Beaverton’s Oregon 150 Celebration

Beaverton is joining communities across the state to commemorate 150 years of Oregon statehood. The festivities kicked off with a joint birthday party for the City of Beaverton (established on February 10, 1893) and the State of Oregon at the City Council meeting on February 9, 2009. Mayor Doyle proclaimed February 10 as Beaverton History Day and February 14 as the start of Beaverton’s celebration of the sesquicentennial. He was joined by City Councilors (L to R) Catherine Arnold, Marc San Soucie, Betty Bode, Bruce Dalrymple and Cathy Stanton to cut the birthday cake shaped like the state of Oregon. Special guests from the Beaverton Historical Society and some of Beaverton’s founding families joined the celebration. A special thank you to the Beaverton Bakery for providing the cake!

Beaverton highlights include Oregon’s first statewide reading program, Oregon Reads; a birthday celebration on February 14; a mobile museum replicating the pioneer school experience and an Old Time Music Show. A calendar of current Beaverton events follows. Read on for more events and learn more about Oregon 150 at www.oregon150.org.

Beaverton’s Oregon 150 Events

Birthday Celebration
Saturday, February 14 at 2 p.m.
The Whiskey Flats Brass band will celebrate Oregon’s birthday with a concert of late 19th century band music on authentic period instruments.
Location: Beaverton City Library, Meeting Rooms A&B

Guided Musical Tour of Oregon
Sunday, March 15 at 2 p.m.
The Quintessential Wood Wind Quartet will perform a guided musical tour of Oregon. Refreshments will be provided.
Location: Beaverton City Library, Meeting Rooms A&B

Old Time Music Show
Friday, April 10 at 2 p.m.
Rick Meyers will present a musical program called The Old Time Music Show featuring pioneer music played on a variety of musical instruments including banjo, musical saw, limberjack, nose flute, washboard and washtub bass.
Location: Beaverton City Library, Meeting Rooms A&B

Arbor Day Tree Planting
Saturday, April 11 at 9 a.m.
Join Mayor Doyle and Friends of Trees at an Arbor Day tree planting to celebrate Beaverton’s 15 years as a ‘Tree City USA’ and Oregon’s Sesquicentennial. The event will be part of “The Great Oregon Tree Plant” in honor of Oregon’s 150th birthday.
Location: Greenway Park (Greenway Blvd. between Hall Blvd. and Scholls Ferry)

For more information about these events and more at the Beaverton City Library or call (503) 644-2197.

Oregon Reads

Oregon Reads 2009 is a community reads program that will take place in nearly every public library and in every county in Oregon during the state’s sesquicentennial, January through April of 2009.

The selected book, Stubborn Twig by Eugene author Lauren Kessler is the true story of three generations of a Japanese-American family, spanning across the 20th century in Hood River, Portland and Eugene. Bat 6 by Virginia Euwer Wolff and Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson have also been selected as titles for younger readers for the Oregon Sesquicentennial.

Check out these books and others about Oregon’s heritage and mark your calendar for these Oregon Reads programs at the Beaverton City Library:

Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center
Wednesday, February 11, 9:30 & 11 a.m.
Speakers from the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center will talk about the internment camp experience. Registration required.
Location: Beaverton City Library Auditorium

Washington County Historical Society School Days
Thursday, March 26 at 4 p.m.
Washington County Historical Society’s Mobile Museum in the Community will give a program called School Days, which will replicate the pioneer school experience. Program designed for ages six through 11. Audience size is limited to thirty.
Location: Beaverton City Library, Meeting Rooms A&B

Hearing Voices Storytelling Festival
Saturday, April 18 at 10:30 a.m.
Nancy Wang of Eth-Noh-Tec will perform a storytelling program as part of the Hearing Voices Storytelling Festival.
Location: Beaverton City Library, Meeting Rooms A&B

For more information about these events and more at the Beaverton City Library visit www.beavertonlibrary.org or call (503) 644-2197.

Learn more about Beaverton’s history, Oregon 150 events around the state and more: