An Evening With Helen Heavirland

This event is free and open to the public. Come enjoy refreshments and listen to Helen Heavirland recount her memoir "Surviving the Sand" In Surviving the Sand, Helen shares her family’s hardscrabble yet heartwarming story, chronicling common hardships many faced in the Columbia Basin Project’s early settlement days. She describes breaking sod, plants destroyed by wind-whipped sand, and a harrowing first winter sleeping outside after a storm shredded their tent, but also simple joys like fresh apricots, Crokinole games, and letters from loved ones. Most of all, she relates how—despite the heartache, arduous work, and tough times—her family loves, laughs, and works together as they chase her father’s seemingly impossible dream.