Oaks Park Association
Mission
The preservation and perpetuation of the historic amusement park as an affordable, safe, and family-friendly recreation attraction open to the general public.
Bottom Line for Portland
In the early 1980s, Bob Bollinger, whose family had owned Oaks Park since 1925, chose to protect its legacy by donating it to a newly formed nonprofit rather than allowing it to be redeveloped — ensuring that Oaks Park will be preserved and remain open and accessible to all, for generations to come.
Today, Oaks Park is open to all (with no entry fee) and home to the only free-to-ride carousel in the country, the oldest roller rink in America, and the last rink in the world to feature a live pipe organist at select skate sessions. Oaks Park is Portland’s playground. 90% of our 500,000+ visits come from people who live within 35 miles of the park.
This year, more than 15,000 people rode the carousel for free. The park donated 2,620 ride wristbands to 655 local nonprofits, provided 22,000 skate passes for local library summer reading programs, hosted 200+ local nonprofit events in our old-growth picnic grounds, and reinvested over $305,000 into community organizations across the region.
It costs more than $40,000 a year to keep the carousel free and running for everyone who visits. Your gift will help us keep our historic 1912 carousel, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, free to ride for every visitor during the 2027 season.
Quote
"My grandmother, born in 1906, first came to Oaks Park at age 3 or 4. My parents, myself, my children, and grandchildren still visit often — the favorite place of five generations of my Portland family." — Lori Walker
"It was our third date... I fell head over heels for him. We just celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary — he gave me a necklace with the geolocation of our first kiss: the parking lot at Oaks Park." — Mindijo Terrill
“What characterizes The Oaks as a resort is the respectability of it… Such places opened on the outskirts of most towns are immediately patronized by the worst element of the community, but not the Oaks. It seems to have escaped that.” — “Opening of The Oaks,” Oregonian, 31 May 1905, p. 9.
Incentives
🎠 New Donor? Your first gift to Oaks Park will be doubled: The Kohnstamm Family Foundation, which champions access to well-managed outdoor recreation across Oregon, is matching all gifts from new donors to help keep Oaks Park's carousel free to ride for all people — dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000 — doubling the impact of every new donor's gift during the campaign.
🛼 Donors giving $25 or more will receive a free Oaks Park skating pass. (FMV $13)
🍗 Donors giving $50 or more will receive a free order of wings from Buffalo Gap Saloon and Eatery. (FMV $20)
⛳ Donors giving $100 or more will receive two Oaks Park mini-golf passes for the 2027 season. (FMV $22)
🏛️ Donors giving $250 or more will receive a private history tour of Oaks Park. (FMV $0)
🏆 Donors giving $500 or more will receive two entries to the 2027 Chipper’s Woods Charity mini-golf tournament. (FMV $213)
🔑 Donors giving $1,000 or more will receive a private backstage tour with the Oaks Park CEO. (FMV $0)
🎢 Donors giving $2,500 or more will receive a VIP roller coaster tour, including the opportunity to dispatch the coaster on a test run. (FMV $0)
🧺 Donors giving $5,000 or more will receive a picnic area rental for up to 50 guests, including ride wristbands. (FMV $2,359)
Incentives are cumulative — donors at each level also receive every reward from the levels below. Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law; the fair market value (FMV) listed is not deductible.
Partner(s)
🌲 The Kohnstamm Family Foundation, which champions access to well-managed outdoor recreation across Oregon, is matching all gifts from new donors to help keep Oaks Park's carousel free to ride for all people — dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000 — doubling the impact of every new donor's gift during the campaign.
🍽️ Buffalo Gap Saloon and Eatery is partnering with us as a business sponsor — donors giving $50 or more will receive a free order of wings as part of our "Wings and Wheels" incentive.
♿ Harper's Playground, an all-abilities play nonprofit, is partnering with us on a park-wide accessibility assessment and championing park accessibility initiatives, which include providing free ride wristbands, mini-golf, and skating passes to caregivers assisting others, a new ADA accessible chariot for the carousel, and an ADA accessible entry ramp at the roller rink.
🛼 Rose City Rollers, which holds bouts at The Hangar at Oaks Park, is partnering with us to celebrate roller skating and community wellness throughout the campaign.
Oaks Park Association is in the Community category .
They're a large-sized organization with activities in Multnomah Co.