Rose Fest Milk Carton Boat Regatta returns to Westmoreland casting pond

By David F. Ashton

The Bee, May 6, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

David F. Ashton / THE BEE

Kristen Teel, Event Manager for the Portland Rose Festival, paddles the first milk carton boat on the Westmoreland Park’s casting pond since it was closed for reconstruction several years ago.

For nearly three decades, one of the Rose Festival’s most fun events — and one of the few east of the Willamette River — was the Milk Carton Boat Regatta at the Westmoreland Park casting pond.

But, when Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) closed the pond for repairs, and a squabble about water rights ensued, Westmoreland Park’s landmark pool sat empty for years, scuttling hopes that the Milk Carton Boat Races could resume.

About two years ago, unused water rights from the Eastmoreland Golf Course were transferred to the park, filling the pond with water from Crystal Springs Creek. As a bonus, PP&R draws from the pond for park irrigation, instead of paying for City water. Even with a clean, working pond, no sponsors came forward for the once-famous family event.

Then, on April 9, at a ceremony at the south edge of the Westmoreland casting pond, Portland Rose Festival Foundation’s President, Robert Hansen, announced “the return of one of the most historically popular events, the Portland Rose Festival Milk Carton Boat Races.”

Hansen recalled that, in 1973, members of the Oregon Dairy Farmers Commission approached the Rose Festival with the event, modeled after a similar event in Minneapolis. “This pond was just made for this event. The race was an instant hit, and it held its popularity for more than 30 years. Many generations of Portland families have paddled milk cartons across this pond.”

Pete Kent, executive director of the Oregon Dairy Association, thanked the Portland Rose Festival for helping them bring back the event, and PP&R for restoring the pond and providing clean, clear water.

“This event represents a great relationship between the community and dairy farmers, and it shows how dairy farmers are involved in their communities,” Kent told THE BEE. “And it's a great way to celebrate the healthy, great-tasting dairy products of our state. We love having our products showcased at the Portland Rose Festival.”

Brandishing bottles of milk, 2009 Oregon Dairy Princess Deanna Lemire and Hansen toasted the returning event at pond-side, and then christened the “SS Portland Rose Festival” demonstration milk carton watercraft.

“As President of the Rose Festival Foundation,” Hansen proclaimed, “I officially sanction the Dairy Farmers of Oregon Rose Festival Milk Carton Boat Regatta. It is now time for a whole new generation of Portlanders to come forward and show their building skills. We want to see the sleekest, the silliest, and the most outrageous creations one can imagine, right here on Sunday, June 7th.”

Sellwood class shows how make a milk carton boat that floats

If you’re planning to enter the 2009 Rose Festival Milk Carton Boat Regatta, which returns after a long hiatus on June 7th, experts say you can’t start designing and building your boat too soon.

Sue Bunday, President-Elect of the Portland Rose Festival Foundation, has been teaching milkboat classes around Portland. Her husband, Dennis, a milk carton boat designer and builder with 17 years experience, came along to the April 24 class taught at the Sellwood Community Center.

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