The Tualatin Historical Society hosts Heritage Evening, its only fundraiser of the year, on Friday, Sept. 11, to celebrate the Heritage Center building's 100th birthday.
The event runs 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the center, 8700 SW Sweek Drive in Tualatin.
This year's gathering carries a double milestone, according to the historical society: 100 years since the original church was dedicated in 1926, and 20 years since local leaders cut the ribbon on its new life as the Heritage Center in partnership with the City of Tualatin.
Tualatin Mayor Frank Bubenik will host a trivia game on key moments in Tualatin history.
Musician Don Schlesinger provides live jazz and swing, including a 1937 Rose Festival theme song written by Tualatin resident Goldie Maye Basler. Guests are invited to dress in attire from a decade of their choice.
The evening includes Northwest wines, appetizers and sweets from Elka Bees, and a $25 wine pull with some bottles valued at two to three times that price.
A cash-prize raffle offers $500, $250 and $100 prizes at $10 per ticket, with only 300 tickets available. Gift cards for local restaurants and entertainment venues will also be on sale.
The building dates to 1926. Tualatin craftsman Charles Sherburn built the Methodist church on Lower Boones Ferry Road, according to a Tualatin Life retrospective. It stood near the corner of Boones Ferry and Tualatin-Sherwood Road until Clark Lumber bought it in 1981.
The Tualatin Historical Society received the building as a donation in 2003.
A community fundraising campaign raised more than $187,000, which grew to over $450,000 with in-kind support and City of Tualatin funds. Workers moved the church down Tualatin streets in late summer 2005 and placed it at its current Sweek Drive site.
The Heritage Center opened in February 2006. The city owns the building and helps maintain it, while the historical society runs operations, including free programs and event rentals.
A 125-year-old farm wagon used by several Tualatin families is a new display along Sweek Drive.
Upcoming
- Heritage Evening: Friday, Sept. 11, 5:30–8 p.m., Tualatin Heritage Center, 8700 SW Sweek Drive. Tickets: $50 advance, $60 at the door. Info: tualatinhistory.org or 503-885-1926.
- Tualatin Heritage Center: Open weekdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free admission.
