Oregon Governor Denies Request by Enchanted Forest Amusement Park to Reopen For Private Tours

The park has been closed since March.

(Henry Cromett)
By Tess Riski

The fairytale-themed Enchanted Forest amusement park in Salem, Ore. isn't allowed to reopen for private tours during Marion County's first phase of reopening, The Oregonian first reported Tuesday.

WW obtained a May 21 email exchange between Susan Vaslev, daughter of the amusement park's creator Roger Tofte, and the governor's office.

Vaslev proposed that the park run socially-distanced private tours "of approximately 10 people who are already in a social distancing group, such as a family." She also suggested running five separate small tours at a time, all spaced out throughout the park.

On May 21, the governor's office responded with a straightforward answer to Enchanted Forest's proposals: "No, under Phase 1, amusement parks are closed."

Marion County entered Phase 1 of reopening on Friday, May 22. The park is now looking toward Phase 2 to potentially reopen with social-distancing guidelines implemented, KATU-TV reported today.

"We're not asking to open in any normal fashion," Vaslev told KATU-TV. "We're asking for a creative plan to be looked at that we can implement very safely."

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