Activities

• The Helvetia Culture Fest
• Presentations to schools and groups
• “Helvetia Community Highlights” newsletters

The Helvetia Culture Fest

Helvetia Community Association is proud to host the annual “Helvetia Culture Fest”.  Held in the heart of Helvetia, the Helvetia Culture Fest (HCF) celebrates the historic cultural diversity of the Greater Helvetia area.

The goal of the Helvetia Culture Fest is to educate the public about the rich cultural and historical heritage of the Helvetia area while raising funds for our preservation and conservation efforts.  Performers and local businesses donate their services and volunteers donate their time to offer a fun family event.

Highlights from the 2012 Culture Fest

Our 4th annual Helvetia Culture Fest was a resounding success!  Over 230 people attended, enjoying the spectacular view from Accoyo Norte at Pacific Crest Alpacas, eating delicious Helvetia Tavern burgers and Beaverton Bakery apple strudel, drinking local wine and beer from Helvetia Winery and Vertigo Brewing, and enjoying entertainment from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, the Helvetia Alphorns, Becky Sowders, and the Pudding River Band.

We were honored to once again enjoy the sponsorship of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.  Tribal representatives describe tribal history and performed ceremonial drumming.

Local musicians performed in the Swiss tradition.  The Helvetia Alphorns played their intriguing 12-foot long alphorns, and Becky Sowders, one of our talented yodelers, demonstrated the Swiss tradition of yodeling. 

2012 marked the third time we held our rousing Pie Walk!  Skilled pie-makers donated scrumptious pies which were won by those who played “musical pies”.  The winner of each round received a pie.  It was a big hit!

The afternoon was capped with music by the Pudding River Band, whose interpretations of classic folk songs and other favorites were a real crowd-pleaser.

We were also fortunate to have the support of our local businesses:  the Helvetia Tavern supplied their famous Helvetia Burgers, Beaverton Bakery donated apple strudel, Helvetia Winery provided wine, and Hillsboro's Vertigo Brewing provided the beer.

Our local subscription and organic farms donated fall produce and attendees had the opportunity to purchase baskets of local fruits, vegetables, and greens.

Many volunteers from our community donated their time and effort to making the Helvetia Culture Fest a success!  Thanks to their efforts and the community's support, we raised over $7,500 for HCA!

Planning will be underway soon for the 2013 Helvetia Culture Fest - please consider volunteering!

Below are some pictures from the 2011 Helvetia Culture Fest.  We'll have pictures from the 2012 Fest up soon.

   

Presentations to schools and groups

Throughout the year, we present educational talks about Helvetia's history, heritage, farming, events and other topics of interest to various groups.  A presentation entitled "Helvetia, Our Sustainable Treasure" was recently made to Helvetia's local high school.  Click the title or the image to the right to view it.  (Warning: 120MB PDF file.)

“Helvetia Community Highlights” newsletters

From time to time, we create newsletters and present them at various community meetings, including the Hillsboro City Council.  Their purpose is to highlight activities in Helvetia and underscore Helvetia's value to the region as an agricultural, historical, and recreational resource.

• November-December 2011: “Century Farm” film screening, Save Helvetia participates in elk & oak research, and more...
• February 2012: Grimm films at Swiss chalet in Helvetia, prompting the inclusion of a bit of Swiss history.