CULVER, OR -- Saturday is State Parks Day in Oregon, and one of the largest events will be at Cove Palisades on Lake Billy Chinook. Park Ranger Erin Bennett says the Festival of the Land celebrates the Deschutes, Metolius and Crooked Rivers. "We are so lucky to live in an area where we have three rivers that all come together, and all that water is what has brought people to Central Oregon. And obviously because of that, we’ve been able to farm, we’ve been able to have all kinds of natural resources."

Bennett tells KBND News the event also honors three diverse cultures, "We have the people of Warm Springs that have been here forever. Obviously, there were all kinds of homesteaders that came in and populated Grandview and Geneva and Opal Springs, and all those places. We actually had people living here at the Cove and homesteaded here." And, she says, there are the vaqueros, "While I was researching for this program, I’ve read all kinds of super interesting things about Latinos who’ve been here since the mid 1800s, and they’ve been farming and ranching, as well." 

Saturday's event features lots of kids games and activities, and fun things for adults, "We’re going to have an archaeology walk, we’re going to have people from Warm Springs doing a First Foods display, Portland General Electric is going to have a live fish display. We’re going to have baby goats and a little farmers market. We’re going to have a covered wagon doing dutch oven demonstrations."

If you’re heading to the Festival of the Land, consider riding the free shuttle from the Crooked River Campground. Click HERE for more information on the event. 

Parking, camping and day use fees are waived Saturday at all Oregon state parks; it’s also an ODFW free fishing weekend.