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

The park has been closed since March.

(Henry Cromett)

Stories worth knowing. Reporting worth supporting. Willamette Week's biggest fundraiser of the year is underway. Help fund independent reporting that is free for everyone.

Give today. Keep the stories coming.

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."

Tess Riski

Tess Riski covers cops, courts, protests and extremism. She joined Willamette Week in 2020.

Willamette Week reports the stories worth knowing, from City Hall to the people and places shaping Portland.

Help keep the stories coming by supporting WW on Give!Guide.