Page 11 - Copyright 2013 - Pamplin Media Group

October 2, 2013 WILLAMETTE FALLS FESTIVAL 11
Lock Fest began in 2002 to celebrate the
Willamette Falls Navigational Locks and
rally public support for their repair and
reopening. And after a two-year hiatus,
the festival will return Oct. 5-6, this time
to the west end of the historic Oregon
City-West Linn Arch Bridge to honor the
Locks and the area’s industry.
Lock Fest continues to offer favorite at-
tractions from past years. Festivities will
include the giant West Linn 2013 Centennial
Museum tent; the One Willamette River
locks display and National Trust for Historic
Preservation interactive booth; antique and
classic boats; an operating table model of the
locks; paper mill tours; Ice Age Floods dis-
play; papermaking demonstrations; geo-
caching; the Lake Oswego Iron Trail and
Iron Furnace exhibit, with the Lake Oswego
Preservation Society; and the famous Willa-
mette United Methodist Pie Ladies. And
while the locks are currently closed to boat-
ers, they can be seen from the Arch Bridge.
“Paper and Power Tours,” sponsored by
West Linn Paper Company and Portland
General Electric Company, will offer visitors
a chance to take guided walks on the mill’s
island on a first-come, first-served basis
hourly on Saturday only. Those interested
need to register at the Mill Street festival
grounds, and have tickets in hand before the
top of each hour.
Free self-guided tours of the Locks Muse-
um, which sits on the edge of the canal, will
be available for fully-mobile visitors both
days. The Locks Museum is a federal his-
toric site, opened in 1974 after the 100th
birthday of the Locks and their placement
on the National Register of Historic Places.
Locks advocates will also have a public in-
volvement booth at the festival where visi-
tors can get involved, speak out about their
vision for the future of the Locks, and ex-
press their support for reopening and trans-
ferring them into new ownership.
Free Lock Fest parking will be available at
the West Linn High School parking lot, about
two blocks above Willamette Falls Drive.
Need a lift? A free 15-passanger, lift-van
shuttle will run from the parking lot to Lock
Fest (on Mill Street), and connect with Wil-
lamette Falls Festival activities at Clacka-
mette Park on the Oregon City side of the
river.
Go to willamettefalls.org for additional in-
formation, including site map, exhibitor list,
shuttle map and schedule.
The 2013 Lock Fest planning group is
brought to you by Willamette Falls Heritage
Foundation, and is made up of key members
of the Foundation’s board, West Linn Cham-
ber of Commerce and Rotary International
Club and Mike Watters.
Lock Fest is also made possible thanks to
its dedicated community volunteers, with
generous help from the Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde, Portland General Electric
Company, West Linn Paper Company, the US
Army Corps of Engineers Portland District
and the City of West Linn.
Please join us in the festivities, just a
quick walk, bike ride or shuttle from the Wil-
lamette Falls Festival activities across the
Arch Bridge. Make sure to purchase the
new, Centennial-Year Lock Fest shirt and
poster, and support West Linn’s amazing in-
dustrial heritage.
Lock Fest returns for West Linn’s 100th Birthday
COURTESY OF WILLAMETTE FALLS HERITAGE FOUNDATION
When the Locks were open in 2007, the “Corvallis-
to-Portland Regatta” didn’t have to portage
around the falls — rowers just “locked” down in
four tandem chambers to the lower Willamette.
COURTESY OF: WILLAMETTE FALLS HERITAGE FOUNDATION
A sailboat waits for its turn to lock around Willamette Falls during Lock Fest 2005. Corps of Engineers maintenance has since replaced missing planks in
the walls of the canal. Partner
Events
The Willamette
Falls Festival’s mis-
sion is to celebrate the arts, cul-
ture, heritage and economic
importance of the Willamette Falls
Heritage Area – its history, indus-
tries, recreation, stories, products
and people.
Willamette Falls Festival Partner
Events honor the Festival’s mis-
sion and broaden community
involvement in and support of the
Willamette Falls Heritage Area.
Thank you so much to our 2013
Partner Events - Lock Fest and the
Oregon City BizFair & HarvestFest!