Back to the Fur Trade

The cast of characters in the fur trade of the Pacific Northwest in the 1800s was a fascinatingly diverse blend of Europeans, Native Americans, Hawaiians, and American settlers.  Meet these people who created the region's first "shopping malls" as Karen takes you Back to the Fur Trade.  Dressed as a Hudson's Bay Company laborer, she tells the tales, sings the songs, and shows a trunkful of tools and treasures from a time that brought great change to our land and culture.

Audience: elementary through adult

Sisters in Time

The summer of 1855 was a time of change in the Puget Sound as more and more people of diverse ethnic groups settled the land.  Karen brings these times to life with "Sisters in Time." Wearing a work dress of the era, Karen portrays 4 very different women of that summer as she sings their songs and tells their tales.

Audience: Intermediate through adult

Tales from the Times of Lewis and Clark

While Lewis and Clark were exploring, day-to-day life went on for the rest of the country.  But imagine the excitement when the Corps of Discovery returned safely to Saint Louis in September of 1806!  Join Karen as she brings this momentous time to life.  Clad in the clothing of the era, she portrays Mrs. Calvin Adams, wife of a St. Louis tavern keeper, who is eager to share the latest stories and gossip heard around town.

Audience: Intermediate through adult.

Westward Ho!

Imagine taking a 6 month trip with your family in a wagon the size of a small car.  That's what it was like to travel the Oregon trail!  Join a wagon train through time as you sing the songs and hear the stories of the pioneers and the people they met along the way.  Wagon Master Karen wears the proper period attire and shows items from the past guaranteed to get us to our Manifest Destiny.

Audience: elementary through adult

Narcissa Whitman: a Lady at the Crossroads

Our nation's history is the story of diverse cultures meeting and interacting in ways both peaceful and hostile.  As a missionary to the Cayuse in what is now Eastern Washington, Narcissa Whitman was at the center of one such cultural intersection.  Using the text of many of Narcissa’s letters as well as portions of her beloved hymns, Karen portrays Mrs. Whitman as she shares her challenges, joys and sorrows.

Audience: High School through adult

So Many Things to Do Yet: the Saga of Thea Foss

Born in Norway, Thea Foss and her husband, Andrew, arrived in Tacoma, WA in 1889.  Starting with a used rowboat, they built a maritime empire.  At a time when few women could, Thea Foss took her place in a "man’s world", earning the respect of all she came in contact with.  She always believed that, "We are members of one great body...we were born for the good of the whole".  Karen portrays Thea in 1912, the year of the first Foss tugboat.  She reflects back on her life and looks forward to the future.