Submitted by City of Tumwater
Through a partnership with Olympia Tumwater Foundation, the City of Tumwater Parks and Recreation Department is excited to present the Tumwater Falls Fest. The event will take place on Saturday, October 1 in Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls.
Celebrating Tumwater Falls as a sacred and historically significant place in our community.
The event will open with a Squaxin Tribal Blessing and Drum Circle. Afterwards, join us to celebrate the transformative effect of water as a place of healing and community. Grab a cup of coffee or a bite to eat and take a stroll through the park grounds, soaking in the fall color. Bring the entire family – there are activities for all! Kids are invited to join a printmaking workshop, and all ages can attend an educational talk by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife about the return of salmon or watch a demonstration by Tenino Stone Carvers. The event will also feature local artists, makers, food vendors, and more.
Shop from a curated group of local artists and makers including Cedar Flats Flower Farms, Copper Wolf Tattoo Studio & Art Gallery, Frizzy Fern Macrame, and more. Henna artist Cass Graybeal will also be on site.
Olympia Symphony Brass Quintet, Rainier Quartet, Briar and Joe
Taqueria la Esquinita, Lava Bowlz, and more
WDFW “Return of the Chinook” talk, Tenino Stone Carver demonstration
Printmaking workshop, Stream Team Nature Sleuth scavenger hunt, Mr. Twister balloon creations, face painting with Gayle Lindeblom & more.
A Brief History of the Falls
Constructed in 1962 by the Olympia Tumwater Foundation, the 15-acre Brewery Park along the Deschutes River attracts thousands to the city of Tumwater each year. Visitors come to gaze at the waterfalls, bask in the fall color, and experience the annual salmon return. The park, which was originally created to attract visitors on their way to the World’s Fair in Seattle, has a long history of being a gathering place, and a source of economy for the communities that have called it home.
Tumwater Falls is part of the Squaxin Island Tribes’ ancestral homeland. The falls and the nearby village were gathering places for trade, and a ceremonial sport for local indigenous people in the region. The Squaxin Island
Tribe considers the falls historically sacred and has conducted water ceremonies at its shores for centuries.
The falls also mark the end of the Oregon Trail and the journey of the influential Bush and Simmons families, some of the first American settlers in what is now Washington. In subsequent years, the falls were harnessed to provide energy to flour, saw, and shingle mills, a door factory, a lumberyard, an electric company, and eventually, the Capital Brewing Company.
More event information on the City of Tumwater website.
