First City Celebration in Downtown Oregon City

Posted by admin on 5 June

Celebrate Commerce and Culture in Oregon's First City

The non-profit Main Street Oregon City was created to build partnerships around downtown Oregon City to make Oregon City a more vibrant and healthy place to live, work and visit. This summer the 16 month-old non-profit will partner with the Three Rivers Artist Guild and the Rotary Club of Oregon City to produce a “signature event” for the Portland Metro area.

“Over the past 12 months we explored a range of festival ideas that we could call a “signature event” for our community,” said Lloyd Purdy, Executive Director of the non-profit Main Street Oregon City. “We realized one of our community’s greatest claims to fame is the fact that Oregon City is a City of Firsts.” Here are some examples.

First book of fiction written in Oregon, 1842. First provisional legislature met in Oregon City, 1843. Oregon City declared capitol, 1844. First almanac published on Pacific Coast by the Oregon Printing Assn, 1847. First Territorial Legislature of Oregon Territory, 1849. First US troops in Oregon, a mounted rifle regiment in Oregon City, 1848. First official plat for San Francisco filed in Oregon City, 1850.

Building upon 160 years of history, Downtown Oregon City is pleased to announce Oregon City’s First City Celebration on Saturday, July 31st from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. This signature event in downtown Oregon City celebrates the unique character and identity of Oregon City – a city of firsts and Oregon’s “first City”.

This year, the First City Celebration will feature 50 local artists, live music and entertainment, games and crafts for kids, and regional wineries. The Three Rivers Artist Guild and Oregon City Rotary are producing partners for this first-time event.

“The First City Celebration, scheduled for Saturday July 31^st is a foundational event – one the Oregon City Community can build upon year after year to celebrate our unique identity,” said Lloyd Purdy, Executive Director of the non-profit Main Street Oregon City. “This year we begin by focusing on the creative energy of our community, the youth in our community, and our connection to regional viniculture. “

The non-profit Main Street Oregon City is working to make Oregon City a better place to live, work, and visit by making the downtown marketplace more vibrant and sustainable. This includes producing special programs and activities that celebrate local culture, creativity and commerce.

The First City Celebration in Downtown Oregon City is supported by an OCCIT grant and a City of Oregon City Metro Enhancement grant.