This is part of a weekly series introducing readers to individuals who are passionate about our Mid-Valley community.
The Englewood Forest Festival returns Saturday to Salem.
Thousands of people are expected to attend the free, family-friendly event. First started in 2017 to celebrate and highlight Englewood Park, the oldest park in the city in one of Salem’s densest neighborhoods, the festival has continued to grow. Vendor applications skyrocketed and attendance tripled.
Festival founder Lynn Takata said the mission of the festival remains the same.
An artist who once lived in Portland, Takata designed the Salem Peace Mosiac and felt drawn to move to the neighborhood just northeast of downtown 10 years ago because of Englewood Park.
“It’s a magical, peaceful park,” she said. “People say this park has poetry. … It’s so incredibly beautiful, peaceful, a respite in the middle of this dense neighborhood.”
As Takata talked at the park on a recent afternoon, the surrounding activities underscored her statement. Towering Oregon white oaks and Douglas firs shaded the playground as families played, teens walked along the paths and the city’s summer park camp group laughed near the splash fountain. Birds and butterflies flitted in and out of the pollinator garden, flowers and trees.