inspired by the beauty of the Methow Valley.

A Different Kind of Story Time
2017-09-23 04:00 - 05:00
Don Fox reads The Pout-Pout Fish

Environmental Film & Lecture Series: Bigfoot & Butterflies
2017-09-19 12:00
Bigfoot researcher Paul Graves entertains, educates and intrigues with his many stories related to his quest to find evidence of this Northwest icon. Mixed with slide show images and original songs by Graves, this program explores centuries-old Sasquatch lore along with contemporary sightings. Guests will have an open-mic opportunity to share their own experiences.

The Great Escape Geology Tour
2017-09-09 02:00 - 10:00
Ice Age Floods using the Grand Coulee and the Upper Crab Creek drainages, filled the Quincy Basin at a rate up to 16.5 million cubic meters of water per second. This tour will examine the incredible erosive consequences of the floodwaters escaping the Quincy Basin, via Lynch, Potholes and Frenchman Springs Coulees. In addition, we examine the eight mile wide Drumheller Channels, through which most of the Quincy Basin floodwaters drained largely down the Lower Crab Creek drainage, toward the Columbia River at Beverly, Washington. Reserve your place now!

Free Children’s Art Class: Jar Aquariums
2017-08-26 03:00 - 04:00
Summer Saturdays at the museum. These hour long art classes are FREE for children age 4+ and their caregivers to do together. Only 20 spots are available, so make sure and reserve your spot now! Come to 1 or all 4. All classes start at 10:00 am and will be taught by local artist, Natalee Aalgaard.

Wurlitzer Theater Organ Concert
2017-08-25 11:30 - 12:30
The Wurlitzer Theater Organ concert will be held on August 25th at 6:30pm. A special silent film and Liberty Theater pipe organ concert. $15 concert admission includes light snacks and beverages.
Click here to reserve your tickets now!

Solar Eclipse Viewing Party
2017-08-21 01:00 - 05:00
Join us as we travel by bus to the Mission Ridge Ski & Resort to celebrate this amazing natural phenomena. This family-friendly event includes a chartered bus ride to the ridge, special viewing glasses, a commemorative t-shirt, hands-on activities, themed music and refreshments.

World's Largest Apple Pie 20th Anniversary Celebration
2017-08-16 10:00 - 12:00
The Apple Capital of the World needed to be home to the World’s Largest Apple Pie. And so it was, 20 years ago, that the museum set out to gain that title. It took a lot of work and a lot of apples, but in the end, we were victorious! The Guinness Book of World Records declared it to be true.
Join us as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of this achievement. Come see photos of the massive oven that was constructed. Hear about how such an incredible, edible pie was made. Watch as we unveil the new sign that will soon grace the north end of town. Eat apple pie and vanilla ice cream. Relish the record with us!
Free admission. Donations always welcome.

Free Children’s Art Class: Little Pets
2017-08-05 03:00 - 04:00

Hiking Camp
2017-07-31 02:00 - 2017-08-03 07:00

Free Children’s Art Class: Paving Stone Hand Prints
2017-07-29 03:00 - 04:00

Free Children's Art Class: Stained Glass Vases
2017-07-15 03:00 - 04:00

Malaga Tour
2017-07-08 02:00 - 08:00
On this geologic venture we will first visit two locations where gold has been mined within the vicinity of Wenatchee, Washington. Mining for gold started almost 150 years by the Chinese around 1870 in an area that later became the location of the Gold King/Lovitt Mines. In 1985 the Cannon Mine opened and operated for about 10 years producing more than one-million ounces of gold and in excess of two-million ounces of silver before closing in 1994 due to lack of mineable reserves.
Several unique geologic features will be observed along the field trip route. These include Saddle Rock, Owl Sisters, and Stemilt Pinnacles. All these features are known to have Native American significance.
Imagine a wall of water almost 1,000 feet deep encompassing the Wenatchee valley. The Ice Age Floods story will be highlighted at several stops along the field trip route. The enormous Pangborn Bar, thousands of bed-load boulders rolled from distance locations, and the Moses Coulee flood bar are a few of the specific features that will be observed.
Our last stop on the field trip excursion will be at the Malaga Springs Winery. The site lies at the base of Jump-Off-Joe Ridge high on the hillside south of Malaga, Washington. An overview of the unique geology and Ice Age Floods story will be explained at this stop best due to the great scenic vistas from this location. This will be our lunch stop and time will allow wine tasting.
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First Friday
2017-07-07 10:00 - 13:00
Admission is free all day at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center on the first Friday of every month, and hours are extended to 8pm with light refreshments offered after 5:00.

Super Summer Adventures Begin
2017-06-11 - 2017-06-12

Makers and Shakers Members Only
2017-06-10 - 2017-06-11
Click here to reserve your spot!

Ice Age Floods Trail Tour
2017-06-10 02:00 - 10:00
Ice Age Floods trail tour includes stops at Three Devils Cataracts, Moses Coulee, Glacial Erratics & Dry Falls.
Tour Guides are Brent Cunderla and Ken Lacy. Brent is a retired geologist from the Bureau of Land Management. He is current president of the Wenatchee Valley Erratics, a chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute. Ken is a board member of the Ice Age Floods Institute. Both are passionate about sharing the story of North Central Washington geology. Tickets are available now!

Native Heritage Tour: Moses Coulee
2017-06-03 02:00 - 10:00
NEW TOUR! Explore significant cultural sites of the Sinkiuse people including paint gathering, projectile manufacturing and cave locations with guide Randy Lewis.

Randy Lewis grew up with a strong understanding and sense of place within Native American Columbia Plateau indigenous society. Lewis traces his roots to the Wenatchi band. His life experiences includes fishing at Celilo Falls before waters from the construction of The Dalles Dam inundated the Columbia River site, putting an end to an 11,000-year-old 9-mile-long indigenous fishery. Besides Wenatchee Heights and Celilo Falls, Lewis lived with extended family in Okanagan County and Ellensburg. All of those different experiences contribute to the wealth of knowledge he is eager to share. Lewis’ enthusiasm for the history of his people, the stories of his ancestors and their relation to the surrounding landscape comes from a hope for deeper understanding and respect of ancient cultures.
He hopes that deeper appreciation will transcend to how people approach the discovery of Native American artifacts. Get your tickets now!
