It's catch-up time! Sheriff's Picnic, Sept. 9, at Oaks Park

Now that my computer operates as Apple intended, I shall blog until my shoulders ache from trying to sit properly while typing.

At the picnic, there was the usual food, plenty of it--all tasty. Here's a bit about Oaks Park, a really fun place for a picnic.

"Surrounded by the same stately trees for which it was named, The Oaks, in Portland, Oregon in 2005 will celebrate its 100th consecutive year of operation, making it one of the oldest continuously operating amusement parks in America. Built by the Oregon Water Power and Navigation Company, the park opened its gates on May 30, 1905 to Portlanders who arrived by foot and on horseback, in automobiles and by boat from the Willamette River. In keeping with the design of other "Trolley Parks" across the country, most of its visitors disembarked from trolley cars which ran along the Portland-to-Oregon City tracks forming the eastern boundary of the park.

In the spring of 1925, Edward H. Bollinger purchased the operating company then purchased the park comprising of 44.01 acres in 1943 from the Portland Electric Power Company. Ownership passed to Robert E. Bollinger, son of Edward, in 1949 and he continued to operate the park until January 1, 1985, at which time he donated The Oaks to a nonprofit corporation he had formed to perpetuate the park. We operate weekends only in the spring and early fall and daily throughout the summer. The skating rink operates year round.

The Oaks skating rink floor is made of wood construction and is over 100' x 200' in size. It is maintained meticulously and is in excellent condition. Best of all we have live organ music to skate the day away."

You can see Cristina (dark hair), Leland's girlfriend, Leland, and Lindsay (Lamont's girlfriend), Mama and me in silly photos; Lindsay, Leland and Cristina after the gals had ridden the carousel; me in that skating rink where I managed to make it around one time only to canned '80s dance music, not organ music! and the little yet wild roller coaster which thankfully we were not riding. Maybe next year when we return as an agency for another picnic.