Friends of CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK Volume 5 No. 3 * Fall 2000 Page Four

COMMUNITY CENTER Friends are familiar with the Community Center where we gather before the annual meeting for seminars and the all-important morning coffee and rolls. The two storied Community Center is located in the residential circle at Munson Valley. The residential circle and Community Center, which sits between picturesque trees, was built as a social gathering place for park employees. This building and the neighboring houses were constructed in the 1960's during the Mission 66 program. The Community Center has an efficient auditorium with a stage which can be also be used for basketball and volleyball games and is used for get togethers (such as Friends Annual Meetings). There is a kitchen which is convenient for hosting entertainment and other gatherings. Upstairs is a library (that Friends have used for a meeting room) and a play room for the kids of Crater Lake which was where the Friends board member Judy Buckingham held the Crater Lake preschool. The Community Center has a exercise room with Life Cycle equipment that Crater Lake residents find really nice to use during the winter storms. A 'Friends of the Community Center' is being organized to determine priorities for some maintenance projects. The 'Friends of the Community Center' will organize some Sweat Equity projects that will enhance other forthcoming projects. We are hoping the Friends of Crater Lake will volunteer Sweat Equity for the Community Center since we use it too! This can be a fall weekend project, since some of the work will be inside. Be watching for more information on this project in the Newsletter.		8th ANNUAL MEETING The Friends 8th annual meeting on October 7 was again enjoyable. This year 40 Friends attended. The Saturday started with coffee and rolls at the Community Center. Chief Ranger and the Friends Liaison, Dave Brennan, had the coffee on and chairs and tables arranged when I arrived around 9:00. That is a great way to start the day, walking into a building and smelling the fresh coffee. Friends enjoyed visiting and bakery sweet rolls during the registration. Crater Lake National Park District Ranger, Peter Reinhardt had a program for the Friends on Boat Safety on Crater Lake and Visitor safety inside the Caldera. Because of the inaccessibility and high elevation, Crater Lake posses difficult problems for emergencies. Steve Mark - CLNP Park Historian gave a walking tour of Rim Village Structures to be Rehabilitated. Saturday morning was beautiful time to walk along the promenade. Friends enjoyed going into the Community Center which has been closed to visitors. Friends recalled Ranger Talks, Church Services, and Interpretative Displays inside the Community Center. There is lots of enthusiasm to rehabilitate the Rim Village's buildings. Glen Kaye, the Friends of Crater Lake 2002 Coordinator read excerpts from the Will Steel Drama being produced for the Centennial Celebration. Will Steel was the man who first envisioned Crater Lake as a National Park and overcame enormous obstacles to oversee its establishment in 1902. At noon the Friends gathered for dinner at the Watchman Restaurant. Bev Hartell arranged with the Crater Lake Lodge Co. for this years meal. At 1:00 I called the meeting to order. Dave Brennan was introduced and welcomed to his first Friends of Crater Lake Annual Meeting. Jan Wilson read the Secretary's Report, Greg Hartell gave the Treasurer's Report, and Judy Buckingham reported the Membership. Following the Friends Officer's Reports, the year's activity reports were given by the event coordinators. Event coordinators who reported that the Friends staffed the Winter Rim Desk, Adopted over 3 miles of the Fort Klamath Hwy. this summer, and assisted the Crater Lake Trail Crew to relocate half a mile of the Crater Peak Trail. Watch for the Friends of Crater Lake Adopt a Highway sign when you visit the park. Dave Brennan reported on activities at Crater Lake, including the Sonar Mapping of the lake bottom, facility work, and the start of the resource planning. Donna Widmer and Beverly Paulson of the Nominating Committee nominated Larry Smith from Jacksonville as the new board member and renominated Jan Wilson and Donna Widmer for another term. The Friends approved the Board Members and I adjourned the 8th Annual Meeting before 3:00 which gave us time to enjoy Crater Lake's great outdoors.
CRATER LAKE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION UPDATE by George Buckingham, 2002 Centennial Steering Committee Planning for Crater Lake's 100th birthday is moving others. The work has begun to evolve into internal park activities and external activities. These are interconnected and interdependent to a large extent. The Superintendent has formed what is called a Steering Committee. This committee is primarily concerned with external events and coordination with internal activities. Funding remains a major stumbling block. As most of you already know, the NPS does not provide individual parks with additional funding for centennial events. Government funds that have been used and will be used come at the expense of other park programs. Many strategies have been discussed; more than a few implemented, but major successes remain a hope rather than a reality. At some point during 2001, decisions will have to be made regarding which projects can move forward and which must be dropped. The Steel Drama has been written and the Superintendent has agreed to fund a Park Ranger to introduce each production of the play and present a modern update to what the play has to say. Funding for the actor has not been found. The Artists in the Park Program is underway. Artists are applying for the program and some have begun the residency. The park concessionaire has agreed to purchase the "winning" artwork. The park has agreed to fund a centennial logo. The selection process is underway. Funding for a Crater Lake history book has been obtained from the Arthur family and the Chiles Foundation. This project is underway. The Crater Lake video has been planned and some interested parties contacted. Funding does not exist. Preliminary discussions regarding a scientific symposium, similar to the one done for the 90th anniversary have been held. Several communities have planned external events. The kickoff major event will be the "opening night" presentation of the Steel Drama at the Oregon Tourism Conference in Klamath Falls in April of 2002. Major ceremonies will also be held in Medford and Roseburg. Other communities have expressed an interest in using the Steel Drama (and associated internal park projects such as an art exhibit) as features to their own festivities. Some of these will be primarily focused on Crater Lake's centennial; others will use the centennial as an adjunct. Of course, there will be a major ceremony at the park. This will be held on August 25, 2002. The legislation creating the park was actually signed on May 22, 1902. Given Crater Lake's infamous weather, we think combining Crater Lake's birthday with the 86th birthday of the National Park Service will be much more comfortable! Along with this will be a major employee (both NPS and concessionaire) reunion. Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6