Bringing history to life through song

Published 6:30 am Monday, August 30, 2021

BAKER CITY — This weekend brings history to life with presentations, music and activities organized by the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center at Geiser-Pollman Park.

The event runs 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 4 and 5, in Baker City. The gathering is designed to give visitors an idea of what it was like to travel on a wagon to Oregon, and why the Oregon Trail is still a cultural resource.

Special performances are planned for both days.

Storyteller Karen Haas can be seen at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. (For more about Haas, see page 14.)

Clinton and Sarah Carter are the duo Carter Junction. They will be playing 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Their music is a mixture of “cowboy and Celtic with a little bit of country and folk,” Clinton said.

She plays the harp; he plays the guitar.

“The cowboy balladeer meets the Celtic princess,” he said.

The Carters live in a ranching valley near May, Idaho. They recently finished building a log cabin that measures 16 feet by 20 feet.

“We’re homesteading,” Clinton said. “We’ve wanted the homestead dream since we got married.”

They each had separate music backgrounds, then decided to combine their talents after they got married. They play at Celtic festivals, cowboy festivals and county fairs. The duo has performed at NHOTIC since 2016.

“We’re trying to get our name out there and get more gigs,” Clinton said.

Activities

This weekend’s gathering at Geiser-Pollman Park also includes lessons about blacksmithing and the tools, the chance to earn a junior ranger badge, pioneer games, and a pioneer-themed selfie station.

Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 4-5

10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Geiser-Pollman Park

Baker City

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