By Luke Putvin luke.putvin@lynnwoodtimes.com
Many people came and went from Heritage Park on Saturday, June 8 for History and Heritage Day. The event lasted from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., bringing the community together, and giving people a lot of information regarding the history of Lynnwood.
Children attending the event received “Heritage Park Passports” with six spaces for stamps they could collect at the event by visiting specific areas, including the Interurban Trolley, the Sno-Isle Genealogical Society, Lynnwood Rocks, the LEGO area, the Northwest Veterans Museum and Lynnwood-Alderwood Manor Heritage Association and Museum. Every child who filled a passport with the stamps received a prize.
Jeanne Rogers, daughter of the final motorman of the trolley system that ran between Everett and Seattle from 1910 until 1939, stood outside the trolley, where attendees could enter. Inside, Gary Rogers offered historical information. Jeanne wanted people to walk away with a bit of an understanding of the history of Lynnwood. “In order to look at the future, you need to look at the past,” she said. “They’re symbiotic.”
Inside the Sno-Isle Genealogical Society (SIGS), Marge and Phylis offered information about what they do. The building itself, constructed in 1919, has been restored and is owned by the city of Lynnwood. SIGS partners with the city in using the building and is a free research library for ancestry and genealogy. SIGS even helps people with their research; for example, on the first Saturday of every month from 10 to 11 a.m., volunteers offer a beginning genealogy class.
Cheryl Mclaughlin presided at the Lynnwood Rocks table. Lynnwood Rocks, she announced, is up to 1,400 people after being created three years ago. The group paints rocks and hides them all over the city for people to find. “In places that lawnmowers won’t get to them, of course,” she said, chuckling. Mclaughlin had several chicken designs available for the theme that day, Lynnwood has a rich history of chicken farms, after all. “It’s a great way to build community,” Mclaughlin said. “We just want to spread the kindness.”
The event featured two LEGO play-areas, one for younger kids and one for older kids.
Jeremy, a dad attending the event with don Davison, said they were glad that Heritage Park recently got a playground, and they go there often now. “I work across the street,” Jeremy said, and “We’re usually not in the area on weekends, so I’m really happy we can attend this.”
A few yards away, Dan Parker of Brickable Designs was working on his LEGO creation for the event. Parker got into LEGO when he was about 30, and after about nine years, he decided to get his company going. He goes to events like this and designs and builds sculptures.
“I love the creativity and interactivity of this,” Parker said. “Building these LEGO designs is a great vehicle to look at other interests.” He has built sculptures for other events like pop culture, fantasy and multicultural/historical events.
John Chapman, a Vietnam War veteran, manned the Northwest Veterans Museum that day. He wanted people to walk away with the appreciation and knowledge of the sacrifices soldiers have made throughout history. “The history of the modern world was greatly affected by World War I,” Chapman said, going onto talk about how governments drew borders for countries at the end of the war. Chapman has been volunteering for the museum since 2004 when it was located in Seattle. He volunteered when the museum moved to Everett, and now he volunteers in Lynnwood. His favorite part is teaching the youth who come to the museum about the history.
Inside the Superintendent’s Cottage, another 1930s-era building on the property, was a collection of “Lynnwood, Then and Now” pictures across one wall. Kay, a volunteer at the cottage, wanted people to have a good time learning about the history.
Linda Myers of the Lynnwood-Alderwood Manor Heritage Association has been with the group since 2005. “Heritage Park is the best place in Lynnwood to be,” Myers said. “You can’t beat the history, and you can’t get that at any other park.”
History and Heritage Day will continue throughout the summer, on the second Saturdays of the month in July and August: July 13 and August 10. For more information, go to www.alderwood.org/events.
Author: Mario Lotmore
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