‘Spring into history’ at April First Friday in downtown Camas

April 4 event to feature historical tour, papermaking at the mill and cultural exhibits

By Kelly Moyer
April 3, 2025 8:00 am
Camas, Life, News

Brad Richardson, right, executive director of the Clark County Historical Museum, leads a walking history tour through downtown Camas during the Downtown Camas Association’s “Spring into History” First Friday festivities on Friday, April 7, 2023. Richardson will lead another history tour through downtown Camas this week during the DCA’s April First Friday event. Participants will meet at 5:50 p.m. at Journey Church, 304 N.E. Fourth Ave., Friday, April 4. (Kelly Moyer/Post-Record)

Two Rivers Heritage Museum volunteers attend the Downtown Camas Association’s 2024 “Spring into History” First Friday event on April 5, 2024. (Contributed by the Downtown Camas Association)

History buffs will appreciate the theme of this month’s First Friday event in downtown Camas.

The Downtown Camas Association will present its annual “Spring into History” First Friday event from 5-8 p.m. Friday throughout downtown Camas.

Brad Richardson, executive director of the Clark County Historical Museum, will lead a historical walking tour of the city’s downtown beginning at 5:50 p.m. in front of Journey Church, 304 N.E. Fourth Ave.; visitors can make paper and learn about Camas’ papermaking history inside the Georgia-Pacific paper mill’s interpretive lobby, 401 N.E. Adams St.; the Downtown Camas Association will host “historic Camas” games inside Journey Church; and participating businesses will help visitors fill out their Camas History and Culture passport to win Camas-themed prizes.

This year’s “Spring into History” First Friday also features a cultural element with interactive exhibits and cultural ambassadors.

“These interactive pop-ups will enable community members to share and celebrate their heritage through food, music, art, fashion, books and more,” states a Downtown Camas Association news release about the First Friday event. “Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with diverse cultures, hear personal stories and experience the sights, sounds and flavors that make our community vibrant.”

The cultural exhibits will share information about Afghanistan, Argentina, India, Mexico, South Africa and other parts of the world that have shaped Camasonians’ lives.

Autumn Leaf Books, 334 N.E. Fourth Ave., will host two cultural-themed storytimes during the First Friday event, including a 6 p.m. reading by author Sue Dockstader, who will read from her “Adventure of Henry the Field Mouse” series set in the British countryside; and another reading at 6:30 p.m. when author Leslie Solis will read in both English and Spanish from her book, “Paletero Man.”

First Friday art receptions will be held throughout the evening. Gallery 408, 408 N.E. Fourth Ave., will feature a new show, “Into the Wild,” and serve refreshments from 5-8 p.m. RedDoor Gallery, 411 N.E. Dallas St., will host a $25 drop-in glass art class with artist Shirley Bishop. Second Story Gallery, located on the second floor of the Camas Public Library, 625 N.E. Fourth Ave., will host a reception for the opening night of its show, “Roots of a Movement: Denis Hayes, Camas, and Earth Day,” with an exhibit the gallery said “weaves together the original inception of Earth Day with the work of the new Camas Earth Day Society.”

Other activities include after-hours dining and shopping throughout downtown Camas and children’s crafts inside Journey Church and Papermaker Pride, 339 N.E. Fourth Ave.

For more information, visit downtowncamas.com/event/april-first-friday-spring-history or the Downtown Camas Association’s First Friday Facebook page at faceb ook.com/camasfirstfrid ay/timeline.

Kelly Moyer: 360-735-4674; [email protected]

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