Lock Fest honors river jewel
STAFF FILE PHOTO VERN UYETAKE / West Linn Tidings
The Willamette Falls Locks is a national historic transportation site. The Lock Fest held Sept. 13 is to celebrate 131 years of the locks’ service to Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
What makes West Linn different from most Oregon cities? The locks, of course.
To celebrate the unique 131-year-old river ‘elevator,’ the Willamette Falls Heritage Committee is throwing their annual Lock Fest on Sept. 13 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Willamette Falls Locks Park at the end of Mill Street in West Linn.
To kick off the day, there will be a Lions’ pancake breakfast at 8 a.m., followed by heritage exhibits, industry tours and children’s activities. The Lions will also serve burgers at 11:30 a.m.
There will be a free shuttle to the West Linn Arts Festival, which will be held on the same day right up the river at the Willamette Park.
Lock Fest was conceived in 2003 as a way to draw attention to the funding crisis facing the locks. It seemed that now that the lock’s golden years of barges, sternwheelers and log rafts are over, the once-prized, multiple-lift navigational marvel was little known and lesser appreciated — even by West Linn residents.
To educate the public about the history of the locks, The West Linn Paper Company, Portland General Electric, the city of West Linn and the Army Corps of Engineers joined together to put on this non-commercial, family festival that offers history, river, education and fun.