As mentioned previously, the Talent Historical Society Museum just unveiled its special exhibit on the Almeda Fire, which had its opening celebration this past Saturday.
A beautiful spring day, lemonade, and live music made for a peaceful, reflective, relaxing event where neighbors and locals could share stories, mingle, and remember the events of the Fire in their own way, and in the company of friends and family. Several hundred people enjoyed the community spirit and spring breezes, which gave light to a solemn day of remembrance.
Perhaps this was another form of closure, but in a good way: Talent shows no signs of forgetting.
Indeed, one of the highlights of the event was the release of the book, “Talent, Oregon: The Almeda Fire,” which contains numerous articles, interviews, photos, work by local artists and poems on the September 2020 disaster that destroyed thousands of structures and left three people dead.
The collection, which covers a wide range of emotions from heartbreak, resilience, anger, and hope, includes written material in both English and Spanish.
This bilingual aspect is crucial and welcome; people who remember the fire remember that our Hispanic population was among the most in the way of the hazard, often with the least support…even down to basic communication due to language barriers. It is only proper that their stories are heard and not to be forgotten.
Overall, the exhibit, which will last until the date of the fire, this September 9, was inspired by the need to preserve the memory of what happened that tragic labor day weekend.
Talent Historical Society board members met shortly after the fire. “We looked at each other and said, ‘We have to document this fire’,” relates Debra Moon, the society’s outreach and volunteer coordinator. “We voted unanimously to adopt the task of recording the personal stories of the Almeda Fire, its effects on our community, and the community response.”
Talent Elementary School second graders contributed some stories to the book, and a Talent Middle School class conducted interviews with town residents.
Many aspects of the narrative are positive. For example, one section of the book deals with relief efforts taken on by the Rogue Action Center, Rogue Climate and Talent Maker City. Another section focuses on the impact to local businesses, and another includes viewpoints from first responders.
Additional stories are available online at talenttowninflames.blogspot.com.
“We know that we didn’t get all the important stories,” a statement from the Talent Historical Society reads. “Unfortunately, those who were hit hardest found it hardest to tell their story, and we don’t have many from them. We acknowledge their loss and their struggle.”
In addition to all the memories shared in the book, there were also guest books at the event to sign, including a journal open to people to write or note their personal stories…many more of which will no doubt add to this narrative of community and recovery.
Out of lemons, lemonade on a spring day. And out of fire, resilience, remembrance, and hope.
