Environmental Stewardship Crew
Winter Wanderlust show
Girl Scouts
Bookbinding class
Apple Pressing
Common room events
Programs
The Olympic Guesthouse is about being in a special place - the land we are fortunate to steward. Community service to the land forms the backbone of our environmental programming. Throughout the year we lead groups involved in removing invasive plants species, maintaining trails, and utilizing gathered leaves in compost piles. We supply all tool, ask about our discounted overnight rate for workers.
Land-based programs are often paired with other programs offered at Fort Worden, such as natural history and ocean presentations at the nearby Marine Science Center, tours through the Artillery Museum and the Commanding Officer’s Quarters, and walking tours that explore the mysterious concrete bunkers and secret tunnels that lace the park.
The Winter Wanderlust Adventure Slide Show series, sponsored in conjunction with the Jefferson Trails Coalition, presents local speakers and their photos and adventures throughout the world. This eight-week series has happened for the past 25 years on Wednesdays in January and February. Shows are presented at the Wheeler Theater on the grounds of Fort Worden State Park.
Our Travel 101 program is offered through Hostelling International. An introductory guide to traveling throughout the world, it informs you about cultural sensitivity, how to pack for efficient traveling, overnight accommodations in hostels, and a bevy of other travel tips, tricks and information.
Annual celebrations such as our Harvest Festival and Apple Pressing, and Festival of Santa Lucia, along with monthly potlucks featuring travel presentations by local folks, are attended by groups and local community members.
Program Coordinator: Christopher Overman, (360) 385-0655.
A Sample of Past Programs
Girl Scout Programs
The partnership between Hostelling International-Olympic Guesthouse and Girl Scouts of America has been strengthened over the past three years through Environmental, Arts & Culture, Culinary, and Festival programs specifically geared for girls and their troops. A special group rate is offered for overnight accommodations and a nominal fee is charged for focalized instructional classes with professional instructors. Past offering have included:
Environmental Programs
- World Travel 101/ Women Traveling Solo - affordable, safe and fun ways to explore the world. There are travel tricks, smart packing tips, traveling know-how, cultural insights, and how to make the most of your traveling experiences,
- Animals from Down Under - aquaria, touch-pools, and inter-tidal plants and animals at the Marine Science Center; sands and fossils from around the world at the Natural History Museum,
- Eco-Action - caring for the earth; land stewardship project (ongoing), composting, vermiculture (worms), nature walk through the state park, Native Plants for Beauty - lotions, toners and cleansing creams made from plants available all around us,
- Berry Good Eating - (seasonal) - buckets full of strawberries, raspberries, lavendar; canning and preserving.
Art & Culture
- Introduction to Watercolors - from sketching out ideas to mixing colors and laying down washes,
- Introduction to Drawing Anything You Can See - learn by doing and seeing in a new way,
- Japanese Block Printing - one-of-a-kind scrolls, cards, decorative art papers; make printing plates using recycled materials, unique prints using inks and brayers,
- Japanese Bound Books - papers and bookbinding techniques; Japanese art history, history of the book, stitchery needlecrafts, and fine paper - its art and uses,
- Altered Books - existing books made into art through painting, stamping, collage, pop-ups, and inserts,
- Marbling and Printmaking - beautiful papers using water-based inks and brayers; color and design along with paper exampes from other coutries, cultures and ages,
Culinary Arts
- Cooking the Thai Way - mix and match food flavors and textures, balance sweet with sour, smooth with crunchy, salty with hot,
- Cooking the North African Way - secrets of the Mezze table; learn about the people and customs of the region through aromatic blends of herbs and spices,
- Cooking the East African Way - Garnish, sauté, simmer, and stir-fry through the complex tastes and customs of the region,
Festival Celebrations
- Harvest Festival - apple pressing, stringing popcorn and berries, cornhusk dolls, harvest dinner,
- Festival of St. Lucia - (winter solstice) - traditional Scandinavian festival of lights; home-baked cardamom breads, warm drinks, holiday crafts, new songs, dance, and storytelling,
- Festival of Art - (April) - hands-on learning in arts and crafts, artist demonstrations; sewing, weaving, boat-making, print-making, hula hooping, puppets, doll-making, clay handbuilding, lots more.
Our programs can be customized to help fulfill badge requirements. Most programs are geared for grades 6 and up and have a minimum enrollment of 10. Whether a program is included or not, all troops are offered the opportunity for a Environmental Stewardship Community Service project of a couple of hours working outside on the land of Fort Worden State Park. These projects are leader-supervised and focus around land stewardship at the park; raking leaves for compost/mulch (autumn), and invasive plant species removal (winter and spring).
Group Coordinator: Christopher Overman, (360) 385-0655.
Meeting Space
The Olympic Guesthouse has a large common room that can accommodate about 30 people. Its proximity to the kitchen makes serving group meals easy and efficient. Group meetings and retreats are easily arranged around a large decorative table or in comfortable seating. An LCD projector is available to connect to a computer for presentations and a piano stands in the corner awaiting musical melodies.
Our common room serves as a retreat or instruction space during the day for groups. The Guesthouse is in an ideal location at the state park to attend other programs offered at the Marine Science Center, Wood Worker School, Madrona MindBody Institute, and Centrum.
Space available on the Fort Worden campus is diverse and varied; a 275-seat theater, great wooden dance floors, a kitchen shelter on the beach. Arrangements for these facilities can be made through the administrative office of the state park: (360) 344-4400.