Local volunteers prep for Pioneer Village Fest with annual clean-up day

CASHMERE—Every year, history comes to life in the heart of Washington as the Cashmere Museum and Pioneer Village delivers its annual Village Fest. Visitors learn about the lives of early local settlers as preparations ramp up for the annual event, and locals gather for a day of maintenance, cleaning, and community service.

Since its inception, the Cashmere Pioneer Village has embodied the spirit of community connection, a center of unity and local dedication. As Museum and Pioneer Village Director, Nicky Clennon, explains, the museum building itself was originally constructed by hundreds of passionate local volunteers.

“When the museum was first founded in 1957,” Clennon shared, “600 volunteers from town came together and physically built the building and donated the funds to put the museum together. And the Pioneer Village was put together that way as well. A lot of Boy Scouts projects and community members came, and one by one, the cabins were added.”

In crafting the Pioneer Village, locals once again unified, undertaking the tiresome task of moving historical log cabins from around the region to Cashmere. 

“[The cabins] were brought in from about a 40-mile radius to Cashmere, and they’re mostly from the late 1800s,” Director Clennon revealed. “And the way they brought them here was they would take a picture of the cabin and they would tag each log. Some of the cabins, you can still see the tag on them. And then, they would disassemble the cabins and bring all the materials here and reassemble them, kind of like Lincoln Logs. So, a lot of work went into just creating the village. And then year after year, the upkeep and maintenance is continuous.” 

Decades later, the Pioneer Village remains a center of focus for the community. Twice per year, the Cashmere Museum gathers local volunteers for a village cleanup, prepping for its October 5 Pioneer Village Fest. In cleaning the village, a major focal point is the upkeep of its centuries-old log cabin structure, which often requires extra maintenance in preparation for Winter. 

“Some of the challenges we’ve had so far are roofing,” Clennon said, explaining the community’s help in keeping the village in good condition. “Some of the roofs have gone bad and we’ve had a volunteer, John, who replaced the roof of the Mission last year. And then we had a GoFundMe campaign this spring to raise funds to buy cedar shakes for three of the other roofs that need replacing.”

Like local Colleen Malmassari, who headed the GoFundMe campaign, many volunteers have a personal connection to the Pioneer Village. Malmassari and her family have ‘adopted’ the village general store, which was originally her great-great-grandfather’s homestead cabin. Now, she and her family help to keep their piece of history alive. 

Though other families and groups have adopted sentimental cabins to help maintain on Clean-up Day, the Pioneer Village invites anyone with an interest to come down and help out around the premises. Whether fascinated by local history, connected to the Village’s cozy cabins or simply hoping to lend a hand within the community, the Cashmere Museum and Pioneer Village Clean-up makes for the perfect Saturday afternoon.

The Fall Village Clean-up is scheduled for September 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 600 Cotlets Way.

If interested in volunteering, adopting a cabin, or finding more information about the Fall Village Clean-up, visit cashmeremuseum.org. 

Will Nilles: (509) 731-3211 or will@ward.media