With ChehalisFest approaching next weekend, Doug DeVany, interim executive director of the Lewis County Historical Museum, is looking for volunteers to help him with weeding the museum property in downtown Chehalis on Monday, July 20, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We will be weeding, trimming rose bushes and performing basic landscaping maintenance to as much of the property as we can. Looking for volunteers to help with basics, people who own trailers that can haul green waste away, professional landscapers, and really any help or donation of items or resources to this cause,” DeVany said in a post on social media. “If you have your own gloves, tools (and) water, we only have limited supplies of those items. The museum is in such a prominent place, and it should be inviting to see it. With ChehalisFest around the corner, we are hoping to make the place shine and show the community we care about making downtown a beautiful place to visit.”
DeVany has already started on the weeding, as a pile of trimmings was seen in his parking spot at the museum — gathered with the help of Tony Ketchum, Lewis County Historical Society treasurer and Chehalis mayor — when The Chronicle visited the archives on Thursday, July 16.
For more information, prospective volunteers are invited to ask questions at https://tinyurl.com/ecdjkbw8.
Then, to kick off ChehalisFest on Saturday, July 25, the museum will host the “red, white and blueberry” pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. DeVany said the breakfast will also be a membership drive for the museum, with free pancake breakfasts for those renewing memberships and or starting a membership.
Without a membership purchase or renewal, pancake breakfasts are $8 per person, or free for children 7 or younger. Along with blueberry pancakes, eggs and sausage will be served up, paired with juice and coffee.
Individual memberships are $25 annually, or $18 annually for seniors, and include one free pancake breakfast; annual family memberships are $35 and include two free breakfasts; annual sustaining organization or business memberships are $50 and include four free breakfasts; and a lifetime membership option is also available for $1,500 — which includes four free breakfasts for life at all future ChehalisFests.
Museum members get benefits including free guest passes, priority access to museum events and a subscription to the Lewis County Historical Society newsletter.
“The museum is also actively recruiting volunteers to help with a variety of projects including archival tasks, facility maintenance tasks, helping create and curate new programming; and things like ticket sales, exhibit interpretation and tours. If you have time and a willingness to help, we'd love to have you on our volunteer roster,” DeVany said in the email. “The Lewis County Historical Museum has been a hub for many activities and events, and we want to continue that great legacy by making this a place where folks can come to spend time learning, appreciating our unique local history and culture, and where magical experiences take place. As director I do what I can, but I'm just one person. The more involvement we get from members and volunteers, the more we can do to make this place great together.”
The Lewis County Historical Museum is located at 599 NW Front Way in downtown Chehalis. For more information, visit its website at https://lewiscountymuseum.org/ or follow the museum on Facebook at https://tinyurl.com/2vevnwxm.
