Photo by Alan Dyck
Festivals
Mt. Hood Festival of the Forest
September 16-17, Wildwood Recreation Area Welches, Oregon
When the autumn leaves start to change, the Villages of Mt. Hood look forward to the annual Mt. Hood Festival of the Forest set in the woodlands of the BLM Wildwood Recreation Area. The Festival of the Forest is a weekend celebration of the arts, culture and forest in the Villages of Mt. Hood.
With 12 hours of music on the Wildwood Stage, festival goers will enjoy the music of such notables as Bobby Torres (Latin jazz) and Big Monti (rhythm and blues). Other entertainers include Mother Goose, roaming through the Festival.
The USDA Forest Service pavilions with forest educational activities, nature crafts, and many engaging presentations by Forest Service teams, are at the heart of the Festival. The Forest Passport Pavilion in particular is always a draw. People move from display to display, learning about special features about the forest, its plants, trees and creatures, receiving stamps in their Forest Passport. A completed Passport allows people to build a birdhouse or engage in another nature craft.
In the Wild About Art section of the Festival, there are twenty judged artisans who will be selling their arts and crafts. Many offer demonstrations about how they create their wares.
The Festival also encourages every creative soul to enter the Second Annual Arts Contest, on Saturday, September 16th. The theme is the beauty and inspiration of Mt. Hood, the Mountain, and the Mt. Hood National Forest. There are three entry categories (Photography, Drawings/Watercolors/Paintings, and Handcrafted) and three age categories (Juniors under 12, Young Adults 12-19, and Masters, 20 and older.) Entry forms are available online at www.mthood.info/forestfest. Pre-registration is a must. Entry deadline: September 11, 2006. There is a $10 contest fee per entry. Cash prizes are offered to the top three contestants in each category/age group. (Each contestant receives one free entrance to the Festival--a $5 value.)
And, of course, there is an abundance of food. Each Festival day opens with a huckleberry pancake breakfast, complete with juice and sausage. Other booths offer specialty beverages or ethnic choices as well as the Festival foods loved by all ages. The food booths and a beer and wine garden are open from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm each day. July/August 2006
Information
There is a $5/car/day entry fee, with unlimited re-entry/day. Of the entry fee, $1/car will be donated to the Welches Middle School Library.
For further information, call 503-622-5560 or visit www.mthood.info/forestfest.