Oregon’s 163rd Birthday Celebrated Online Saturday, February 12

Oregon turns 163 on February 14, 2022. To celebrate, the Capitol is hosting its annual birthday event Saturday, February 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is virtual and will be hosted on Facebook. Great content will also be available here starting the morning of the 12th.

The Oregon State Constitution, an annual fixture of the birthday event, is available to view digitally here. Local heritage and museum partners will offer video activities for the public, and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) will celebrate its 100th year of state parks.

To honor its centennial, OPRD staff has produced several videos exploring the history of state parks in Oregon. OPRD Director Lisa Sumption offers words on how to engage in the next 100 years of state parks, and park rangers give a tour of the Capitol’s own front yard -- State Capitol State Park.

This year’s Oregon Poet Laureate, Anis Mojgani, has penned a poem to commemorate Oregon State Parks and will read his poem to the public for the first time during the event.

A showcase of winners of the annual “Why I Love Oregon” essay contest, coordinated by the Gilbert House Children’s Museum, will also be available to the public for the first time. Winners have been asked to submit recitals of their winning entries.

The Willamette Master Chorus recorded their version of the state song “Oregon, My Oregon” with the new lyrics adopted last year. That recording will be one of the first videos to kick off the birthday celebration.

To learn more about Oregon State Parks and ways to engage in the centennial celebration, visit https://bit.ly/3B6BQew. For more information about the Oregon State Capitol and its programs and events, visit www.oregoncapitol.com.