[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2007-03-29

[Heritage Info]

In this issue:
1. Newell House to host birthday bash
2. Heritage Conference schedule, registration available
3. Walk to highlight Japanese-Oregonian heritage
4. Museums seek director, intern
5. AOA pre-registration requested


NEWELL HOUSE TO HOST BIRTHDAY BASH

The bicentennial birthday of Robert "Doc" Newell will begin to be celebrated during the coming week.

The first event will be "Bob's Bicentennial Birthday Bash" on March 31 at the Robert Newell House Museum on Champoeg Road in St. Paul (located at the big white house just a few hundred yards west of the entrance to Champoeg State Park.)  The day's activities begin at 1 p.m. with the dedication of the recently built Newell Hall and ends with the Bicentennial Birthday Square Dance beginning at 7 p.m..

Also that day, people may enter a cake in the "People's Cakes Awards" contest, and one may either bake a cake using an actual historic recipe from the 1800s or a contemporary recipe.  Just bring a copy of the recipe with the name of the source to officially enter.  A catered meal with period-correct food will be offered as the Robert Newell Birthday Dinner. Reservations for the dinner may be made by calling 503-678-5537 .               

Living history actor Al LePage will portray Newell in an address to the Oregon House of Representatives in Salem at 10 a.m. April 2. Newell served as the first Speaker of the House.    

For more information, visit www.newellhouse.com


HERITAGE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE, REGISTRATION AVAILABLE

The preliminary schedule and registration form for the 8th Oregon Heritage Conference is now available. "Strengthening the Fabric of Oregon's Heritage" is the theme of this year's conference which will take place May 3-5 in Pendleton.

There will be workshops on oral history, archives and archives management, and historic cemetery care. There will be presentations and panels on grants and grantwriting, volunteer management, the new Main Street Program, product and marketing, and other heritage topics. The Friday evening banquet will include the presentation of the first Oregon Heritage Excellence Awards by First Lady Mary Oberst.

The preliminary schedule and registration form are available at http://www.oregonheritage.org/OPRD/HCD/OHC/conference.shtml


WALK TO HIGHLIGHT JAPANESE-OREGONIAN HERITAGE

At noon April 1, the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, 121 NW 2nd Ave, Portland, will conduct a  cherry blossom walk in the Japanese American Historical Plaza.  Henry Sakamoto, president of Oregon Nikkei Endowment  will lead the walk.   In case of inclement weather, the event will be a guided tour of the ONLC exhibit.  The event is being presented as part of the monthly First Sunday activities in Portland's Old Town.  

The destination park was dedicated on Aug. 3, 1990, and presents the history of Japanese Americans in Oregon through an arrangemens of granite stones etched with poems, many written by Lawson Inada, Oregon's current poet laureate.  The park is also known as the Bill of Rights Memorial, referring to the Constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties denied Japanese Americans during World War II.  

"First  Sunday in Old Town" is an initiative of the Arts, Culture, and History Committee of Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood Association.   After the Cherry Blossom Walk, visitors are invited to a full day of activities in the neighborhood.   


MUSEUMS SEEK DIRECTOR, INTERN

The Coos Art Museum and the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center both have openings.

The Coos Art Museum is seeking a new director to manage the entire museum including exhibits, education program, permanent collection, buildinng, personnel and finances.  Must have strong leadership and communications skills, budgeting and fund-raising experience.  Send cover letter, resume with names, addresses, phone numbers and/or e-mail addresses of three references to Search Committee, Coos Art Museum, 235 Anderson, Coos Bay, OR  97420.  The position will remain open until filled. Screening will begin April 16.

The Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center is a located in Portlanf's Old Town neighborhood, in what was once the heart of Japantown. The center welcomes students for internships, including students who wish to learn collections management and to participate in digital imaging and cataloging of the historical collections. ONLC is currently working on a Japantown documentation project. Contact Becky Patchett, Collections Manager, at 503-224-1458 or becky at oregonnikkei.org for more information.


AOA PRE-REGISTRATION REQUESTED

Due to the positive response to its initial announcement, the Association of Oregon Archaeologists is now asking that anyone who knows for sure that they will be  attending the AOA workshop on April 14 at Oregon State University pre-register To pre-register, contact  Gary Curtis at (503) 986-0676  Gary.Curtis at state.or.us  or Brian O'Neill  (541) 346-3033 boneill at uoregon.edu .

The workshop will provide fundamental training in the identification, relative dating, and proper documentation of intact and fragmentary historic artifacts commonly encountered in field settings. Workshop organizers are requesting pre-registration because of the limited size of the classroom to be used. Registration will be a first-come, first-served basis. Payment in advance is not required.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Oregon Heritage News is a service of the Oregon Heritage Commission, which can be contacted at heritage.info at state.or.us