SAGE Blog

As we wrap up the first half of our opening year, the SAGE Event Center is proud to reflect on a season filled with energy, connection, and growth. Since officially opening our doors last November, we've hosted 62 events, welcoming over 5,000 guests into the SAGE Event Center. From local business meetings and community workshops to large-scale gatherings, it’s been a whirlwind of meaningful moments—and we’re just getting started.

An exciting opportunity is coming to the SAGE Center next month, especially for art lovers. Oregon’s Botanical Landscape, a special traveling exhibit from artist Frances Stilwell, will be taking up residence at the SAGE Center from May 1-July 31, 2025. It includes 32 reproductions of Ms. Stilwell’s beautiful artwork, mainly pastels, depicting Oregon’s native plant life.

One of the first questions people have when visiting the SAGE Center is, what does “SAGE” stand for? It stands for Sustainable Agriculture and Energy, and that’s a good summary of what we’re all about. The official mission statement of the SAGE Center is: "The SAGE Center will strive to showcase the global impact of local industries and foster curiosity on the sustainability of agriculture and energy in our region to all who pass through our doors, through interactive exhibits, hands-on learning, and community-centered events.”

Around 19,000 years ago, melting glaciers unleashed some of the biggest floods ever recorded in North America. This huge outpouring of water formed the distinctive landscape of the Columbia River area. Slowly, year-by-year, the Columbia River moved through this rugged terrain and carved out a path to the sea. Its current route runs 1,270 miles from Columbia Lake in Canada to the Pacific Ocean. It’s become a major economic engine and a beautiful natural feature that sustains towns and cities throughout the Pacific Northwest.