By: David Garza (Web Manager), and Camden VanOcker (SOAR Director)
On Sunday, June 14, 2026 SOAR visited Fort Walla Walla Museum for their annual Ice Cream Social & Oregon Trail Game. Participants were tasked with completing multiple activities simulating what life was like for those who travelled along the Oregon Trail in the mid 1800's. The participants were split into different groups led by Retiring SOAR Director Tahasha “Tash” Foxe, Incoming SOAR Director Camden VanOcker, and volunteers JD and Meaghan.
The expedition began with a visit to the General Store. The shop owners warned them about the challenges ahead, and offered them some supplies. They also gave them a map to keep record of where they’ve been on the trail. Once they were done shopping they were faced with their first dilemma; deciding what to bring with them. The wagon they had could only carry around 2,000lbs, so they had to think very carefully about what was most important to bring.
Participants were forced to contend with illness, hunger, dehydration, extreme cold, difficult terrain, and malfunctioning equipment. When a participant fell victim to a calamity, they had a chance to meet “Death” on the Oregon Trail. The mysterious man in black whom many call Death was actually the spirit of a wanderer who died along the Oregon Trail. The unfortunate wanderer was never given a proper burial; and so his soul remained. Death has since dedicated his afterlife to helping prevent other wanderers from sharing his fate. The actor playing Death just so happened to be WWVDN Web Manager David Garza.
The expedition celebrated the completion of their journey with some ice cream from Baskin Robbins before gathering in the Village Square to share stories of their adventure. SOAR’s journey on the Oregon Trail wasn’t the only one coming to an end. This was also our last event with Tash acting as SOAR Director for the WWVDN. Tash has served as SOAR Director since its inception. She poured her heart and soul into SOAR, and helped build it into the outstanding program it is today. Spending the last hour of the event with her was a bittersweet moment for everyone involved.
The WWVDN wishes Tash the best of luck on her future endeavors, and welcomes Camden as he embraces his new role as SOAR Director. Special thanks to the Fort Walla Walla Museum for hosting the event and to our volunteers JD and Meaghan! We look forward to seeing wherever our journey takes us next!
