Renton History Museum to Host Smithsonian Institution's Key Ingredients - America By Food Traveling Exhibition from March 21 through May 9, 2009

    RENTON, WA, February 12, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Renton History Museum will host the only greater Seattle showing of Key Ingredients: America by Food, a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition, from March 21 through May 9, 2009. Key Ingredients will be the first Smithsonian Institution exhibit hosted by the Renton History Museum, and to celebrate the exhibit will kick-off a three-month series of food events in Renton.

"Key Ingredients explores the historical, regional, and social traditions that merge in home-cooked meals, restaurant cuisine, and celebrations," said Museum Director Elizabeth P. Stewart. "At the same time, the Museum will also unveil Sustaining A City, an exhibit about Renton's unique foodways."

Key Ingredients uses artifacts, photographs, and illustrations to explore how culture, ethnicity, landscape, and tradition influence American cooking. The Sustaining a City exhibit, which runs indefinitely from March 21, explores how Renton fits into the larger national sustainability picture.

Together the two exhibits showcase the ways in which food brings different people together to celebrate and share common values. "Whether in Italian groceries in the nineteenth century or in Mexican restaurants in the twenty-first century, food has brought people together in Renton," Stewart said.

In conjunction with the two exhibits, Renton will host a series of food events, classes and activities. Key events include:

"In the Kitchen with Tom and Thierry" Show will broadcast live on 97.3 KIRO FM from the Museum. Chefs Tom Douglas and Thierry Rautureau will be on location at the Museum from 4 - 7 p.m. on opening day afternoon, Saturday, March 21. For additional Show details, visit www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=340.

Western Regional Hot Food Championship, Saturday, April 4 - Monday, April 6, Renton Technical College

Author Mark Winne speaks about "Closing the Food Gap," Saturday, April 4, Carco Theatre. Winne explores food inequality in the U.S. and suggests solutions. He will sign his book, Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty, after the talk. Admission $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, or free with food item for Renton Food Bank. Sponsored by the Renton History Museum.

Productive Vegetable Gardening in Small Spaces: Planning Raised Beds and Containers presented by WSU King County Extension. Learn how to garden in containers or raised beds and enjoy the delicious freshness of home-grown veggies. Renton Technical College, Wednesday, April 8, 6 - 8 p.m.

3 Feet Under: Digging Deep for the Geoduck Clam, Thursday, April 16, 4:30 p.m. at Carco Theatre. A screening of the Emmy-nominated film by Justin Bookey about the Pacific Northwest's favorite clam, the "gooey duck." Admission $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. Sponsored by the Renton History Museum.

"Taste of The Landing" - Sunday, April 26. Come celebrate the opening of Renton's new urban village. For further information, visit www.TheLandinginRenton.com.

"An Afternoon with Greg Atkinson," Thursday, May 7, 4:30 p.m. at Carco Theatre . Local chef and cookbook author Greg Atkinson shares his passion for West Coast regional cuisine. Admission $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. Sponsored by Renton History Museum.

Local Food Year-Round: Simple Methods for Preserving Fresh Fruits and Vegetables presented by WSU King County Extension. Come learn some safe, simple techniques for saving the flavors of summer to enjoy in the dark season of root vegetables. Renton Technical College, Wednesday, May 13, 6 - 8 p.m.

Renton Farmers Market at the Piazza, Tuesdays starting in June. The Master Gardeners will be at the Farmers Market 3:30 until 6:30 p.m. to provide free advice on growing fruits and vegetables. For further information, visit www.RentonFarmersMarket.com.

The Renton History Museum will also offer an essay contest for youth, and an ongoing trivia contest with weekly prizes.

Over the next three months, Renton Technical College has planned a series of culinary classes. For further information, visit www.RTC.edu.

About the Traveling Exhibition
The exhibition comes to the Renton History Museum as part of the Museum on Main Street project, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils, and local host institutions. To learn more about Key Ingredients and Sustaining A City at the Renton History Museum, go to www.rentonwa.gov/living/default.aspx?id=13328.

To learn more about the SITES Key Ingredients, visit: www.keyingredients.org/minor_pages/007_credits.asp

For further information: www.rentonhistory.rentonwa.gov.

For more information, contact:
Elizabeth P. Stewart
(425) 255-2330, phone
[email protected]

About Renton History Museum

The Renton History Museum is a joint project of the Renton Historical Society and the City of Renton. Its mission is the preservation, documentation, and interpretation of the history and culture of greater Renton. The Museum is located at 235 Mill Avenue South, and its hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Renton Historical Society, a 501(c)3 charitable organization, supports the Renton Museum in its effort to collect, preserve and interpret the history of greater Renton, Washington, through research, archives, exhibits and publications.

For further information: www.rentonhistory.rentonwa.gov.

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