The public is invited to help Columbia Gorge Community College celebrate the completion of its first new construction in the institution’s history, with ribbon-cutting ceremonies and entertainment scheduled Thursday in Hood River and Sept. 11 in The Dalles.

The Hood River event will feature music, food and tours of the new building. Rep. Greg Walden will be keynote speaker. It starts at 5 p.m., followed at 5:30 p.m. by the formal program. The Indian Creek Campus is located at 12th and Pacific. The Hood River building replaces the college’s former Hood River Center downtown. The Hood River and The Dalles projects were made possible by voter approval of an $18.5 million bond measure in 2004, combined with $7.5 million in state funding approved by the legislature in 2005.