FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Marlene Meissner
Phone: 503-540-1016
Email: Marlene.Meissner@state.or.us


Can you say “sesquicentennial?” Oregonians certainly can, and what’s more, they also know what the word means - their state is celebrating its 150th birthday this year! On February 14, 1859, Oregon became the 33rd state in the Union. Since the beginning of 2009, Oregonians have been celebrating in a big way, thanks to the support of the Oregon Lottery and other state agencies.

In a year filled with economic challenges, Oregon’s citizens, state agencies, businesses and communities have risen to the task of finding fun, creative, and cost-efficient ways to celebrate.

The Oregon Lottery® began celebrating in January with the launch of its “Cash Explosion” Scratch-it^SM game that offers the highest prize payout ever – 77%! Every ticket reminds players that the Lottery is “celebrating Oregon’s 150th year” and play symbols include the official Oregon 150 logo.

All agencies were asked to develop a detailed history and post it on the official Oregon 150 Web site. That task was relatively easy for the Oregon Lottery, since it is one of the state’s newest agencies and some of the current staff have actually been a part of the entire 24-year history.

One of the Lottery’s major efforts this year was the sponsorship of an annual event, “Down By The Riverside.” For seven years the Lottery has been a sponsor of this statewide clean-up effort organized by Stop Oregon Litter and Vandali^SM (SOLV). Each year thousands of citizen volunteers help with food drives, planting festivals, park clean-ups and many other activities that help keep Oregon clean and green. This year’s event was part of the Oregon 150 celebration and a month-long volunteer program called “Take Care of Oregon Days.”
As in past years, the Lottery was prominent in all recruitment and informational materials. The agency provided a program ad, keepsake bags and special gloves for the volunteers.

“This sponsorship is a natural for the Oregon Lottery,” said Carole Hardy, Assistant Director for Marketing, “since voters dedicated 15 percent of our proceeds to parks and natural resources.”

State agencies have also been invited to set up an informational display in the State Capitol building, with each agency displaying for one week. During the last week in June, visitors to the Capitol saw a 10’ x 13’ time line detailing Oregon Lottery game start dates, Lottery funds generated for various purposes, and other important Lottery milestones. Also available was be a listening station with information on Lottery-funded projects. With an eye to cost savings, most of these items have been re-purposed from previous Lottery promotions.

“It is very exciting to be part of Oregon’s year-long birthday party,” said Public Affairs Manager Mary Loftin.”

“The Lottery has played an important role in sustaining Oregon’s beauty and livability over the last 24 years,” said Loftin, “so we are pleased to join in the celebration.”

Several statewide projects have been developed that help involve all Oregonians in the celebrations. Most importantly, the sesquicentennial starts and finishes at the community level. The event officially kicked off at the State Capitol where Gov. Kulongoski and our First Lady, Mary Oberst hosted more than 3,000 people for the Oregon’s official birthday party on February 14. Oregon’s youth are participating in cyber-discussions about their vision for Oregon’s future, and current and former residents are publishing their “Oregon” stories to the official Oregon 150 Web site. Through these efforts and more, people all over the state are celebrating.

Throughout the remainder of 2009, communities, organizations and business all around the state will be joining the celebration as Oregon moves forward to its next 150 years.




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