RANGELEY – The Wilhelm Reich Museum will open Sunday, July 1, for the season. It will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

The summer conference, “Wilhelm Reich in the 21st Century: 2007 International Conference on Orgonomy,” will be held July 29 to Aug. 1 at Saddleback Mountain Lodge.

The museum will hold an auction at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 18.

Sunday afternoon nature workshops are scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. at the museum during July and August as follows: July 8, “Stone Walls Secret” with Ruth Deike; July 15, “Identifying Wild Flowers,” Marilyn Dwelley; July 22, “Mushrooms,” Michaeline Mulvey; July 29, “Yardening,” Jennifer Perry.

Also, Aug. 5, “Large Woodland Animals,” Matt Tinker; Aug. 12, “Tree Identification,” Peter Johnson; Aug. 19, “Infiltrators in Our Woodlands,” Warren Balgooyen; Aug. 26, “Vernal Ponds,” student of Aram Calhoun.

Breakfast with Santa will be held from 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1.

Orgonon is the home of a 20th-century controversial figures, Austrian born physician-scientist Wilhelm Reich.

Now maintained as the Wilhelm Reich Museum, Orgonon is an historic site and nature preserve comprising 175 acres of fields and woodland, a system of trails, a conference center and the Orgone Energy Observatory.

The observatory is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors to the can see a biographical video about Reich, then tour the building, view Reich’s scientific inventions and equipment, his study, library, sculptures, paintings and his personal memorabilia.

Children can explore a hands-on discovery room, and the observatory roof provides vistas of the region’s countryside. Reich’s tomb, with its bronze portrait bust, is in a forest clearing nearby. A bookstore/gift shop gives access to all Reich’s published work.

The observatory is open in July and August from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and from 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays in September. Special tours can be given year-round by appointment by calling 864-3443 or e-mailing [email protected]. The Web address is www.wilhelmreichmuseum.org.