The Enterprise - White Salmon, Washington

Heritage Museum to remember Kida family

On Sept. 30

September 25, 2012

A special exhibit, "Remembering the Kidas: Kenjiro and Kay and their son George," was installed at the Gorge Heritage Museum in June and will remain in place through the 2013 season.

The Kidas were a Japanese family who were business partners of L. G. (George) and Sadie Pyatt, the couple with whom they shared a residence on Snowden Road.

In the early 1950s, George built a home for his parents on Highway 141 in Pucker Huddle. Kenjiro and Kay surrounded the new house with manicured lawns and beautiful flower gardens.

The goal of this exhibit is to preserve the Kida family's unique story and recall their presence in the community.

Since Sept. 30, the closing date of the 2012 season, would have been George's 99th birthday, the exhibit's creator Kathy Portner Wilkes has chosen to host a 3 p.m. public program at the museum.

She will share memories about visiting the Kidas at the Snowden "Ranch", being a neighbor in Pucker Huddle, important life lessons and skills learned from Kay during her teenage years, and her deep appreciation for the impact that the Kidas have had on her life.

Museum staff hopes audience members will bring photos, dig into their own memory banks, and share their Kida stories.