12:43 PM: Next big event of the day is at the Log House Museum (61st/Stevens) – its annual 4th of July membership picnic is under way now till 3 pm, with a theme of “celebrating volunteers” this year. We’re on the way for some photos and will add an update when we get there!

1:21 PM: Clay Eals, executive director, is emceeing the picnic program on the museum’s back patio (above), talking to some of the volunteers who are on hand about why they volunteered and why others should join them. Eals noted that this year alone, 35 new volunteers have signed up. There are some not-that-new volunteers here too – 87-year-old Nancy McPhee (with Eals in photo below) joked that she “IS a historical exhibit.”

Veteran volunteer Barbara McGlothern reminisced about the campaign to save the Admiral Theater more than 20 years ago. And president Marcy Johnsen talked about living in the Log House Museum before it was a museum.

Still lots of time to come on over – bring a potluck dish if you have one, but if you don’t, don’t let that stop you, there’s food aplenty to share here! P.S. Your next chance to get involved as a volunteer at the museum/Southwest Seattle Historical Society is an information session on July 13th – details here. And Eals has just announced other big events SWSHS has coming up – look for a separate story on that here a bit later.