After being closed for the last 18 months for renovation, John Day's Kam Wah Chung Museum will reopen its doors on Saturday, May 3.

The Kam Wah Chung building itself was built in 1876 as a trading post and served for decades as a cultural center of Eastern Oregon's Chinese community.

The museum was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2005 - one of 16 in Oregon. The Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site is operated cooperatively by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, the Friends of Kam Wah Chung and the City of John Day.

The May 3 celebration includes hands-on activities and tours, a lion dance performance and numerous speakers, including Oregon's First Lady - Mary Oberst.

Click here to read the complete article from MyEagleNews.com

The Travel Industry Association (TIA) recently released survey results and data that demonstrate how travel benefits everyone personally in the areas of Health and Wellness, Relationship-Building, Career Success and Productivity, and Creativity.

Click here to download a complete pdf copy of the results

The Health and Wellness benefits include:

***Travelers rate their overall health one full point higher (on a scale of 1 to 5) while on vacation.
***They also get three times more deep sleep after their vacation and sleep almost 20 minutes longer after their vacation.
***An annual vacation can cut a person's risk of heart attack by 50 percent.

Mark your calendar for the 25th annual National Tourism Week to be held on May 10-18. This year's theme is "Discover Great American Traditions" - encouraging travel to American locales and highlighting the role that tourism plays in discovering the icons of a destination.

The Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) has made a number of resources available to help you communicate the power of travel in your state and community during National Tourism Week.

Click here to download the "Power of Travel" talking points and take a closer look at the National Tourism Week Toolkit.

How are you planning to celebrate National Tourism Week?

Let us know...

SustainLane.com recently named Portland the "Greenest U.S. City" and called it a "Role Model for the Nation".

Portland ranked highest in the categories of: City Innovation, Energy/Climate Change Policy, Green Economy, and Knowledge Base.

The article also speaks to Portland's bike-friendly attitude...

Portland is a great place if you'd rather ride your bike. Some 10,000 Portlanders, or 2.8 percent, commute on bike, taking advantage of more than 700 miles of bicycle paths around the city.

Click here to read the complete article

The Oregonian's Terry Richard wrote an article titled "From the Beaver State into the bicycle state" which ran on April 20 and focused on what is being done to make Oregon a travel destination for cyclists.

Click here to read the complete article

A new "Share the Road" license plate is now available for purchase through the Oregon DMV. Click here for more information.

Check out the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and Cycle Oregon websites for more information on cycling across the state.