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...

Earth Day 2008 is officially celebrated on Tuesday, April 22.

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski will observe Earth Day by leaving his car at home and walking to work. The Governor urges all Oregonians to make a small change in their daily routine that will have a positive impact on the earth.

Western Oregon University in Monmouth is planning to conserve electricity by turning off lights on campus for one hour to let the sun light up its classrooms and resident halls.

What are you planning to do? Tell us about it by commenting on this posting.

Click here to check out the Earth Day Network website for more information.

The Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (OECDD) will have the first application workshop for communities with mature downtown programs following the Main Street Approach. An application is required to enter the Oregon "Performing Main Street" program and be considered for National Main Street accreditation.

The Main Street program is a national program developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which includes over 1,800 cities in 40 states. This proven approach emphasizes community organization, design, promotion and economic restructuring to create healthy and livable downtown commercial districts. This approach advocates a return to community selfreliance, empowerment and the rebuilding of commercial districts based on traditional assets, unique architecture, personal service, local ownership and sense of community.

The first of three application workshops will be held in Albany, Oregon at the Venetian Theater on April 28 from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. with sign-in starting at 9 a.m. This workshop is designed for communities that were accredited Main Street Cities in the past that have continued to follow the Main Street Approach, and newer downtown organizations that believe their programs meet the Main Street criteria.

For more information or to register, contact Oregon Main Street Coordinator Gary Van Huffel at 503.986.0134 on or before April 21.