Driftwood and Daffodils - Flower Arrangement Category
"Driftwood and Daffodils" was one blockbuster exhibit that was never intended to tour world capitals. So briefly do spring flowers flourish that the event lasted only two days.
The exhibit was a remarkable accomplishment for a fishing village in decline that had only 936 inhabitants in 2010. In fact, it's unusual for a town that small to have a well-run and well organized historical society that puts on a number of exhibits every year.
Like spring bulbs, institutions of this kind need tender loving care if they're to survive from one season to the next!
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"Driftwood and Daffodils" – March 31 & April 1, 2023
By Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum October 15, 2022
The exhibit "Driftwood & Daffodils" was hosted by the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco, Washington, from March 31 to April 1, 2023.
In October, 2022, the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum posted a piece on its website to promote the exhibit and encourage gardeners interested in participating to plant their spring bulbs right away. Here is the relevant portion of the announcement:
The driftwood creations contest will revive a popular event from the mid-20th century. The juried daffodil show is inspired by all the beautiful displays of spring bulbs on the Peninsula over the years.
Registration for the event will be in January, but now is the time to get your daffodil bulbs planted and start combing the beach for that perfect piece of driftwood. More information along with contest rules will be announced soon. Watch the CPHM website (columbiapacificheritagemuseum.org) and Facebook page for updates.
Daffodils have long been a popular flower in local gardens. In addition to being deer resistant and one of the first signs of spring, they were grown commercially in the 1930s at the north end of the Peninsula. John Morehead was a well-known peninsula pioneer. He owned the Morehead store in Nahcotta and had an active farm off Sandridge Road where he raised cattle and grew peas and daffodil bulbs. This photograph by local photographer Charles Fitzpatrick shows the Morehead daffodil fields in bloom. Today daffodils are a symbol of the Ocean Park Village Club as they planted thousands of bulbs along Bay Avenue.
1956 was the first year for the Annual Driftwood exhibition held at the Long Beach Grange. Each year brought hundreds of entries in both the Junior and Senior divisions. Local crafters scoured the beaches for interesting pieces of driftwood. Some just cleaned them up and presented their find, others modified the pieces by adding paint, rock, netting, glass floats etc. In 1967, the last year of the show, the grand prize was awarded to a hanging driftwood mobile that was surely the highlight of a beach cabin living room!
Old-timers, if you have stories or photos of your award-winning driftwood art from days gone by, the museum would love to hear from you!
Driftwood and Daffodils - Flower Arrangement Category
"Driftwood and Daffodils" was one blockbuster exhibit that was never intended to tour world capitals. So briefly do spring flowers flourish that the event lasted only two days.
The exhibit was a remarkable accomplishment for a fishing village in decline that had only 936 inhabitants in 2010. In fact, it's unusual for a town that small to have a well-run and well organized historical society that puts on a number of exhibits every year.
Like spring bulbs, institutions of this kind need tender loving care if they're to survive from one season to the next!
=======================================================
"Driftwood and Daffodils" – March 31 & April 1, 2023
By Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum October 15, 2022
The exhibit "Driftwood & Daffodils" was hosted by the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco, Washington, from March 31 to April 1, 2023.
In October, 2022, the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum posted a piece on its website to promote the exhibit and encourage gardeners interested in participating to plant their spring bulbs right away. Here is the relevant portion of the announcement:
The driftwood creations contest will revive a popular event from the mid-20th century. The juried daffodil show is inspired by all the beautiful displays of spring bulbs on the Peninsula over the years.
Registration for the event will be in January, but now is the time to get your daffodil bulbs planted and start combing the beach for that perfect piece of driftwood. More information along with contest rules will be announced soon. Watch the CPHM website (columbiapacificheritagemuseum.org) and Facebook page for updates.
Daffodils have long been a popular flower in local gardens. In addition to being deer resistant and one of the first signs of spring, they were grown commercially in the 1930s at the north end of the Peninsula. John Morehead was a well-known peninsula pioneer. He owned the Morehead store in Nahcotta and had an active farm off Sandridge Road where he raised cattle and grew peas and daffodil bulbs. This photograph by local photographer Charles Fitzpatrick shows the Morehead daffodil fields in bloom. Today daffodils are a symbol of the Ocean Park Village Club as they planted thousands of bulbs along Bay Avenue.
1956 was the first year for the Annual Driftwood exhibition held at the Long Beach Grange. Each year brought hundreds of entries in both the Junior and Senior divisions. Local crafters scoured the beaches for interesting pieces of driftwood. Some just cleaned them up and presented their find, others modified the pieces by adding paint, rock, netting, glass floats etc. In 1967, the last year of the show, the grand prize was awarded to a hanging driftwood mobile that was surely the highlight of a beach cabin living room!
Old-timers, if you have stories or photos of your award-winning driftwood art from days gone by, the museum would love to hear from you!