Estacada parks commissioners lay out plans for Founders Day, Trick-or-Trot, spring race and winter movie night

Estacada Parks and Recreation Commission members on Sept. 25 discussed plans for a cluster of community events over the coming months, including a proposed Founders Day activity in partnership with Phil Foster Farm, final logistics for the Trick-or-Trot Halloween event, certification and registration work for a spring running event, and a winter movie night tentatively set for Dec. 14.

The Commission said the Founders Day idea has moved toward a subcommittee model. Commissioners reported that Phil Foster Farm has offered its site as an option for an apple-cider–themed event and that a local arts commission member will help assemble a subcommittee to develop the plan. Commissioners described several possible elements the farm could host — a pop-up historical exhibit, period demonstrations, timber-sport demonstrations and vendor tables — but said no final venue or full program has been confirmed; the arts subcommittee will determine scope and roles.

Commission members reviewed the Trick-or-Trot schedule and volunteer needs. The group confirmed that course marking and on-site setup will begin in the early afternoon, with volunteers asked to arrive between about 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. for setup and a children’s race scheduled to start around 3 p.m. The commission reported mailed flyers were submitted the same week and that medals, canopies and supplies are available in the parks materials storage; outreach to the bookmobile and local food vendors was underway.

On the spring race, commissioners said a course certification agreement is pending with the certifier and that certification should occur next month; once certified the course will be listed on the usual race directories and organizers plan to open registration by November. Staff and commissioners discussed logistics (timing systems, bibs, medals, shirts and sponsorship solicitations) and expected registration platforms to handle signups once the course is certified.

For winter programming, commissioners picked Saturday, Dec. 14, as the tentative date for an indoor community movie night. They discussed using an existing projector and playing a family film; members suggested offering warm food or beverage vendors (hot chocolate, popcorn or a hot-dog vendor) and running a short registration so organizers can size seating and vendors. Exact showtime and final vendor commitments were left for a future meeting; the commission set an internal deadline to confirm the date by Oct. 15.

The Commission closed the discussion with a reminder to form the Founders Day subcommittee and to circulate contact information among commissioners so staff can coordinate vendors and logistics as schedules firm up.