The Gay Nineties festival was held annually in Forest Grove from 1947 until the 1990s and was centered around nostalgia for the 1890s era. The festival featured a parade, historical costumes, and the Original All-Northwest Barbershop Ballad Contest, which was broadcast nationally over radio and television. Forest Grove earned the nickname "Ballad Town USA," but over the years, this era of local history has fallen into relative obscurity. Historian Elle Griego gives insight into why the 1890s were all the rage in postwar America, and how the small town of Forest Grove became the barbershop music capital of the West. Featuring a live performance by the Sasquatch 5 barbershop quartet!

Elle Griego is a student at Pacific University majoring in history and French. She works as an assistant in the Pacific University Archives and volunteers with the Friends of Historic Forest Grove. Elle recently completed a project to scan and describe over 150 historic images of the Gay Nineties Festival for the Washington County Heritage website and has authored several papers on this unique history.

Enjoy 15% off your hotel stay on History Pub nights! Show your ticket at check-in.

These events are open to everyone interested in Pacific Northwest history, and beyond! Often co-sponsored by local or state historical and civic organizations, we bring you experts, scholars, first-person experiencers, historians and documentaries expounding on topics from indigenous history to the birth of Portland, early explorers to hop growing, and on and on! It's like being back in the classroom - except this time you get to settle into comfortable seats and enjoy a drink or two with dinner while you listen and learn.

This event is eligible for a History Pub Stamp