Salmon Bake returns to Wenatchee Valley Museum on Oct. 11

WENATCHEE — The Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center will host the return of its annual Salmon Bake on Saturday, Oct. 11, featuring a traditional blessing and storytelling led by Wenatchi/P’Squosa elder Randy Lewis.

The event, scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m., marks the first Salmon Bake held at the museum after a lengthy hiatus.

Organizers said the gathering celebrates the fall harvest and honors one of the Plateau tribes’ most significant ceremonies, the First Salmon Feast, which historically welcomed the arrival of salmon to traditional fishing grounds.

Lewis, the great-great-grandson of Sam Miller, founder of the Miller-Freer Trading Post that anchored the original City of Wenatchee, will share origin stories “related to the Creator’s calling of a grand council of the plants and animals to help feed and care for the newest of creations: humans,” according to the museum.

A blessing ceremony begins at 2 p.m., with food service immediately following. Salmon will be prepared outdoors over an open fire pit and served with salad, rolls and potatoes.

Museum members may attend by donation, while admission for non-members is $25 per person. Pre-registration is required.

The Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center operates as a nonprofit supported by the cities of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee. Its mission is “to gather, engage, and educate people to celebrate and preserve the history, arts, sciences, and rich diversity of our region”.