PASCO, Wash. – The Franklin County Historical Society is hosting its monthly storytellers’ event in the basement of their museum.
The event aims to bring out community members for an afternoon of conversation and connections. The event originally began as a way to connect with friends and classmates but blossomed into a much larger way to talk to one another.
Kim Neff, past immediate president for FCHS, says they hold the original ideas in place today.
“The whole idea behind storytellers was just to be able to gather people in a more organic way… they just wanted to learn more about their community and find ways to relate to each other,” said Neff.
FCHS holds the event in the basement of the museum, beautifully decorated and restored to its former appearance. A large wooden table sits in the center, surrounded by a wooden stage, fireplace and countless photos of distant memories.
“We try to keep its historical preservation in place so that people really get the full experience,” says Eleanor Neff, executive director for FCHS.
The museum itself is two stories, filled with artifacts, educational materials, exhibits and more. Such exhibits include Asian American history and involvement in the area, Native American history, railroad history and wartime history. One of their more unique exhibits includes a near life-like model of a prehistoric Western Camelop that roamed the region thousands of years ago.
As for events, Spence Jilek, current president, was excited to announce their Christmas Open House on December 6th. They’re also working on a new event slated for next fall featuring antique tractors. All in all, they’re excited to show off the years of hard work they’ve put into preserving the community’s history.
“We really try to cover a wide base of Franklin County history,” said Eleanor. “There’s something for everyone.”
