Newsroom

NEWPORT - Information about HMS Sea Fest, the open house and celebration that is taking place this summer at Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center, is now available online.

Schedules, lists of activities and more information can be accessed on the World Wide Web at http://hmsc.orst.edu/visitor/hmsseafest.html.

Sea Fest, which will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 22, is a chance for visitors to see what goes on at the OSU marine science center on Yaquina Bay in Newport - and much more.

Planned activities at the free event include guided tours of the labs, family activities, food, games, lectures by marine specialists, and displays by a host of organizations and agencies. Visitors will get a chance to discover how we learn and make a living from the sea.

Along with the lab tours, there will be estuary walks, and tours of the center's seawater system and animal-care center. Displays will offer information on careers in marine science, education, the Coast Guard and Whale Watch. Student experiments from the Newport Middle School Science Fair, sponsored by the Newport Rotary Club, will be on display.

People visiting the website may want to check back frequently, as information and other features will continually be added. Among the features planned in the near future is a virtual tour of the center, with photos from some of the labs that will be included on the tour.

Helping to sponsor the event is Northwest Natural Gas, which recently donated $2,500 to Sea Fest. "We grew up here and one of our top priorities is giving back to the communities where we do business," said company spokesperson Lynn Nelson.