POULSBO — As a first-grade teacher at Christ the King Academy, Judy Driscoll took her students on a tour of the city’s downtown historic buildings as part of their local history studies.

When she retired, Driscoll met up with AJ Waatland from the Poulsbo Historical Society and an instant bond was formed.

“I was flabbergasted at all of the work she had done on historic buildings,” Driscoll said.

That work will be on display Saturday and July 3 when Poulsbo historians Driscoll, Waatland and Gordon Stenman give walking tours of the many historic buildings in downtown Poulsbo.

“I think when people realize what history is here, they take a little bit better care of it,” Driscoll said.

As the city continues to grow and more development takes place, it’s important to acknowledge its historic buildings that are still standing, she said.

“Our town certainly has a lot of historic sites, especially on the waterfront,” Driscoll said.

New people are always coming into town and it’s important to be able to give them a piece of the city’s history, she said.

In order for a building to be considered historic, it must be at least 50 years old, which is the state’s standard, she said.

Even though it would be easy to think the tours are designed only for history buffs or adults, Driscoll said she hopes it becomes a family event.

“It’s for all ages and it’s for kids, too,” Driscoll said. “They have a lot of fun on these.”

Stenman said this weekend will be his second opportunity to lead people to some of the city’s historical sites.

“I did one last year and I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

As the city continues to grow and expand far beyond the reaches of its core, Stenman said it’s important to remember the city’s heritage.

“It’s a chance to learn about Old Poulsbo, and I definitely hope locals, and visitors will be excited about it,” Stenman said.

For PHS curator Erica Varga, the walking tours are the first of what she hopes will become an annual event highlighting not only downtown, but other areas of the city as well.

“People respect the town they live in when they know something about it,” Varga said. “The guides will be telling stories not only about the places, but the people as well.”

Work has already been done on many of the cemeteries in the area and the historical society is continuing to collect as much information as it can about older buildings throughout the area, she said.

“We’re just collecting information for an informal local list and it will have no effect on what people can do with their property,” Varga said.

Often the historical society receives requests from property owners asking about the history of their homes and the society is creating the list to provide that kind of information, she said.

Many of the buildings downtown have already been marked with plaques funded by a 2005 hotel-motel tax grant, she said.

“There are shiny new plaques identifying some of the historic buildings downtown, and that’s a program we hope to continue,” Varga said.

The tours will begin at 1 p.m. in front of the Leif Erickson statue in Waterfront Park. The cost is $5 and tours will begin every 30 minutes.

More information on the tours can be obtained by calling Driscoll at (360) 779-3033.