Sept. 28-Oct. 1: Hanford artifacts, national park celebrated

By Maegan Murray, WSU Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. – Historical Hanford Site artifacts will be part of a free, public exhibit and open house this week at Washington State University Tri-Cities in conjunction with a fundraising and centennial celebration night with the National Park Service.

* “Preserving the Past: The History of DOE’s Hanford Collection,” will kick off at 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, in the WSU Tri-Cities Art Gallery. The exhibit will run through October.

* The family-friendly open house will be 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at the university’s Innovation Center Building, 2892 Pauling Ave., Richland. Guided tours will get visitors up close to many of the more than 4,000 artifacts that are being curated and archived as part of WSU Tri-Cities’ partnership and subcontract with the U.S. Department of Energy and Mission Support Alliance, the Hanford cleanup coordinator.

“People will get a chance to see items that very few people have seen for many years,” said Mike Mays, director of WSU Tri-Cities’ Hanford History Project.

* At 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, the National Park Service will host “Celebrating Old Friends and New Beginnings” at the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center. There will be a silent auction, entertainment and featured Washington wines.

It is a fundraiser for the Manhattan Project National Historic Park and the Hanford History Project. Tickets cost $60 and may be purchased at 509-372-7447. Those attending must be at least 21 years of age; dress is business casual.

“It will be a nice celebration of the National Parks Service’s 100th anniversary,” said Mays. “It is also an opportunity to highlight one of the country’s newest national parks right here in the Tri-Cities.”

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park is comprised of three sites crucial in the production of atomic bombs in World War II: Hanford, Wash.; Oak Ridge, Tenn.; and Los Alamos, N.M.

For more information, visit http://tricities.wsu.edu/hanfordhistory or contact Mays at 509-372-7380 or michael.mays@tricity.wsu.edu.