This list of things going on at the High Desert Museum came in today, which is ironic since I was thinking about blogging their "Oregon’s birthday" celebration anyway. (This Saturday, February 14th, is Oregon’s 150th birthday—its sesquicentennial.)

Friday, February 13 Exhibit Opening
Rock Art Perspectives: Pictographs and Petroglyphs – Archaeologists, photographers and Native American artists explore the beauty and significance of early Native American art carvings and paintings.

Saturday, Feb. 14: Celebrate Oregon’s 150th birthday
10:00 am to 3:00 pm: Families: do modern versions of authentic Native American crafts, and see Native American artifacts and tools up close!

1:00 pm: Enjoy Oregon birthday cake as fourth-grade winners of the sesquicentennial writing contest are honored. Students wrote stories about images from the exhibit Faces of the High Desert Heartland, photography from daily life in rural Oregon from 1895 through 1955.

1:30 p.m: Author Diane Hammond will talk about writing fiction in Oregon, and will sign two of her acclaimed novels set in rural, small-town Oregon.

More information: 541-382-4754, www.highdesertmuseum.org