Tony Woiak History Festival
Admission $5/Season Pass $15
The purpose of the History Festival is to provide educational and entertaining programs about Washburn area history. Programs are scheduled four times in the winter and four times in the summer.
This is a collaborative program with the Washburn Area Historical Society. Pases and Seasons Passes available at the door.
January 14, 2025
“Trail to LaPointe”: A Journey Across the Northwest Sands Through Time
Speaker: Brian Finstad
January 28, 2025
“The Bank Building”
Speakers: Dick Olson with Karen Maki, Sharon Stewart, and Steve Cotherman
February 11, 2025
“The Wicked Mr. Probert"
Speaker: Bob Mackreth
February 25, 2025
“Community Voices in Harmony”
Speaker: Michael Powers
Location: Harbor Table in Washburn. 7pm start time.
How THe Festival started
The Washburn Heritage Association has been producing Tony Woiak Winter and Summer History Festivals since 2012. Local citizens, as well as tourists and visitors have come together for festive evenings of remembering and preserving our heritage. Each season consists of a series of four events occurring every two weeks in mid-winter and again in mid-summer. The presenters are both academic historians as well as regular folks with stories to tell.
The aim is always to give our audience an awareness of Washburn history in an accessible and entertaining format. We know it’s been a successful evening when audience members stick around following the presentation to share their own Washburn memories with one another. The festival venue, Harbor Table, is a warm and welcoming place for these community-building evenings.
But how did this history festival, which is much more than a formal “lecture series,” get started? And what does it take to bring the people and stories together? Read on, folks! In 2012, local historian Bob Mackreth, had a conversation with Carla Bremner who was at that time the WHA President. Bob and Carla talked about the possibility of starting a History Festival to honor recently deceased Tony Woiak who had written two books about Washburn’s history.
The idea was presented to the WHA board and was enthusiastically embraced, leading to 13 years of festivals with over 70 wide-ranging topics that celebrate local heritage and history.
