Text reading

A young girl points at the mammoth sculpture in the museum courtyard

Summer 2024 wrap-up! At home and across the state

By Ruth Hyde, Director of Community Engagement

Summer at the museum was vibrant, educational, and a whole lot of fun. We packed our season full of exciting events and activities for every age, celebrating the wonders of science and history. We hosted events onsite, travelled around our local community, and across the state to share our love of Oregon’s dynamic environments and diverse cultures.

Please read on for an overview of our summer 2024 programming.

Thank you to our members, who make these programs possible!

A mom and two boys use an interactive science exhibit outside

Family Fun in the Sun

Every Friday and Saturday in July and August, the museum hosted Family Fun in the Sun in the Native Plant Courtyard. Over 1300 youth visitors and their adults participated in the four featured bilingual programs: Adventures in Archaeology, Join the Wolf Pack, Oregon’s Dino-Story, and Journey Under the Sea.

As an excited participant posted on social media, our visitors “love it when museums like this are super interactive and make you think deeply about natural history. So much we can learn about to make for a better future”.

Museum banner overlaid with text reading "1PASS at the Museum"

1PASS Partnership

MNCH continued its successful partnership with the Willamalane 1Pass program to offer admission for cardholders this summer. The 1PASS provides youth ages 18 and younger admission to 14 destinations in the Springfield and Eugene area, with many recipients in local school districts receiving complimentary passes to enhance access. This year, we welcomed more than 430 1PASS participants, from across Lane County.

Oregon stories case featuring a service member and a translator from Afghanistan.

Blue Star Museums

The Museum of Natural and Cultural History offers free admission to active-duty military personnel and veterans year-round. From Armed Forces Day through Labor Day, we proudly extend the offer of free admission to all military families (with ID) through the Blue Star Museums program. This summer, 200 people took advantage of this program and spent time exploring the museum exhibits with their families.   

The museum van at sunset in Eastern Oregon

Journey Under the Sea – Library Outreach

The traveling Journey Under the Sea outreach program stopped at 100 libraries across Oregon this summer. An average of more than 60 participants per program meant 5544 children and their adults were able to explore the dynamic ecosystem of Oregon’s kelp forests and discover more about biodiversity, environmental stewardship, and the significance of the ocean habitat.

A UO student stands at the front of a community event in a library with a backdrop of the ocean
Kids play with science-based interactive activities about the ocean
kids play with a biodiversity activity

Local Community Engagement

Our summer community engagement team began their season with The USA Track and Field Olympic Trials, proudly representing the museum and University of Oregon at an interactive booth at Historic Hayward Field. We welcomed folks from across the country to Eugene and helped them discover more about Oregon’s amazing natural and cultural history.

We also attended events such as the Mount Pisgah Wildflower Festival, Noche Cultural, Asian Celebration,  Eugene PRIDE, Willamette River Festival, and “Across the Bridge” Monument Project and Multicultural Event, supporting our partner organizations and sharing interactive activities with more than 4100 people.