Celebrate Oregon’s Birthday With Free Admission to the Oregon Historical Society

Yes, there will be celebratory cupcakes.

Oregon Historical Society Photo courtesy of Oregon Historical Society. (Andie Petkus Photography)
By Andi Prewitt

This weekend, while most everyone will be focused on football, making a Valentine’s dinner reservation, or both, the Oregon Historical Society wants to remind everyone to make some time to show our state a little love.

As any local trivia buff knows, Oregon became a state on Feb. 14—Valentine’s Day. And the Oregon Historical Society is commemorating the 164th anniversary of statehood by giving everyone free admission to the museum starting Saturday, Feb. 11, through Oregon’s birthday.

Attendees who arrive at noon this Saturday will get a chance to snag celebratory cupcakes before then picking up an activity sheet from the front desk that will help younger visitors navigate the new, permanent Experience Oregon exhibition. The 7,000-square-foot display focuses on the diversity of the state’s landscape as well as its inhabitants’ ongoing relationships with the natural resources. Interactive stations include everything from a canoe-building experience to a replica covered wagon.

Related: The Oregon Historical Society refuses to gloss over the ugly parts of the state’s past.

Visitors are also encouraged to learn more about the stories that have been entrusted to the Oregon Historical Society’s care through Our Unfinished Past: The Oregon Historical Society at 125. This exhibit, on view through Dec. 17, highlights the way scholars, researchers and artists have worked independently and collaboratively with OHS to forge new insights about the state.

While you’re there, be sure to swing by the Motown: The Sound of Young America display. In its final weeks in Oregon, visitors can swing with the Supremes and dance with the Temptations while tracing the history of the evolution of the Motown label.

Finally, on Tuesday, Feb. 14, OHS is hosting a citizenship ceremony in partnership with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services with 30 local candidates who will take the oath of allegiance. All are welcome to attend the service, which starts at 11 am in the Patricia Reser and William Westphal Pavilion.

Sure, Oregon’s birthday celebrations may sound a little tame, but what else would you expect from a state where the official beverage is milk?

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