The public is invited to participate in two heritage travel events on the Oregon Coast this Friday and Saturday:

On Friday, June 28, 2013, OTE and the Oregon Heritage Tree Committee will honor the Shore Acres Monterey Pine Heritage Tree. Dedication festivities begin at 2:00 p.m. at the Shore Acres Botanical Gardens, 89526 Cape Arago Highway, Coos Bay, Oregon. The public is invited to celebrate history and explore the beauty of the gardens. Commentary will be provided by Preson Phillips, Shore Acres Park Manager and David Bridgham, from Friends of Shore Acres Board of Directors. Following the dedication, refreshments will be served in the garden house.

Heritage Trees are honored for their significance in Oregon state history. The Shore Acres Monterey Pine was planted by North Bend’s founding father, L.J. Simpson, and his wife at the turn of the century. The tree now stands as a coastal giant and is part of the Simpson botanical legacy. In 2002, it was recognized as the largest of its species and placed on the American Forests’ National Register of Big Trees.

On Saturday, June 29, 2013, the celebration continues. OTE and the Oregon Historical Marker Committee will unveil the Coos Bay Hollering Place Historical Marker Series during the Coos Bay Clamboree. The dedication event will begin at 2:30 p.m. at the Hollering Place Wayside, 100 South Empire Boulevard, Coos Bay, Oregon.

Speakers include Gwenn Baldwin, Oregon Travel Information Council Chair; City of Coos Bay Mayor Crystal Shoji; Bob Garcia, Chairman of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians; and local historian, Steve Greif.

 As companion pieces to the existing central marker, three new markers will highlight the Coos People, the Coos Bay Dune Field, and 10 historic sightseeing opportunities at the mouth of the Coos Bay. This series was made possible by funding provided by the City of Coos Bay and the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians Three Rivers Foundation and with administrative oversight by OTE and independent Coos Bay residents.

OTE staff will be joining the festivities and be available to answer questions about their Heritage Programs.

For more information about this press release, contact Annie Von Domitz, OTE Heritage Programs Administrator at 1-800-574-9397.