The UO’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History will ring in the summertime with its second annual summer solstice celebration Thursday, June 21.

Visitors can enjoy live music and sample local beers and ciders while exploring booths focused on Oregon water adventures. The event will go from 5 to 8 p.m. Admission is free with a nonperishable food donation to FOOD for Lane County.

Event partners including Nearby Nature, the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council and Forests Today and Forever will offer participants a variety of resources for experiencing the area’s rivers and other waterways, while the Charleston Marine Life Center will bring real specimens that visitors can touch and inspect up close.

During the celebration, visitors of all ages can make crafts, enjoy face painting and explore themes of water and sustainability at the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit H2O Today.

“From waterfall hikes to river rafting, Oregon is full of watery wonders, each one offering a special opportunity to connect with the great outdoors,” event organizer Robyn Anderson said. “We want to encourage everyone to get out there this summer and enjoy these incredible resources.”  

At 5:30 and 7 p.m. in the museum courtyard, the local acoustic music group Olekona will perform. Olekona, which means Oregon in Hawaiian, is an instrumental ensemble combining Hawaiian slack key, blues, jazz and Brazilian traditions.

Claim 52 Brewing, WildCraft Cider Works, Coconut Bliss and Red Five Hotdog Co. will round out the offerings with locally made food and beverages, and KIND Bars will be on site with giveaways of their trail-friendly snacks.

—By Kristin Strommer, Museum of Natural and Cultural History