June Events in Albany

Three big events will shine during the month of June in Albany, with the Albany Regional
Museum reopening offering wonderful new exhibits, Through the Garden Gate Tour featuring
beautiful local gardens, and the inspirational Albany Pride Festival.

Albany Regional Museum

Join the Albany Regional Museum staff for the ribbon cutting as they present new exhibits to
the public for the first time, then take a tour and enjoy music and cake to celebrate. The
museum, 136 Lyon St. SW, recently renovated all of their exhibits and the grand reopening is
set for noon to 4 p.m., June 10.

The first exhibit you see as you enter is titled “Hub City,” which is about transportation. “We
got that name (Hub City) because of the importance that we held being a kind of shipping point
for all of Oregon for a while, because we had the railroad coming through…the riverboat
operation, (and the) logging industry,” said Keith Lohse, Executive Director of ARM. “And we
had the only wagon road that went west to east across the mountains.” There are other
exhibits about architecture, mercantiles, schools and more. You can also find some history
particular to the city like Albany’s historic Chinatown, which used to be where the museum now
resides, and the Timber Carnival that was held every year until 2001. “The Timber Carnival had
an impact in terms of being the premier timber event for the world for many, many years,” said
Lohse. Competitors came from as far away as Australia to compete!

Lohse is particularly proud of the new children’s area, which is themed around movement.
“There will be Derby cars that the kids will be able to climb into, a pinewood derby track they
will be able to race cars down, …and a magnet wall where everything can be rearranged,” said
Lohse.

For information, call the museum, 541-967-7122.

Through the Garden Gate Tour

It’s that time of year again when locals with a green thumb open their unique and artful gardens to inspire the rest of us. OSU Linn County Master Gardener Association is hosting its annual garden tour 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 17.

Tickets are on sale and can be purchased in person at the Albany Visitor Association, 110 3rd
Ave. SE, at Urban Ag Supply, 456 2nd Ave. SW, or Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Center at 350
Hickory St. NW. Money raised from ticket sales supports gardening and pollinator education.

Albany Pride Festival

The Albany Pride Festival with be held in downtown Albany in front of the Linn County
Courthouse from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, June 24. Included in the activities will be a
rally, march, live performances, music, several booths, food, and other activities.

Please try to carpool, as parking will be limited near the event.

For more information about these and other events go the Events Calendar at
albanyvisitors.com, or call 541-928-0911.