Oregon Trail Days: Pioneer Village, a parade, music, food and more coming to Tenino this weekend

Tenino’s marquee event  is set to take place for the 57th year on Friday, July 26, through Sunday, July 28. 

Oregon Trail Days celebrates the town’s role in the historic Oregon Trail. In 1968, the mayor of Tenino issued a proclamation in the Tenino Independent newspaper proclaiming Aug. 3 to Aug. 25 as a time to honor the Stone City’s pioneer past. He also ordered all male residents over 18 to not shave for that period (unless they wanted to buy a $2 “beardless permit”) and that only “old-time” dress would be appropriate. 

The first ever Oregon Trail Days was held soon after and included a parade, slowpitch baseball and dances, among other festivities. The stores on Sussex Avenue even got into the pioneer spirit by putting up historic window displays.

This year, attendees can expect a variety of events including a parade, live entertainment, a rock, gem and mineral show, food booths, arts and crafts vendors, a theater production, a quilt show, the Creekside Conservancy Salmon Bake, VFW and American Legion opening and closing flag ceremonies and presentation of arms, South Thurston Fire and EMS demonstrations, a dunk tank and more. 

The Tenino Quarry Pool will also be open for use from noon to 5 p.m.

Listed below is a tentative schedule of events, which is subject to change. 

Events available every day of the festival

Tenino Young-At Heart Theatre will present Rodger & Hammerstein’s “State Fair” at Tenino High School. 

“State Fair” runs Thursday, July 25, to Saturday, Aug. 3, with shows at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the commons of Tenino High School, located at 500 W. Second Ave., Tenino.

A pay-what-you-can performance is scheduled for Wednesday, July 31, at 7 p.m.

Tickets, which are $15 for adults and $13 for students and seniors, can be purchased online at teninoyoungathearttheatre.org or at the door.

The information center will be staffed by the Tenino Community Service Center Food Bank Plus from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Pioneer Village, gem show and more 

Cascadia Country, located on the ball fields near the Blue Pump Track in Tenino City Park, will be home to Pioneer Village, Washington Agate and Mineral Society Rock & Gem Rendezvous, Dutch Oven Society, Cascadiens and Primitives Mountain Man Rendezvous.

The Pioneer Village will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. The hands-on activities at the depot museum will offer an “edutainment” festival for families to share the experiences of what life was like for pioneers more than 100 years ago.

The Pioneer Village will feature:

1. Ax handle making with a draw knife: Visitors will use a draw knife to shave a limb until it forms an ax handle.
2. Antler jewelry: Visitors will cut antlers into pieces. Drill holes in them, put string through the hole and wear them around the neck as a necklace.
3. Arrowhead carving: Visitors will learn about arrowheads and have the opportunity to carve one out of wax.
4. Blacksmithing: The exhibit will include heating iron in a forge and shaping it by pounding it.
5. Candle making: Visitors will dip strings into melted wax and make a candle. Supplies provided by Swan Candles.
6. Cascadian Group: The group will be in costume, set up a primitive camp and bring several different activities to share with visitors.
7. Cedar post and rail making: Visitors will be invited to drive wedges into a log and then continue to drive other wedges down the log. Eventually the log will split and rails and posts are created.
8. Cedar shake making: Visitors will drive a froe (or frow) shake ax into a cedar block, then pull back on the handle and a shake will break off from the block.
9. Cedar bark: Rope-making exhibit.
10. Corn husk dolls: Visitors will take the husk of a piece of corn and build small dolls with it.
11. Dutch oven cooking demonstration: Visitors will sample a variety of treats that have been cooked in a Dutch oven and learn about the process of cooking with it.
12. Electric and bicycle sharpener displays: Visitors will sit and push pedals to turn a large round stone and witness axes and knives being sharpened.
13. Gardening: A demonstration will be given on how to garden and children will be able to plant seeds.
14. Lashing sticks: Visitors will learn how to use twine to lash together sticks or poles to create features.
15. Log cabin notching: Visitors will learn how to place a log on a sawhorse, saw two cuts and then take a mallet and a wood chisel and carve out a notch.
16. Log cutting with a crosscut saw: Visitors will place a log onto sawhorses, then two people will take the crosscut saw and pull back and forth to cut the log.
17. Lumber making with carpenters adze: Visitors will learn to lay a log on the ground, straddle the log and use an adze moving backwards to chip the log to make one side flat, continue on all sides and the piece becomes lumber.
18. Old fashioned toys: Visitors are invited to play with several different old toys used in the 1800s.
19. Ohop pioneer farm activities: Visitors are invited to try out many different farm activities from the Ohop Valley near Eatonville.
20. Pitchwood fire starter: Visitors will learn the history of pitchwood and how it comes from an old stump in the middle of the woods. They will be able to shave off several pieces and see how it can start a fire.
21. Primitives: Mountain Man Rendezvous
22. Rope making: Visitors will use a 100-year-old device to twist three strings of twine to make it into rope.
23. Textile activities: Visitors will be able to connect paper squares with designs and make a paper quilt.
24. Trading post: There will be a display of a variety of old and unique items that people can provide a donation for and take an item home.
25. Washing clothes with a scrub board and wringer: Visitors will put clothes in a tub of soap and water, use the scrub board to clean them and then rinse the clothes in clean water, use the wringer to get rid of the water and then hang the clothes to dry.
26. Wood carving and whittling: Visitors will use a pocket knife to carve and whittle on a stick to create a walking stick.
27. Wood chisel carving: Visitors will learn to carve on alderwood to make sculptures.
28. Woodworking station: Visitors will have the opportunity to try out a number of old carpentry tools including hand drills, hammers, nail pullers and planner.
29. Wood carving: Visitors will be able to use wood fine tools to make things out of pine boards.

At the same location, the Washington Agate and Mineral Society Rock & Gem Rendezvous will be occurring from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day of the festival. The Washington Agate and Mineral Society, the state’s oldest organized rock club, is hosting its 30th annual rock, gem, fossil and mineral show in conjunction with Tenino's Oregon Trail Days celebration. The show is educational and fun for all ages and is a wonderful way to introduce kids to science through geology. Admission to the show is free. Nearly 20 vendors will be selling a wide variety of rocks and minerals, jewelry, beads, gems, crystals, fossils and lapidary equipment for rock cutting, polishing, etc. The club will have its beloved spinning wheel and door prize tickets for sale. Several demonstrators will be showing how to make stone arrowheads, knives, beads and cabochons. There will also be demonstrations of rock polishing and sterling silver wire-wrapping.

Food, crafts and vendors 

Through the entirety of the event from Friday to Sunday, food, arts and craft vendors will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. coordinated by the Tenino Community Service Center Food Bank Plus. Stop by the information booth for a free piece of cake to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Food vendors include Riley Novelty Sales Ice Cream, Shy'z Lunch, Squish & Shake Lemonade, Tony's Ynot Italian, Kreative Kettle Corn, Lone Tree Coffee Co., LLC, Bigfoot BBQ and Trailer Smash. More than 40 arts, crafts and commercial vendors will participate as well.

Quilt show

The Oregon Trail Days Quilt Show coordinated by Briar Cottage Quilting Fabrics and Notions will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Quarry House. Call 360-264-5759 for more information. Raffle prizes and people’s choice awards will take place.

Fine art, face painting and make-and-take art by Teresa M. Staal-Cowley will be available near the Depot Museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Depot Museum and Oregon Trail experience will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day of the festival. 

Friday

Tenino Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5878 will host an opening flag ceremony at 10 a.m. at the War Memorial Wall on Friday. The national anthem will be sung by Mayra Pena.

Live entertainment from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. will feature an open mic. Community members who would like to sign up to perform during this day should contact George Sharp, Oregon Trail Days coordinator, at 360-878-3835.

The Capital City 3-on-3 basketball tournament team check-in will be open from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

The Tenino Eagles will host dinner and bands. Burgers will be served at 5 p.m. hot off the grill. Dancing will commence at 8 p.m. with the Backlash Band playing on stage. The performance is open to the public. 

The Tenino Music Festival will occur from 5 to 11:30 p.m. at Tenino City Park.

Joel Gibson Jr. will be headlining. Opening acts include Kyle and Darrin Band, Grooveyard and Jayme Cajimat.

Saturday

The Tenino Farmers Market (Olympia Street) will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Blue Ribbon Pie Contest will take place at 1 p.m.

The Capital City 3-on-3 dunk contest will take place at noon with games occurring throughout the day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

The South Thurston Fire and EMS Dunk Tank will occur from noon to 4 p.m. near the Quarry House. 

The Tenino Lions Club Grand Parade will take place at 10:45 a.m. on Sussex Avenue. The parade is coordinated by the Tenino Lions Club and led by the Tenino Motorcycle Drill Team. The parade is one of the many highlights of Tenino's Oregon Trail Days and includes the grand marshal, citizen of the year, dignitaries, royalty from other festivals, high school bands, floats, horses and classic cars. The parade announcers are Chronicle and Nisqually Valley News Editor-in-Chief Eric Schwartz and Associate Editor Aaaron VanTuyl, hosts of The News Dump podcast. 

The Creekside Conservancy Traditional Salmon Bake will take place Saturday, July 27, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., near the Quarry Pool lawn. Attendees will enjoy salmon and sides prepared by the Chehalis Tribe and Lucky Eagle Casino. The cost is $15 per person. Flavored sparkling water will be available for purchase. The proceeds go to support the Creekside Conservancy's efforts to provide safe and healthy habitats for flora and fauna.

Live entertainment will occur at the Quarry House Stage from noon to 5 p.m.

From noon to 2 p.m., Jon Lee, a fourth generation, American-born Chinese Pacific Northwest native who crafts and presents songs that connect people, places and stories, will perform at the stage, sponsored by the Tenino Timberland Library. 

From 3 to 5 p.m., Off Boulevard will perform. Close harmony is the trademark of Off Boulevard's vocal style. Swing and jazz standards from the 30s, 40s and 50s will be showcased. 

Tenino Eagles will present the Presidential Prime Rib Dinner at 5 p.m. The dinner will cost $25 for non-members and $20 for members. At 8 p.m., Nick Cain, Billy Shew and the Sole Providers will light up the stage with their performances of country and classic rock music. The performance will be welcome to the public, and dancing is encouraged. 

The Tenino Music Festival will occur from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday at the Tenino City Park. The Olson Bros Band will headline with opening acts to include Luke and Kaylee, Head Over Fee, and Kyle Murdock. 

Sunday

Capital City 3-on-3 games will take place throughout the day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Community worship service in the park at the Quarry House Stage will occur at 10:30 a.m. led by the First Presbyterian Church of Tenino. 

Live entertainment at the Quarry House Stage will feature the Oly Mountain Boys from noon to 2 p.m. The Oly Mountain Boys are a South Puget Sound bluegrass institution, picking and singing around Olympia since 2008. They bring a Pacific Northwest sensibility to the bluegrass sound through traditional tunes and original compositions and showcase the power of the American bluegrass music tradition.

The Tenino VFW Post 5878 will hold its closing flag ceremony at 4 p.m. at the War Memorial.