By Debra Pelletier

Special to the Reporter

If you were in downtown Redmond on May 20, you might have had to blink your eyes, shake your head and do a double take to realize what decade you were in.

Perhaps it was the constable guarding the entryway to our great city as you pulled onto Leary, or maybe it was the young ladies strolling down Cleveland in their corsets, broad hats and full Gibson Girl hairstyles, eating their afternoon ice cream. Or, was it the bright yellow Zoot Suit that caught your attention, and memories of Prohibition came rushing back? Were you in 1890, the 1900s, 1940 or 2017?

A Masquerade Costume provided a gallery of costumes for Redmond Historical Society volunteers to stroll throughout downtown Redmond and the library to launch the “Steps in Time” new mobile Historical Walking Tour App. Partnering with Redmond Library, the society offered community members a day to be entertained and educated.

A fabulous performance funded by the Friends of the Redmond Library was given by Living Voices’ speaker Erin Stewart, who engaged participants from toddler to seasoned guest as they listened to every word of “Klondike — The Last Adventure.” Paper dolls, Lincoln Logs, coloring, toy making, crochet and embroidery — there was everything needed to “Play like it’s the early 1900s.”

“It was important to us to offer opportunities to bring generations together,” stated Pamela Hanes, lead project manager for the event.

Whether it was sparking childhood memories; contemplating with amazement that some games and products created 100 years ago are still prevalent today; or being exposed to how simple things were way back then, participants enjoyed the afternoon of free activities.

Tom Hitzroth gave a fascinating lecture on Redmond Land Claims, as Old Fire House teens helped families download the new app and head out to learn Redmond’s history.

All of this was possible due to a grant received from GoRedmond combined with the society’s new intern program created to assist with philanthropy. A huge thank you to Julien Thorn, William Esque and Pamela Hanes for their hours of dedication on the planning of this event.

A special thank you to all our sponsors GoRedmond, Friends of the Redmond Library, A Masquerade costume, Bartell Drugs, RBG (Redmond Bar and Grill), COSTCO, Half Price Books and Lost Art Haircutting.