The Cedar Mill History Project

If you’re interested in Cedar Mill history and you’d like to get more involved in your community, have we got a project for you! The Cedar Mill History Project is underway and we're looking for people to help. To volunteer for any of these activities, contact Virginia Bruce at vrb@teamweb.com or 503-629-5799. The first meeting to discuss priorities and set goals will be held on September 23, from 6:30-7:45 pm in the upstairs Community Room of the Cedar Mill Community Library.

Among the ideas we’re working on:

• Restoration of the JQA Young House in conjunction with THPRD: The Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District is close to finalizing the purchase of the old original house on Cornell. We would like to create an interpretive display with hands-on activities to teach people what it was like to live and work in the area during pioneer days. We’ll need volunteers to be on the planning committee; to contact local “old-timers” about donating historical objects and photos; to plan and participate in fundraising; and to help research and catalog donations. • Old Cedar Mill Days, a festival to celebrate our historical beginnings and our bright future: we will need volunteers to plan the events, including a parade and barn dance as well as community booths and exhibits; to find sponsors; to find and restore or create pioneer vehicles for the parade; to determine activities and invite participants; to coordinate publicity; and to recruit and coordinate volunteers for the first annual event to be held in September 2005.

Old-time parade in Sisters, Oregon

• Old Cedar Mill Days, a festival to celebrate our historical beginnings and our bright future: we will need volunteers to plan the events, including a parade and barn dance as well as community booths and exhibits; to find sponsors; to find and restore or create pioneer vehicles for the parade; to determine activities and invite participants; to coordinate publicity; and to recruit and coordinate volunteers for the first annual event to be held in September 2005.

• Cedar Mill Mural Project to enhance existing buildings with murals depicting authentic pioneer and early-20th century scenes. We’ll need volunteers to find funding, identify businesses and building owners who would like to participate, and locate and interview artists for the project.

• Cedar Mill History Tour – a permanent “tour” (signs and a handbook) of historical sites in Cedar Mill. We’ll need volunteers to plan the project and identify sites; to find funding; to get permission for signs; to help with design and writing; and to help with publicity and distribution of tour handbooks.

• Historical Document Archive for the Cedar Mill Library: volunteers will be needed to find original Cedar Mill historical documents in local historical society archives and from pioneer descendants; to get permission to make copies; to find funding if needed; to facilitate high-quality copying of documents; to catalog and maintain the archive in conjunction with Library staff.

• Oral History Project: we would like to get students from area schools involved in this project to make video recordings of early Cedar Mill residents which could then be used to create video programs both for cablecast and as educational displays in the JQA Young House; we will need volunteers to write interview questions; to supervise the recordings; to help with editing and distribution; to find funding as needed. Teachers welcome!

The Cedar Mill History Project will also need help creating a non-profit organization to coordinate all these activities. If you have experience with this and would like to be involved, we can use your expertise. It will take many individuals to realize this dream – get involved and make a difference! And if you have any other ideas for projects, let me know.

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The Cedar Mill News
Published monthly by the Cedar Mill Business Association, Inc.,
P.O. Box 91177
Portland, OR 97291-0177

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Publisher/Editor:Virginia Bruce
503-629-5799
vrb@teamweb.com
12110 NW West Rd
Portland, OR 97229