Great Electrifying Event lights up Bonneville Lock & Dam

PORTLAND, Oregon — Are you looking for a way to spend time with the family? Have fun? Learn something? Save money?

Do all of those things at Bonneville Lock and Dam’s annual Great Electrifying Event.

“We have this engineering marvel right in our back yard,” said Bonneville Dam Park Ranger Robin Norris. “This is an opportunity to get up close to a generator and see how we make electricity using the power of the Columbia River.”

Bonneville Dam hosts a full day of hands-on activities, videos and tours April 1, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Washington Shore Visitor Center.

“This event is designed to teach the basics of electricity and how we generate it at Bonneville Lock and Dam,” said Norris. “It’s geared toward elementary and middle school students but really has something for the entire family.”

Visitors will learn how different forms of energy work through hands-on activities and videos, and can take a tour inside Bonneville’s Powerhouse 2.

Guided tours will be offered every 15 minutes starting at 10:30 a.m. Tours will be limited to 25 participants and visitors must register by 2 p.m.

For security reasons, no large bags or backpacks are allowed during powerhouse tours. Vehicles that enter the site are subject to search.

To get to the Washington Shore Visitor Center, travel on Washington State Route 14 to milepost 38.5, then turn onto Dam Access Road about one mile west of the dam or three miles west of the Bridge of the Gods. Follow the signs to the visitor center.

For more information about Bonneville Lock and Dam, call (541) 374-8820 or visit the Bonneville Lock & Dam section of the Portland District website at www.nwp.usace.army.mil/bonneville.