[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2006-02-22

[Heritage Info]

In this issue:
1.  Mission Mill plans spring break sessions
2.  SOHS to open new exhibit
3.  Preservation conference scholarships available
4. Stubborn Twig's new edition featured March 5


MISSION MILL PLANS SPRING BREAK SESSIONS

Mission Mill Museum in Salem will offer spring break day camps March 27-31. Each day is a different subject relating to the history interpreted at the museum. Classes are offered for children ages 5-7 and 8-14. For more information, visit www.missionmill.org or phone 503-585-7012.  

Mission Mill Museum interprets the history of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill which produced wool products from 1889 to 1962. It also preserves Mission houses, an Oregon Trail settler house, an historic church, and the structures, equipment, and original water-power turbine of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill with related artifacts. 


SOHS TO OPEN NEW EXHIBIT

"Toward the Setting Sun:  Traveling the Oregon Trail" will open at the Southern Oregon Historical Society on March 3. Through photographs, artifacts, and interactive displays, it will tell the stories of several families who endured hardships on the Oregon Trail on their way to settling in Southern Oregon.

The museum, located at 206 N. Fifth St., Jacksonville, is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. For more information, call 541-773-6536 or visit www.sohs.org
 

PRESERVATION CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

Applications are available for the National Preservation Conference diversity scholarship program. The National Trust makes available scholarship assistance to help preservationists from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds attend the National Preservation Conference which will take place Oct. 31-Nov. 5 in Pittsburgh. It provides the opportunity for community activists, cultural leaders and professionals to expand their preservation knowledge and share their experience with like-minded leaders from across the country.

Applications must be postmarked by June 1. For more information or applications, call (202) 588-6027 or e-mail scholarships at nthp.org.  Applications are also available through the
National Trust website at http://www.nthpconference.org/PDFFiles/Scholarship_2006.pdf 


STUBBORN TWIG'S  NEW EDITION FEATURED MARCH 5

The public is invited to attend a reading of "The Stubborn Twig: Three Generations in the Life of a Japanese American Family" at 1:30 p.m. March 5 at the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, 121 NW 2nd Ave., Portland. Lauren Kessler will be reading from the revised edition of the book about the Yasui Family of Hood River originally published in 1984.  Dr. Homer Yasui, a retired physician who lives in Portland will introduce the author of the book about his family.

The Stubborn Twig is a classic American tale about immigrants making their way in a new land.  Masuo Yasui arrived in America in 1903 and worked on the railroads, in a cannery, and as a houseboy before settling in Hood River.  He opened a store, raised a big family, and became one the area's most successful orchardists. His American-born children broke it in school, scouts, and sports, excelling in almost everything they tried.  But none of their accomplishments could shield them from racism.  

In the new edition, Kessler has added information based on interviews conducted more recently, and incorporates or additional insights by several members of the Yasui family. Kessler is the author of 10 books and directs the graduate program in literary nonfiction at the University of Oregon in Eugene. For more information, contact (503) 224-1458 or  onlc at oregonnikkei.org
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Oregon Heritage News is a service of the Oregon Heritage Commission, which can be contacted at heritage.info at state.or.us