Oakridge Rocks the Park,‘ mark your calendar for October 18, 2025. Come to Greenwaters Park in Oakridge for a full day of family fun.
WHY? Because Oakridge is full of some of the most friendly people on the planet and we are lucky to live in one of the most beautiful unspoiled places in the country, and we need to celebrate it.
My husband Curt and I have always lived in areas that have block parties, neighborhood Mardi Gras parties, and large local public events. I decided to take the leap and go for it and create my own free event. I do not have enough time to organize for the spring this year, but ideally, I want to do this every April or May.
My event is for Oakridge-Westfir’s talented artists, musicians, brewers, and chefs to shine. Our town has a constant stream of traffic that passes without stopping, so we need to boost our tourism experiences and put our town on the map.
My Inspiration Last year, Curt and I went to Florence, and I grabbed a four-page ad for Florence’s Wine, Chowder, and Glass Float Trail. This event inspired me so much that I hung that paper on my cork board and started thinking of a project to boost our town’s tourist income.
On December 26, 2024, I woke up with the crazy idea to rent Greenwaters Park for a full-day, family-friendly free event called ‘Oakridge Rocks the Park.’
There will be free space for all Oakridge-Westfir locals to share their musical, artistic, and culinary talents. During phase two there will be online sign-up for everything from volunteers and vending space.
1. The day will be full of live entertainment. Locals will take the stage; there will be ‘Dancing with the DJ,’ sing-alongs, and awards. Strolling musicians will busk as they wander the park.
2. Local artists and businesses will have free space to sell their crafts or products and banner space for companies who cannot attend.
3. Area restaurants are encouraged to set up a booth to sell or give samples or coupons. (as their permit allows).
4. People of all ages can paint rocks, hide, or keep them. Trading blankets will be set up to trade your treasures.
5. At 2 pm there will be a bike parade for all. There will be a decoration station to prep your ride in the kid zone.
6. There will be space for 20-25 locals to show off their cooking skills with a chili cookoff, and I need judges, too!
7. The rules for the ‘Shoebox Beast’ Fundraiser Contest will be announced in Phase 2. Save a regular-sized shoebox for this event.
8. We are here to help neighbors! We will be collecting non-perishable food for people and pets (blankets and kitty litter, too).
9. Save TV Butte will have a booth with the newest information. Bring cash to help with the legal fees. We must win this battle forever.
PHASE ONE – Fundraising & Painting Rocks- March 2025
Local city funding is limited, and we need about $6000 to make this a success. We need to get insurance, porta-potties, advertising, prizes, banners, kid art supplies, odds & ends, and some fun things for the volunteers. Just insurance is about $2000, and bathrooms about $600.
The more money that we can raise, the better the party. Closer to September, we will do an art supply drive.
At this moment in time, Oakridge has very little identity, setting us apart from small towns in Lane County and Oregon. I have two ideas to grow, one is painting rocks. I would like us to be known for our painted rocks because they are an easy resource for everyone in town to create. Plus, finding tiny treasures brightens everyone’s day. My first request is for you and your family to start gathering, painting, and saving your rocks for phase two. The second idea is ‘Oakridge Rising,’ which will be announced in Phase 2.
You can help me starting today-
1. Please donate and/or share http://www.GoFundMe.com/OakridgeRocksThePark
2. Paint rocks to hide in Greenwaters Park and around Oakridge. Start painting and wait for instructions in Phase 2 sometime in April.
Over the next few weeks, you will start to see my fundraiser boxes titled ‘Buttons for Bucks’ in local shops; drop some cash and grab a button. As the weather improves, I will be set up with button-making and rock painting at the Oakridge Farmer’s Market, plus pop-up paint parties and pay-to-paint specialty classes.
I love this town so much that I will do everything in my power to make this an event so fantastic that people come from all over to see us, our artists, musicians, chefs, and brewers. I envision our town growing in popularity with our recreational outfitters hiring guides and our small businesses thriving with newfound customers.
I am asking for everyone who can chip in money, time, prizes, and help.
Please gather rocks and paint them, or bring rocks for others to paint. The details will be shared soon.
Visit HippieDayTripper.com to watch the countdown calendar, follow the blog, and keep up with the pre-event parties.
The most important thing that you can do to help is to donate and share my http://www.GoFundMe.com/OakridgeRocksThePark
The more money we raise, the better the party.
Thanks, Su Stella*
of HippieDayTripper LLC
