Fish races and goat poop bingo
Celebration in the Park offers a Boring experience
marcus hathcock / staff writer
Deby Olson, left, and Kathy Bakke show off Boring's famous "It's Cool to be (from) Boring (Oregon)" T-shirts at last year's event.
As The Post recently imparted, Boring’s cousin town of Boreing, Ky., may be known for its proximity to the annual World Chicken Festival in neighboring London, but local residents enjoy animals in a different way.
“London may have their chicken, but around here, we’re known for our goat poop bingo,” said Jan Karlen, one of the many organizers of the third annual Celebration in Boring, which takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9 at the future site of the Boring Station Trailhead Park – between Wally Road and Dee Street, at the eastern end of the Springwater Trail.
Yes, guessing where Buckwheat the Goat will leave his droppings in order to win prizes (including a $50 gift certificate from Bi-Mart) is a popular pastime at the daylong event, but there’s more to this celebration than just animal dung.
“This is a family event showcasing our community,” said Deby Olson, another organizer, who says in its third year, the celebration will be “bigger and better than ever.”
A wide array of food and games will be available for purchase. For the equivalent of $2 – you pay for activities and goods with 50-cent tickets – you can take a ride in a horse-drawn wagon around the back roads of Boring, sponsored by the Eastwind Percherons and Merten’s Mammals.
Ever been to the goldfish races? The Celebration in Boring offers attendees the opportunity.
For one ticket – 50 cents – racers help their live goldfish scoot along a water-filled gutter by spraying behind them with a squirt bottle. The first fish to the end of the gutter wins.
Actually, everyone wins, Olson said, since all participants get to take their fast fish home with them.
“No fish are harmed in this event,” Olson noted. “It’s a hoot.”
There are plenty of other games and activities, and “a ton” of prizes donated from local businesses, Olson said. “It’s huge; we’ve had really good luck getting donations.”
Food vendors will provide hamburgers, hot dogs and other festival fare, and there will be a DiGiornio Pizza truck offering pizza by the slice.
Local organizations, churches and hobby-related groups will set up booths and create special, entertaining activities. Participants include the Lions Club, the Boring Fire District, the Boring-Damascus Grange, the Boring-Damascus Kiwanis Club, the Nutz-n-Boltz Theater, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and Clackamas County Recycling (to name a few).
The Clackamas County Tourism Development Council’s mobile visitors’ center also will park at the celebration.
Former KATU reporter Ed Teachout will serve as master of ceremonies again, and musical guests include local bluegrass band No Time to Lose and the big band sounds of the Pranksters.
Clown extraordinaire Grandma Bubbles will be on hand to make balloon animals, paint faces and otherwise generate smiles.
If all that isn’t enough, the Boring Farmers’ Market will be in full swing during the celebration.
“There are two things we want to emphasize during the celebration,” said Karlen, who’s also chairwoman of the Boring CPO Park Committee. “Having fun is the main purpose, but we also want to emphasize the history aspect.”
That’s especially true since the party in the park takes place on land that was once the nexus of Boring – the former train station property.
“It used to be kind of like where the commerce, the business really happened,” Karlen said. “It’s a very important piece of history, and we want to emphasize that history while looking forward to the future.”
That future includes a re-imagining of the property as the Boring Station Trailhead Park. Event-goers are encouraged to give input on what they’d like to see in the park.
The Celebration in Boring always has existed to raise money for the future park. But Sharon Marsh, Boring Community Planning Organization treasurer, said the event just broke even during its first two years.
“We had to buy lots of things to run this celebration – (reusable) facility things,” Marsh said, “so I think it will turn around this year.”
A $3,000 grant from the Clackamas County Tourism Development Council should help.
Organizers are still looking for additional donations and volunteers. To help the Celebration in Boring or to learn more about it, visit www.boringcpo.org and click on “What’s Happening in Boring.”
Newcomers to the Celebration in Boring can expect a “whopping good time,” Olson said.
They also can expect a big dose of community spirit, and, for locals, to see a lot of their neighbors.
“It’s just a lot of down-home fun,” Karlen said, “a lot of funky stuff. We know how to have fun.”
TV appearance
A contingent from the Boring CPO will appear on KATU (Channel 2’s) morning program, “A.M. Northwest,” from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 7, to promote the Celebration in the Park. Grandma Bubbles, the clown who will perform at the event, will be among the Boring crew.