Center for Wooden Boats Wins First 4Culture Heritage Tourism Award
May 18, 2007 - The Center for Wooden Boats (CWB) was named as first recipient of the 4Culture Heritage Tourism Award, a new award that honors organizations and individuals who widely promote King County's distinctive heritage through sustainable heritage tourism practices. These practices include collaborating with partners, finding balance between community and tourism, making sites and programs come alive, focusing on quality and authenticity, and preserving and protecting heritage resources. In the future, the 4Culture award will be given each year during National Preservation Month in May.
This year's award was presented at the annual King County Executive's Historic Preservation Awards on May 15th, at the Issaquah Depot Museum in Issaquah. The ceremony was hosted by King County Executive Ron Sims, and organized by the county's Historic Preservation Program. Assisting Executive Sims was Kate Donahue, a preservation volunteer and a high school sophomore, who introduced the Heritage Tourism Award. Donohue explained how CWB actively partners with schools, businesses, youth groups, and local governments. "Heritage tourists look for quality and authenticity," she said. "They're looking for visitor-ready and visitor-friendly experiences. At CWB, the quality and authenticity are top notch."
 Founding Director Dick Wagner accepted the award on behalf of CWB. The Center is a not-for-profit membership and volunteer organization devoted to preserving the skills of wooden boatbuilding and small craft handling. Located on Lake Union in Seattle, CWB has attracted national attention because of its emphasis on hands-on experiences. "By playing with the exhibits, picking up the oars, taking the helm, picking up the tools, everybody leaves with a realization that they had a lot of fun and they also learned a lot," he said.
Executive Sims also awarded a Certificate of Recognition to Jarod Northern of Redmond, a fourth-grader, for his advocacy work on behalf of the Stone House in Redmond. The Downtown Issaquah Association received the prestigious John D. Spellman Award for its work restoring the Hailstone Feed Store and Gas Station in Issaquah.
For more information on the 4Culture Heritage Tourism Award and heritage tourism promotion, contact Flo Lentz at 206.296.8682, Preservation 4Culture.
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