Oregon Cowboy Poet Tom Swearingen returns to host the 2025 Tualatin Historical Society’s Heritage Evening fundraiser on Friday, September 5, on the patio at the Heritage Center. He will challenge guests to test their knowledge of Tualatin history in a trivia contest featuring questions such as, What date was the city’s oldest house built. Time is 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Tickets are now on sale for a cash raffle, with prizes of $500, $250, or $100. Winners do not need to be present. The $10 raffle tickets and the $50 evening entry fee can be purchased on the THS website (www.tualatinhistory.org) or by calling Rick at 503-885-1926. Credit cards are accepted. At-the-door price is $60.
The $25 mystery wine pull features white and red specialties from wineries around the Northwest. Retail values of the selections range from $40 to over $100.
Leading up to the event is an online auction with bidding ending at 8 p.m. on September 5. Among the items are a four hour “ride-along” with a Tualatin police officer, entry to Oaks Park for a family, an OMSI family pass, sampler packs of assorted frozen meats from Jensen Mini Farm in Tualatin, Broadway Rose Theatre tickets, lunch with Mayor Frank Bubenik at a Tualatin restaurant of your choice, Lakewood Center for the Arts tickets, a year-long family membership to Oregon Historical Society, WilsonvilleStage community theatre tickets, original mixed media art by THS member Jennifer Reed Stout, and four hours of Senior Companion Care from Integrity Staffing in Tualatin. Dozens of gift cards totaling hundreds of dollars from local area businesses will also be for sale that evening.
Sylvia Hartman, owner of Elka Bee’s in Wilsonville, will cater again this year with a delicious mix of heavy appetizers and decadent desserts. Proceeds from the Society’s only major fundraiser help ensure that THS can continue to preserve and protect Tualatin’s rich and colorful history and maintain heritage center weekday hours year-round.
Tom Swearingen is a two-time winner of the International Western Music Association Male Poet of the Year award. He and his wife live in Tualatin and can often be found riding their horses in Oregon’s backcountry.
Tualatin Heritage Center is located at 8700 SW Sweek Drive, adjacent to the police station. It celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026. The Center is owned by the City of Tualatin, operated by the Society and maintains regular hours year-round. Rentals are available for public and private events alike. It was formerly a Methodist church along Boones Ferry and Tualatin-Sherwood Roads. In addition to exhibits, a small gift shop is available. A 125-year-old farm wagon used by several Tualatin families is a new display along Sweek Drive.
Tualatin Heritage Center is located at 8700 SW Sweek, adjacent to the police station. The Center is owned by the City of Tualatin, operated by the Society, and maintains regular hours year-round. Rentals are available for public and private events alike. It was formerly a Methodist church along Boones Ferry and Tualatin-Sherwood Roads. In addition to exhibits, a small gift shop is available.
