Beloved Oregon landmark Enchanted Forest celebrates five decades in business
By Meagan Cuthill
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TURNER, Oregon (KPTV) — Just off Interstate 5 in the Willamette Valley, a theme park has brought joy to Oregonians and other visitors for 50 years. Enchanted Forest will celebrate its landmark anniversary this weekend.
On Sunday, the attraction will mark five decades of magical memories. According to Enchanted Forest, founder Roger Tofte and his wife put up a piece of butcher paper as an “open” sign and welcomed the first 75 visitors on Aug. 8, 1971. Admission on opening day was one $1 for adults and $0.50 for children.
Tofte, now 91, will be at Enchanted Forest on Sunday, saying in a statement “It is time to celebrate and remember the incredible journey.”
He and members of his family will be at the Tofteville Western Town at 12:45 p.m. for a cake cutting event. Question and answer sessions with the Tofte family will be in the town at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online until all are sold. Enchanted Forest did not say how many tickets are available.
The year and a half leading up to the theme park’s 50th anniversary included many challenges for its operation. The COVID-19 pandemic forced Enchanted Forest to close. The historic icy weather that swept across northern Oregon in February 2021 caused damage to the park. It finally reopened in June.
The Tofte family also faced personal tragedy in 2020. Wyatt Tofte, the 12-year-old great-grandson of Roger Tofte, and his grandmother, Peggy Mosso, died last September while trying to escape the Santiam Fire that ripped through their home in the North Fork area of Mehama.
Enchanted Forest survived all those hardships thanks to thousands who gave to a GoFundMe page. Over $466,000 was donated to keep the park afloat.
Roger Tofte’s daughter and park co-manager, Susan Vaslev, says, “Our family is so grateful and humbled by the outpouring of support from the community, both financially and in heartfelt letters of support. We were able to survive the challenges because of the many people who came to our aid to make sure Enchanted Forest could continue for future generations to enjoy.”
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