Feb. 22, 2013 — The Westwood Centennial Committee, under the umbrella of the Westwood Chamber of Commerce, has organized several events for the summer of 2013 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the town of Westwood. Subcommittees were formed to oversee certain projects and set dates.

A special exhibit of Westwood artifacts from the Turtle Bay Museum in Redding will be on loan for viewing at the Lassen County Visitor Center, Westwood Station. The exhibit will be open each weekend from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

During the summer, the third Saturday of the month will be devoted to history with “Old Timers” gathering at the Old Mill Café at 2 p.m. to discuss various eras. June 15 will focus on the 1930s and 1940s in Westwood; July 20 the 1950s; and Aug. 17 the 1960s and 1970s. The panel discussions are open to the public and have been named “Old-Timer Teas/Coffees.” These discussions will be filmed by Molly Barber.

Oral histories are scheduled at 7 p.m. the third Saturday of each month as well, with these sessions taking place at the Westwood Community Center. On June 15 the topic is “Lumber Town: Recollections of logging and sawmill operations in Westwood (1915-1955),” and on July 20 the focus is “Growing up in Westwood in the Thirties and Forties.” The topic for August has yet to be announced. These presentations will include PowerPoint; personal memories and stories; and audience questions.

Woodcutters are invited to participate in The Westwood Outlaw Wood Truck Rally at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 24. Although the awards have yet to be announced, trucks are to be filled with firewood. A dance will be held at the Moonlight Bar & Grill and restaurants will be encouraged to offer logging camp items on their menus the day of the rally.

On June 15, the Westwood Chamber will unveil the three new Westwood signs currently in the works designed for placement on Highway 36 and the intersection of Highway 147 and County Road A-21 near Clear Creek. The dedication ceremony will take place at the location near Clear Creek.

The big centennial event is the Paul Bunyan Mountain and Blues Festival that will take place July 6. The Westwood Chamber sponsors this event which began as a celebration of the town’s 75th anniversary. There is a street dance the evening of July 5 with festival events taking place the following day. The Paul Bunyan Mountain and Blues Festival parade begins at 10:30 a.m. and travels down Ash Street to Third Street ending at Westwood Park on Greenwood Street — the site of the festival. Events during the festival include a logging competition and show, featured blues bands, an art and crafts fair and children’s activities such as inflatable water slides.

The morning of the festival there will be living history exhibits available to help people get a better understanding of the lifestyle of Westwood residents in the early 1900s.

During the month of July, sandwich boards with information on historic sites will be placed throughout Westwood for self-guided history tours. There will also be self-guided history walk maps available.

Guided walks in the Westwood Cemetery led by historian Tim Purdy are in the process of being organized and dates will be announced.

To introduce people to some of Westwood’s current amenities, Suzanne McDonald will lead Bird Walks from 8 a.m. to noon June 29 and Aug. 17.