Your PUD News Release

See what's new at Rocky Reach Visitor Center, which opens for the season March 20

Chelan County PUD
News Release
3/12/2010

Along with the crew from Discovery Channels’ Emmy-nominated show “Dirty Jobs,” more than 53,000 people visited  Rocky Reach Dam last year. “Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe was at the hydroelectric project  to find out what it takes to make clean hydropower and keep fish safe.

However, you don’t have to be a TV star to get an inside look at how renewable hydropower is made.

Chelan County PUD’s Rocky Reach Visitor Center will open for the 2010 season at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 20. The Visitor Center offers free tours of the powerhouse along with the Museum of the Columbia, plus art displays, a theater and fish viewing.

In the theater, visitors can “Experience Chelan County” through a video that takes viewers on a trip up the Columbia River, with historical stops at Rock Island, Rocky Reach and Chelan dams. It also explains how power gets from a dam to your light switch and the PUD’s commitment to  fish protection and the environment.

New in  the Museum of the Columbia  is a locally hand-made, child's American Indian dress. The traditional beaded dress is contemporary and was recently worn for special events and dance ceremonies. Its glass beads and cowry shells, which mimic elk teeth, are attached to make noise while dancing. Also new to the museum is a ceremonial drum given to Chelan County PUD in 2007 by members of the Okanagan Nation Alliance as appreciation for assistance with a program to reintroduce sockeye to Skaha Lake in British Columbia.

Here are some other things to do and see at Rocky Reach Visitor Center and the Museum of the Columbia:
• Nez Perce portrait exhibit
• Thomas Edison exhibit
• Rock Island Dam exhibit
• “Appliances from Years Past” exhibit
• Chelan County PUD dive team exhibit
• Self-guided tour of trees on the grounds
• Summer science classes for kids offered  mid-June through August
• Lunch or a latte at the Rocky Reach Café

The Visitor Center is open 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily through Oct. 31. The Museum of the Columbia closes a half hour before the Visitor Center.

Park shelters can be reserved for birthday parties, weddings, anniversaries and family reunions at no cost. The grounds are open until 4:30 p.m. To reserve a Rocky Reach park shelter, call (509) 663-7522.

Chelan County PUD welcomes visitors to tour the exhibits and the Museum of the Columbia at their leisure. Staff is on hand to answer questions and provide in-depth tours. To schedule a tour, fill out a tour request or contact Debbie Gallaher, Visitor Services manager, at (509) 661-4960.

Rocky Reach Visitor Center is located 7 miles north of Wenatchee on Highway 97A.

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Check out our print-ready images of Rocky Reach Dam and the Dirty Jobs television shoot.

State Department of Transportation (DOT) work on Highway 97A through May could delay  visitors driving to Rocky Reach. Please be aware that work is north of the dam and won’t interfere with visitors driving north from Wenatchee. When driving south from Chelan, visitors could experience 20-minute delays. DOT  planned day-long closures are March 22-25, April 12-15 and May 10-13. Visit the DOT’s Web site for updated information.

Christy Shearer
Deputy Public Information Officer
Chelan County PUD
509.661.4258 office
509.421.4258 cell
509.661.8117 fax
christy.shearer@chelanpud.org