What a FUN 4th of July Week We Had!

Derrith Schmidt
2 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

Thank you Mayor Buck, City Councilors, City Leaders and the team from LOPD, LO Fire, Parks & Rec and Public Works for making 4th of July Week in LO so much FUN! It's my favorite week of the year in our wonderful small town. When I shared that with Sgt. Earl Hall last year he told me, "July 5th is my favorite day." I know everyone was pulling long hours and going above and beyond, so a huge THANK YOU for that!

Photos from all the fun!

Our dog Walter kissing up to Mayor Buck before the parade. Joe's such a good sport!

Walter also got to say hello to Police Chief Burke

And Assistant Fire Chief Kris Artman

And several leaders from Parks & Rec - Jeff Munroe, Rangers Ben and Indra, and Robin who orchestrates all the social media for Parks & Rec.

And we said hello and thanks to Lance (who orchestrates all the summer music concerts), Mayor Buck and our neighbor and friend City Councilor Ali Afghan.

Plus City Councilors Trudy Corrigan and John Wendland with Pro Tem City Manager Lynn Peterson.

This was Walter's #5 year being in the LO 4th of July Parade!

This year our friends Jill and Erik Olson from Menlo Park joined us to walk in the parade.

So did Walter's friend Quinley and our friend Kristine Dent. We've walked in the parade together for all 5 years! Kristine and I met in 2020 through Nextdoor when she had just moved to LO and was looking for places to walk her dog.

It's a lot of FUN to walk in the parade and see friends and neighbors who yell out to say hello!

This year I saw my friend Kristin Oro from Menlo Park who grew up in LO and was home for the 4th visiting her parents, Karin and Jim Chesnutt with her son Bennett.

Thank you to ALL the people from so many departments in LO who orchestrate the parade and keep us all safe. I heard from Jan Wirtz that the dunk tank after the parade was a great fundraiser for scholarships for Parks & Rec, raising $3,000. And Ranger Ben went all in to get in the dunk tank as Sasquatch, along with Mayor Buck and other City leaders and staff.

After the parade on Saturday we walked with our friends to one of our favorite restaurants in LO, Willamette Valley Vineyards. I love their beet salad and Elton Chardonnay! If you haven't tried this restaurant near Whole Foods off State Street, here's what our experiences have been: https://www.oldtownlakeoswego.org/post/the-food-is-great-at-willamette-valley-vineyards-restaurant

The fun started for us on July 2nd at the St. Paul Rodeo.

The next evening we walked up to the July 3rd patriotic concert at Millennium Plaza to enjoy boxed picnic dinners of French baguette sandwiches with salad that I'd purchased earlier in the day from St. Honore. Of course we had to have our favorite ice cream from one of the food carts at the concert, Thirst (they blend fresh strawberries into soft ice cream!) Look for them at concerts throughout the summer!

The highlight of the 4th for me is always the outdoor concert at Foothills Park with a great dancing band! This year Dance Hall Days was very fun! Thanks Lance. We went with our friends from Menlo Park and our neighbors Barb & Jim Perris.

After the concert we stopped at Sundleaf Plaza (the little park between Lake Theater and the Lakeshore Inn) to watch the Lake Corp fireworks on Lakewood Bay. Thanks to my friend Lisa Sindlinger who told me about this great viewing spot!

On Sunday July 5th after church at River West, we enjoyed a wonderful brunch on the deck at Mann's. We all loved our choices: French toast, French Omelette and Caesar salad with salmon. Plus the great location right on the lake!

After we dropped our friends off at the airport we walked up to Sundleaf Plaza to watch the water ski show at 5pm. That was a fun way to end a great few days.

Every year I think, "My expectations are so high for the week of 4th of July..." and each year I am filled to the brim with happy memories! I love LO!

Thank you to everyone in the City who makes this week happen!

But the fun isn't over! More fun ahead in July...

I wrote up all the dates and the type of music for the concerts in July on this blog post: https://www.oldtownlakeoswego.org/post/fun-in-july-in-lake-oswego