The Clark County Historical Museum’s History on Tap series returns for a third season, exploring how Clark County’s past influences our present and speculating on how it will shape our future.
The 2021 season opens with “Adaptation: The Open Secret of Humanity’s Origins, Global Diversity and Distant Future,” a livestreamed YouTube presentation at 7 p.m. March 11. The speaker is author Cameron Smith, cofounder of Pacific Spaceflight, a think tank dedicated to expanding space exploration technologies.
Smith’s research in the region, particularly around Cathlapotle and the Wapato Valley, expanded understanding of Indigenous communities before European contact, said April Buzby, programs and marketing manager for the Clark County Historical Museum.
“His application of those lessons to a future where humans look beyond Earth as home highlight how the stories of our past can inform our future,” she said.
Snowy weather caused a delay in this year’s first History on Tap event, but the series is expanding to six separate presentations this year, on the third Thursday of March, April, June, August, October and December. The history series remains extremely popular, even in its current online-only format.
“Before the pandemic, History on Tap often filled the Kiggins,” said Buzby. “Even 100 percent virtual, we’re averaging 50-60 views, and that’s as a paid event.”
If COVID-19 numbers continue to decline, event organizers hope to move to a hybrid format, featuring simultaneous in-person and livestreamed presentations.
Tickets are $10 for a virtual showing and include a 32-ounce can of beer, also known as a crowler, from Barlow’s Brewery. Tickets for all History on Tap events can be bought online through the Kiggins Theatre at www.kigginstheatre.com or Clark County Historical Museum at cchmuseum.org. A private link will be sent to ticket holders prior to the show; the link serves as a voucher, which attendees can bring to Barlows to collect their crowlers. For more information, contact the Clark County Historical Museum at 360-993-5679 or outreach@cchmuseum.org.
