Fort Columbia Open House

There’s something fun for everyone at this free Open House that showcases everything Fort Columbia has to offer. The Ilwaco High School Jazz Band will entertain us with new and old tunes. Playing in the shadow of Battery Ord, Skamokawa Swamp Opera is an eclectic folk band from Wahkiakum County, Washington. All four members are vocalists and multi-instrumentalists, using varied combinations of cello, guitar, banjo, harmonica, mandocello, percussion, mandolin, and melodica. They draw from a wide variety of musical genres from pop to opera.  They have been crowd favorites at festivals around the region including Pickathon, Vancouver Music and Arts Festival, and the FisherPoet Gathering. They will perform music by and about the people of the lower Columbia River.

Guided tours of Battery 246 will be available, as well as a historical walking tour that explores the stories within Fort Columbia’s many pre-WW1 buildings and gun batteries. The Fort Columbia Interpretive Center and Commanding Officer’s Quarters House Museum will also both be open for self-guided tours. Light refreshments and other funding is graciously provided by the Friends of the Columbia River Gateway.

Schedule:

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Ilwaco High School Jazz Band

12:00 – 12:45 p.m.: Skamokawa Swamp Opera

12:45 – 1:00 p.m.: 15-minute performance break

1:00 – 1:45 p.m.: Skamokawa Swamp Opera Second Set

1:45 – 3:00 p.m.: Guided Historical Walking Tour of Fort Columbia

Concerts are played on a lawn with no seating, so please bring your own chairs. For more information, please email ryen.nielsen@parks.wa.gov