******Huckleberry Update 8/20/15: there are no fresh huckleberries available at this time, due to the extreme heat of this summer. Those that are surviving the heat and wildfires are very few in quantity, making them extremely expensive ($80-110 per gallon!), when they can be found. Let's hope there's a return to 'normal' weather - cooler and wetter - next year.******
31st Annual
Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days 2015
The Cascade Geographic Society’s very special 31st Annual Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days will take place on August 22nd (Saturday) and August 23rd (Sunday). The festivities will be held at theOregon Country Settlement, 73370 East U.S. Highway 26, in the Village of Rhododendron on Oregon’s Beautiful Mount Hood --- along sections of the Barlow Trail, a section of the Oregon Trail that passed through the Cascade Mountain Range. This is a family-oriented festival with no admission charge and free parking.
The 2015 Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival and Barlow Trail Days, to be held August 22nd and 23rd, celebrates its 31st year. It has survived those trying times that has encompassed over three decades. It has now become a popular festival known not only for its abundance of Huckleberries, but also for its music. With a great working relationship with such groups as the Portland Songwriters Association, the performers at the Huck Fest are singer-songwriters who feature their own originalsongs. For example, Wayne Richards will be performing its sixteenth year at the Huck Fest, while flutist Cyndi Hubb will be returning to perform at her ninth Festival.
Once again, this year’s Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days will help celebrate two special anniversaries: the first attempted [but failed] crossing of Mount Hood’s southern flank 169 years ago, and the opening of the first toll road over the Cascade Mountain Range 168 years ago. With a toll of $5.00 per wagon, this overland route was fashioned out of an ancient Indian trail utilized by a good many Native tribes since time immemorial, or for at least 14,000 years. This crude wilderness path served these newcomers as an alternative overland route for weary emigrants and saved them the $50.00 fee to raft their wagon down the Columbia River and $10.00 per person in the 1840s. This cost escalated to $100.00 per wagon in the1850s, largely because of the difficulty of this high-country passage that led the overlanders into the Willamette Valley.
The Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days celebrates the history and natural resources associated with Mount Hood and the and the Barlow Trail segment of Oregon Trail that passed through the rugged Cascades. It’s a time for young and old people from all walks of life to come together for the festivities.
”Festivals such as this one are ideal because people can enjoy themselves while appreciating those very special things that Nature provides us, along with a fascinating history that is associated with our natural landscapes, like what we have here on Mount Hood,” explains Michael P. Jones of the Cascade Geographic Society. “You can’t help but to take a good look at what we have here in Oregon and the Northwest and know that we are very lucky to have this heritage.
“Yet, time has not stood still and we cannot forget that this heritage is very fragile. We must recognize that if we do not make the correct decisions, this could all vanish forever. You cannot take these special treasures for granted, because they are too vulnerable in the world that we live in today. Choices, in respect to making changes to both natural areas and historical sites, should not be just based on what can benefit us today, but what we should be preserving for future generations, which actually has a much greater value than just economic.
“Holding this celebration [the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days] on Mount Hood is also very special since this Mountain is the symbol of Oregon, as well as the snow-covered Peak that has long served as an important Cascadian representative of the Northwest. Where else could you really celebrate our natural, historical, and cultural resources with so many people from different walks of life and age groups?
“It also becomes very apparent during these special times of unique celebrations, like the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days, that people come to understand that each and every one of us must do some-thing, no matter how large or small, if we want future generations to have what we have. Our heritage is not something that we can take for granted; these are things that we must diligently protect.”
The Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days is actually a reincarnation of an earlier celebration that began back in 1890 with the opening of the Welches Hotel in the quaint little Village of Welches. The hotel, known as the “Big House”, was operated by 1840’s Oregon Trail emigrant, trading post operator, and founder of this frontier settlement along the Salmon River, Samuel Welch, who actually resembled the image of that character who became known as “Uncle Sam”. Samuel, along with his son Billy, opened a campground along the Salmon River two years prior to the hotel, which sowed the seeds for the tourist industry on Mount Hood.
This 31st Annual Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days is returning to its roots, so to speak. It will be held at Cascade Geographic Society’s Oregon Country Settlement, which is right on the Oregon Trail in the Village of Rhododendron. Not only does this site provide a wealth of history, but also a captivating natural backdrop to the festivities.
This year’s Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days, as it has since the very early beginnings of this event, pays tribute to Mount Hood’s unique bounty of Wild Huckleberries and its other special natural resources, in addition to its history. This Festival has become part of a tradition that brings people back to the slopes of Mount Hood year after year to get their annual ration of this high-county bounty of berries.
There will be a special Wild Huckleberry exhibit that brings the history of this bounty together with today’s harvesting efforts. Its use by the Native People to the Oregon Trail emigrants and pioneer settlers, to the gathering of this “blue gold of the high-country” in contemporary times will be featured.
Besides the ever popular fresh Wild Huckleberries, there will be Huckleberry Pies and Huckleberry Crepes, in addition to even more special goodies available. This year’s Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days will feature a wider selection of more tasty products made from Oregon’s “blue gold” --- Wild Huckleberries. These not only include jams, syrup, sauce, and candies, but also coffee and vinaigrette. They will be on sale each day of the Festival, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and on Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. only.
The ever-famous and always fun “World’s Record-Breaking Watermelon Launch” will take place on Saturday, August 22nd in Big Bear Meadow at 3:00 p.m. Catapults and other unusual devices will prove that watermelons indeed can fly and competition doesn’t have to be so serious. This event will feature “The Gaflunger” (the world’s oldest watermelon launcher) and “Mighty Might” (the world’s smallest watermelon launcher). As always, audience participation is a must!
Music will also be highlighting the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days.. Some of the best singer-songwriters from around the Northwest will take to the “Great Northwest Music Stage” and perform free “Huckleberry Concerts” throughout the day..
Performers taking to the “Great Northwest Music” stage at various times during the three-days of the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days will primarily include singer-songwriters featuring their own special brand of music. These performers are coming from around the Portland Metropolitan Area and beyond. This Festival is also the place for folks to purchase what are sometimes hard-to-find CDs for their collection from these entertainers.
Performers at the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days include: the lively and entertainingly clever and original tunes of the Wayne Richards Trio, whose music has been described as Americana with a special twist; the dynamic Acoustic Folk & Pop music of Sky will overlay the relaxed atmosphere of this special Festival with a collection of beautiful and thought-provoking tunes; Native American Flutist Foster Kalama and Spirit Wind (from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs), who musically capture the spirit of the First People expressed through their musically-rich and haunting songs; the Pop-Folk tunes of Natalia Malo, who boasts a guitar case packed full of impressive original songs; Four Leaf Clover with their original music that is rooted deep into Rock and Folk, Country, Americana, all blessed with a healthy dose of creativity; harmonica-player Dan Bosserman will be featured with his special tunes that features Blues, Folk, and Country, as well those with the refreshing influences that are deep-rooted in the tradition of the Oregon Trail and pioneer settlement in the “Garden of Eden” (the Willamette Valley); and the captivating musician, professional Portland flutist Cyndi Hubb, will feature her special array of serious music that has been thoughtfully described as reminding one of “the elusive echo of a solo flutist” because of its beautiful and refreshing sound. And, of course, there will be other entertainers who will be on hand to demonstrate the depths of their talents.
All the music for the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days will be videotaped by Timberline Productions for a new web-based television and radio station that will be going on-line sometime in the Winter of 2016. Each of the performers will be featured in their own concert and aired later next year. There will be an estimated one hundred or more concerts that will be aired on Cascade Geographic Society’s on-line television and radio station, which will feature many entertainers from Huckleberry Festivals that have been recorded over the years, along with other specially filmed events of the non-profit, educational organization.
On both days there will be traditional Native American storytelling with Indian flute music, which will seemingly bring the myths and legends back to life. Performing will be storyteller Michael P. Jones, with the Cascade Geographic Society, along with flutist Cyndi Hubb.
On Saturday at 5:00 p.m., a “Huckleberry Ceremony” will bring the cultural and historical role of the Wild Huckleberry in the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days into perspective. Native Americans will share songs and prayers associated with this important natural resource, as well as officiate over a traditional blessing of the berries. These will then be shared with those in attendance.
Food will also play an important role at the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days. From 10:00 a.m. to Noon, the Quartz Creek Dance Group from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Spring will be offering a huckleberry pancake breakfast as a fundraiser for their youth as they learn about their traditions and then share this knowledge through their performances of dance, drumming, and songs.
A Native American salmon bake, including frybread, is also planned for both days. As in previous years, this special food will feature Native elders who are ceremonial cooks from The Warm Springs Indian Reservation. This will be offered from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or until sold out.
Other delicious, but non-traditional Native American foods will also be offered at the food booth. These include Indian tacos, Indian burgers (a burger wrapped in frybread), Rez dogs (a hotdog wrapped in frybread), and more.
For additional information on the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days or other festivals and events, please contact Michael P. Jones at (503) 622-4798, or Nita Kreuzer at (503) 658-6233. Or, email us at cgsmthood@onemain.com. For still more details or regular updates, be sure to check out our website at www.cascadegeographicsociety.com.
Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days 2015
The Cascade Geographic Society’s very special 31st Annual Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days will take place on August 22nd (Saturday) and August 23rd (Sunday). The festivities will be held at theOregon Country Settlement, 73370 East U.S. Highway 26, in the Village of Rhododendron on Oregon’s Beautiful Mount Hood --- along sections of the Barlow Trail, a section of the Oregon Trail that passed through the Cascade Mountain Range. This is a family-oriented festival with no admission charge and free parking.
The 2015 Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival and Barlow Trail Days, to be held August 22nd and 23rd, celebrates its 31st year. It has survived those trying times that has encompassed over three decades. It has now become a popular festival known not only for its abundance of Huckleberries, but also for its music. With a great working relationship with such groups as the Portland Songwriters Association, the performers at the Huck Fest are singer-songwriters who feature their own originalsongs. For example, Wayne Richards will be performing its sixteenth year at the Huck Fest, while flutist Cyndi Hubb will be returning to perform at her ninth Festival.
Once again, this year’s Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days will help celebrate two special anniversaries: the first attempted [but failed] crossing of Mount Hood’s southern flank 169 years ago, and the opening of the first toll road over the Cascade Mountain Range 168 years ago. With a toll of $5.00 per wagon, this overland route was fashioned out of an ancient Indian trail utilized by a good many Native tribes since time immemorial, or for at least 14,000 years. This crude wilderness path served these newcomers as an alternative overland route for weary emigrants and saved them the $50.00 fee to raft their wagon down the Columbia River and $10.00 per person in the 1840s. This cost escalated to $100.00 per wagon in the1850s, largely because of the difficulty of this high-country passage that led the overlanders into the Willamette Valley.
The Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days celebrates the history and natural resources associated with Mount Hood and the and the Barlow Trail segment of Oregon Trail that passed through the rugged Cascades. It’s a time for young and old people from all walks of life to come together for the festivities.
”Festivals such as this one are ideal because people can enjoy themselves while appreciating those very special things that Nature provides us, along with a fascinating history that is associated with our natural landscapes, like what we have here on Mount Hood,” explains Michael P. Jones of the Cascade Geographic Society. “You can’t help but to take a good look at what we have here in Oregon and the Northwest and know that we are very lucky to have this heritage.
“Yet, time has not stood still and we cannot forget that this heritage is very fragile. We must recognize that if we do not make the correct decisions, this could all vanish forever. You cannot take these special treasures for granted, because they are too vulnerable in the world that we live in today. Choices, in respect to making changes to both natural areas and historical sites, should not be just based on what can benefit us today, but what we should be preserving for future generations, which actually has a much greater value than just economic.
“Holding this celebration [the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days] on Mount Hood is also very special since this Mountain is the symbol of Oregon, as well as the snow-covered Peak that has long served as an important Cascadian representative of the Northwest. Where else could you really celebrate our natural, historical, and cultural resources with so many people from different walks of life and age groups?
“It also becomes very apparent during these special times of unique celebrations, like the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days, that people come to understand that each and every one of us must do some-thing, no matter how large or small, if we want future generations to have what we have. Our heritage is not something that we can take for granted; these are things that we must diligently protect.”
The Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days is actually a reincarnation of an earlier celebration that began back in 1890 with the opening of the Welches Hotel in the quaint little Village of Welches. The hotel, known as the “Big House”, was operated by 1840’s Oregon Trail emigrant, trading post operator, and founder of this frontier settlement along the Salmon River, Samuel Welch, who actually resembled the image of that character who became known as “Uncle Sam”. Samuel, along with his son Billy, opened a campground along the Salmon River two years prior to the hotel, which sowed the seeds for the tourist industry on Mount Hood.
This 31st Annual Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days is returning to its roots, so to speak. It will be held at Cascade Geographic Society’s Oregon Country Settlement, which is right on the Oregon Trail in the Village of Rhododendron. Not only does this site provide a wealth of history, but also a captivating natural backdrop to the festivities.
This year’s Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days, as it has since the very early beginnings of this event, pays tribute to Mount Hood’s unique bounty of Wild Huckleberries and its other special natural resources, in addition to its history. This Festival has become part of a tradition that brings people back to the slopes of Mount Hood year after year to get their annual ration of this high-county bounty of berries.
There will be a special Wild Huckleberry exhibit that brings the history of this bounty together with today’s harvesting efforts. Its use by the Native People to the Oregon Trail emigrants and pioneer settlers, to the gathering of this “blue gold of the high-country” in contemporary times will be featured.
Besides the ever popular fresh Wild Huckleberries, there will be Huckleberry Pies and Huckleberry Crepes, in addition to even more special goodies available. This year’s Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days will feature a wider selection of more tasty products made from Oregon’s “blue gold” --- Wild Huckleberries. These not only include jams, syrup, sauce, and candies, but also coffee and vinaigrette. They will be on sale each day of the Festival, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and on Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. only.
The ever-famous and always fun “World’s Record-Breaking Watermelon Launch” will take place on Saturday, August 22nd in Big Bear Meadow at 3:00 p.m. Catapults and other unusual devices will prove that watermelons indeed can fly and competition doesn’t have to be so serious. This event will feature “The Gaflunger” (the world’s oldest watermelon launcher) and “Mighty Might” (the world’s smallest watermelon launcher). As always, audience participation is a must!
Music will also be highlighting the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days.. Some of the best singer-songwriters from around the Northwest will take to the “Great Northwest Music Stage” and perform free “Huckleberry Concerts” throughout the day..
Performers taking to the “Great Northwest Music” stage at various times during the three-days of the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days will primarily include singer-songwriters featuring their own special brand of music. These performers are coming from around the Portland Metropolitan Area and beyond. This Festival is also the place for folks to purchase what are sometimes hard-to-find CDs for their collection from these entertainers.
Performers at the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days include: the lively and entertainingly clever and original tunes of the Wayne Richards Trio, whose music has been described as Americana with a special twist; the dynamic Acoustic Folk & Pop music of Sky will overlay the relaxed atmosphere of this special Festival with a collection of beautiful and thought-provoking tunes; Native American Flutist Foster Kalama and Spirit Wind (from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs), who musically capture the spirit of the First People expressed through their musically-rich and haunting songs; the Pop-Folk tunes of Natalia Malo, who boasts a guitar case packed full of impressive original songs; Four Leaf Clover with their original music that is rooted deep into Rock and Folk, Country, Americana, all blessed with a healthy dose of creativity; harmonica-player Dan Bosserman will be featured with his special tunes that features Blues, Folk, and Country, as well those with the refreshing influences that are deep-rooted in the tradition of the Oregon Trail and pioneer settlement in the “Garden of Eden” (the Willamette Valley); and the captivating musician, professional Portland flutist Cyndi Hubb, will feature her special array of serious music that has been thoughtfully described as reminding one of “the elusive echo of a solo flutist” because of its beautiful and refreshing sound. And, of course, there will be other entertainers who will be on hand to demonstrate the depths of their talents.
All the music for the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days will be videotaped by Timberline Productions for a new web-based television and radio station that will be going on-line sometime in the Winter of 2016. Each of the performers will be featured in their own concert and aired later next year. There will be an estimated one hundred or more concerts that will be aired on Cascade Geographic Society’s on-line television and radio station, which will feature many entertainers from Huckleberry Festivals that have been recorded over the years, along with other specially filmed events of the non-profit, educational organization.
On both days there will be traditional Native American storytelling with Indian flute music, which will seemingly bring the myths and legends back to life. Performing will be storyteller Michael P. Jones, with the Cascade Geographic Society, along with flutist Cyndi Hubb.
On Saturday at 5:00 p.m., a “Huckleberry Ceremony” will bring the cultural and historical role of the Wild Huckleberry in the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days into perspective. Native Americans will share songs and prayers associated with this important natural resource, as well as officiate over a traditional blessing of the berries. These will then be shared with those in attendance.
Food will also play an important role at the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days. From 10:00 a.m. to Noon, the Quartz Creek Dance Group from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Spring will be offering a huckleberry pancake breakfast as a fundraiser for their youth as they learn about their traditions and then share this knowledge through their performances of dance, drumming, and songs.
A Native American salmon bake, including frybread, is also planned for both days. As in previous years, this special food will feature Native elders who are ceremonial cooks from The Warm Springs Indian Reservation. This will be offered from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or until sold out.
Other delicious, but non-traditional Native American foods will also be offered at the food booth. These include Indian tacos, Indian burgers (a burger wrapped in frybread), Rez dogs (a hotdog wrapped in frybread), and more.
For additional information on the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days or other festivals and events, please contact Michael P. Jones at (503) 622-4798, or Nita Kreuzer at (503) 658-6233. Or, email us at cgsmthood@onemain.com. For still more details or regular updates, be sure to check out our website at www.cascadegeographicsociety.com.