Bend’s High Desert Museum celebrates dads with free admission on Father’s Day
Barney Lerten
(Update: Adding video)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — From sawmill demonstrations to raptors in flight to desert dwellers and more, celebrate the end of the school year this weekend at the High Desert Museum. This Sunday, June 15, the Museum welcomes dads and those who serve as dads to visit the Museum for free on Father’s Day.
The summer fun extends beyond Sunday, though. On Saturday, June 14, visitors can experience the Lazinka Sawmill in action. This special event happens only three times a year and is not to be missed. Museum staff wear period dress as they bring the sawmill to life and chat with visitors about the mechanics and history of the timber industry in Oregon.
The authentic sawmill was used at the turn of the 20th century to process wood with an enormous blade for slicing through thick Oregon timber. Originally powered by steam, the sawmill now runs on electricity. The machine itself inhabits an entire building at the High Desert Ranch. The ground rumbles, the saw buzzes and the sawdust dances through the air during this one-of-a-kind experience.
Free with admission, the demonstration begins at 12:00 pm and ends at 3:00 pm. Additional demonstration dates are July 29 and August 28. Learn more at highdesertmuseum.org/lazinka-sawmill.
In and around the High Desert Ranch, visitors can meet Museum staff and volunteers in period dress, as the ranch is now inhabited daily through the summer from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Learn about life in the High Desert in the 1800s and 1900s when Bend was little more than a few families scattered along the Deschutes River. Explore a cabin, barn, corral, bunkhouse, cellar and more. Visitors may even see a few chickens and turkeys roaming the ranch. Learn more about the High Desert Ranch at highdesertmuseum.org/1904-high-desert-ranch.
The Museum’s daily summer programming is in full swing, too. Visitors can meet Brook, Pitch and Wesley during the Otter Encounter or meet a porcupine or beaver during the Desert Dwellers talk. The popular Wolves in the West talk delves into the history, biology and ecology of this apex predator. All talk details can be found at highdesertmuseum.org/daily-schedule.
A highlight of the summer schedule is the popular Raptors of the Desert Sky program, which takes place daily at 11:30 am. Hawks, owls, turkey vultures and more soar from perch to perch directly over the crowd seated in a natural amphitheater in the Museum’s ponderosa pine forest. Visitors can watch these spectacular birds in flight while learning what we can do to help preserve them in the wild.
Raptors of the Desert Sky is made possible by Fly Redmond, Avion Water Company and KTVZ News Channel 21, with support from Bigfoot Beverages. Visitors are encouraged to visit the Museum when it opens at 9:00 am to secure tickets. Learn more at highdesertmuseum.org/raptors-of-the-desert-sky.
Learn more about visiting the Museum at highdesertmuseum.org.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM:
THE HIGH DESERT MUSEUM opened in Bend, Oregon in 1982. It brings together wildlife, cultures, art, history and the natural world to convey the wonder of North America’s High Desert. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, is a Smithsonian Affiliate, was the 2019 recipient of the Western Museums Association’s Charles Redd Award for Exhibition Excellence and was a 2021 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. To learn more, visit highdesertmuseum.org and follow us on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.