Ellens-life: The Ellensburg Experience
Story by Aiden Dosher | Design by Lizeth Valdes
Have you ever been told to only look after yourself? To let others’ problems be their own, and to focus on your own life? These are examples of individualism- the culture America exists within, which insists that you must constantly seek to better yourself, your life, your home and your work. This is, however, can be very counterproductive for a culture when left unbalanced- when everybody’s only looking out for themselves, a society can crumble.
That’s why community is so important. It is the unification of individuals seeking to make life better for the entire community as a whole, united through collectivism. That, in turn, is why community involvement is also of such importance, so that students at CWU can interconnect, network and collaborate to make the campus, and Ellensburg as a whole, a better place.
In that spirit, here is a list of off campus activities- chances for students to get involved beyond CWU out into the broader community. Whether you’re just looking for a place to spend time, to connect with other people or to work with others to lift the community higher, there’s something for everybody here in Ellensburg.
While some of these options may have associated fees, many of these programs will not cost you any money whatsoever, which is great for a college student budget. In addition, and perhaps most importantly, each upholds a standard to be open to anyone who wishes to come, and accepting of all, regardless of who you are or where you hail from.
The Kittitas County Historical Museum offers chances for volunteering and internships, giving you the opportunity to learn more about the fascinating history of the land CWU is built upon. Gallery One, one of several local art galleries, gives the Ellensburg community a chance to connect over a vast amount of programs and seeks to offer all types of people access to arts education. Fish Food Bank, among other nonprofit organizations in town, might give you the ability to not only connect with other like-minded volunteers, but also to genuinely work towards assisting those less fortunate in the community with your time and effort.
The Kittitas County Historical Museum
The museum sits in a quiet, stately reverence as each visitor respectfully lowers their voice to speak with each other while they view the exhibits. A distinguished woman sits at a desk, her voice quiet, yet each word she speaks carries the weight of dedication to the institution she upholds.
This woman happens to be Sadie Thayer, museum director of the Kittitas County Historical Museum. Thayer says about their volunteers and interns, “They're our lifeblood. They make everything happen where staff cannot, because with only two of us, there are a lot of gaps in the day to day routine.”
The museum relies heavily on volunteer work. As a result, the need for volunteers is dire. Thayer continues, “We’re a small museum, but we’re an active one… Our plate is pretty full, and that’s when you’re circling back to the need for volunteers and interns.”
The museum pulls volunteers from all across the Ellensburg community- not only students, but also local retirees. These volunteers are primarily asked to handle front desk work- greeting visitors, answering phones, and other administrative activities. Another duty volunteers are asked to take on is to assist in cataloging artifacts.
“There's about 17,000 to 20,000 three-dimensional artifacts within the collection,” Thayer says. “We don't know exactly how many we have because we've never done a wall-to-wall inventory.” This is due to the sheer amount of work the museum requires, and this is why volunteers are so crucial for their operation.
However, the museum has a very particular need for a specialized kind of volunteer. “We try to keep at least handles on everything. We might not be active, but we do have pages and we have a YouTube page,” says Thayer. In particular, the museum has a need for volunteers willing to help with social media outreach, to assist in keeping the community updated on what’s happening with the museum’s numerous programs, such as the pub crawl, and working with historians to learn about that aspect of local culture.
Even if one is not interested in volunteering, it is still a fresh idea for an outing, alone or with friends. With a wide variety of over 50 exhibits which are rotated on a regular basis, there’s always something new to see. Some examples include a large assortment of neon signs, a collection of antique cars and even a classic phone operator’s switchboard.
“We're open and available to anyone, whether they're interested in volunteering, they're interested in interning or they're interested in researching, or even visiting, and learning more about the area in which they live.” Thayer says, “And we're free. So, we've never charged a day in our life in the whole time we've been in existence.”
Ever since opening, the museum’s mission has stayed the same: to make the history of Kittitas County available to all, to welcome anyone and everyone that walks in through their doors and to give each of them the chance they desire to better their community. “No matter the age or the ability, they just have to be interested and willing to learn,” Thayer says, and intends to uphold that for the rest of her career, ensuring that everyone is welcome at the Kittitas County Historical Museum
Gallery One
It’s bustling in the gallery, with excited people rushing to and fro in preparation for October’s edition of the First Friday Art Walk, where people can stroll into galleries and businesses across Ellensburg for free to admire the wide variety of exhibits on display. Metal statues of animals, caricatures of famous people, and so much more dazzle upon entry.
John Durham, communications manager for Gallery One, emphasizes the purpose of the gallery. “One, providing a space that's welcoming to anybody. Providing access to arts and arts education to the community, and supporting our local artists, and artists that we bring in from around the… globe,” Durham says. The museum has connections with artists from different countries, bringing them in to exhibit their art locally.
This diversity supports their stated mission to provide access to the arts for the people of Ellensburg. The gallery also provides access to arts education for children. In fact, when asked what he would say the most popular program at Gallery One is, Durham replies, “It's kind of a toss-up between our arts education setting with our workshops for older teens and adults, as well as our after school program geared towards middle school aged kids and younger.” In addition to these programs, the gallery also offers classes for anybody in the community to enroll in to learn more about the arts, the details of which can be found on their website.
Durham says, “Gallery One is for everybody. That art is for everybody… Everybody is welcome, regardless of their beliefs, their ethnicity, whatever background or differences we might have. It's a safe space.” This openness isn’t exclusive to Ellensburg’s local community- it extends to all CWU students as well.
Students might feel like the campus community is separate from Ellensburg, and might feel as if they’re less than welcome in the local community as a result. “A lot of times it can feel like there's this disconnect (between CWU students and the downtown community.) And I say this not only as a community member, but as a former Central graduate, as a faculty member at Central, there's sometimes this feeling of a disconnect. And so specifically to Central students, we really want them to know that this is a place for them. They're welcome here, and we look forward to seeing them,” Durham says.
If you’re looking to get more involved with the community, to pursue a casual education in the arts or even just looking to interact with the art world, consider Gallery One, a place eager to see you stop by.
Fish Food Bank
A crowd of people file through the door into the food bank, lining up to go through and receive food in the form of cereals, fruits and vegetables, canned foods of all sorts, and more.
Elise Warren, volunteer coordinator for Fish Food Bank, shares her proudest achievements in her position. “Getting the kitchen up and running so that we could serve hot meals. That was a really big deal… Building this warehouse is a really big deal. We'll be able to hold more food, we'll be able to give one more food. It's just a great impact on the community to expand and get bigger. We have done a great deal of expansion. It's just been really phenomenal as far as new programs and more food for people, more ideas.”
The expansions Warren refers to are the community lunch held by Fish at the Open Table dining room on Main Street every week between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., and the expanded warehouse at the food bank location. These additions have impacted the effects Fish Food Bank has had on the community in noticeable ways, according to Warren.
That being said, the need for volunteers to staff the programs remains. When asked where volunteers are needed, Warren says, “We have an across-the-board need, but I would say to us, up here at the warehouse is probably the most. We have a lot of little programs that need a volunteer here and a volunteer there. And we also have a need for grocery guys and warehouse people.”
The need for more volunteers at the food bank will likely always stay. Warren says, “I have known only one time in five years that I've worked here that I've had enough volunteers, and it lasted about three weeks.” So, if you’re looking for a place that will readily accept volunteers that allows you to visibly see the impact you have, consider volunteering at Fish Food Bank or another local nonprofit.
They will welcome anyone, and value their contribution. “I would like my volunteers to feel loved,” Warren says. “I want them to know that they're important to us. That their hard work is important to us, but as people, are also important to us.”
The Community
While these activities are certainly excellent ways to engage with your community, Ellensburg has a variety of galleries and nonprofits for you to choose from. While only three were covered in the article, scan this code with your camera to see if something else from this list catches your eye!
Palace Gallery- www.thepalacegallery.com
Habitat for Humanity - www.habitat.org
Thorp Mill Town historic Preservation - www.thorp.org
Clymer Museum of Art - www.clymermuseum.org
Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame - https://ellensburgrodeohalloffame.org
Finally, the Laughing Horse Arts foundation, which supports several local groups and events, such as the Valley Theatre Company, and Ellensburg Community Radio - www.laughinghorsearts.org