Vancouver, WA – Clark County Historical Museum, Fourth Plain Forward, and Humanities Washington invite the community to an engaging in-person conversation with Amanda Van Lanen, a member of the 2024-2025 Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau program, on Thursday, April 4, 2024. This month’s CCHM Speaker Series presentation will take place at Fourth Plain Commons (3101 E 4th Plain Blvd Ste.101, Vancouver, WA 98661.)
Doors open at 6:30 pm. Presentation begins at 7:00 pm.
Why do so many apples in the grocery store look the same? And why do so many come from Washington?
In this talk, explore how Washington became the top apple producing state in the country, and how, in the process, it transformed apples into an industrialized commodity. Many regions in the West attempted to grow apples, but in Washington, big apples became big business thanks to the work of scientists, investors, irrigators, railroad corporations, marketers, and apple growers. How does the history of Washington apples reflect larger changes happening in the American food system—changes that continue to affect our environment and the way we eat today?
Amanda L. Van Lanen (she/her) is a Professor of History at Lewis-Clark State College and the author of The Washington Apple: Orchards and the Development of Industrial Agriculture. She earned a Ph.D. in history at Washington State University, and blogs about food history at historyreheated.com.
At a Glance
Who: Amanda Van Lanen
What: Big Apples, Big Business: How Washington Became the Apple State
When: Thursday, April 4, 2024 @ 7:00 p.m.
Where: Fourth Plain Community Commons (3101 E 4th Plain Blvd Ste.101, Vancouver, WA 98661)
The CCHM Speaker Series season is sponsored by the Clark County Historic Preservation Commission. This month’s presentation is co-hosted with Fourth Plain Forward and brought to you by Humanities Washington and the League of Women Voters of Clark County. Admission is free and open to all.
For more information, contact the museum at 360-993-5679 or [email protected].
About Humanities Washington
Humanities Washington is a nonprofit organization dedicated to opening minds and bridging divides by creating spaces to explore different perspectives. For more about Humanities Washington, visit www.humanities.org.
About the Speakers Bureau Program
In communities throughout Washington State, Speakers Bureau presenters give free public presentations on history, politics, music, philosophy, spiritual traditions, and everything in between.
Their roster of over 30 Speakers Bureau presenters is made up of professors, artists, activists, historians, performers, journalists, and others—all chosen not only for their expertise, but also for their ability to inspire discussion with people of all ages and backgrounds. Hundreds of Speakers Bureau events take place each year. Find a Speakers Bureau event near you.
To reach as many Washingtonians as possible, Humanities Washington partners with a wide range of organizations, including libraries, schools, museums, historical societies, community centers, and civic organizations. Qualifying nonprofit organizations are encouraged to host a speaker.
The Speakers Bureau program is made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the State of Washington via the Office of the Secretary of State, the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University, and generous contributions from other businesses, foundations, and individuals.
About Clark County Historical Society and Museum
The Clark County Historical Society and Museum is committed to responsible collections stewardship, innovative collaboration and inspiring exhibitions and programs that engage the community in an exploration of Clark County’s past, present and future. Our purpose is to share an understanding of the past that will help to build a better future for generations to come.
About Fourth Plain Forward
Fourth Plain Forward is a place-based 501c3 nonprofit organization in central Vancouver focused on the Fourth Plain Corridor.
We are committed to uplifting Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, alongside those facing resource limitations and exclusion from mainstream services.
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