by rosalie westenskow
Forget sitting on the couch during school holidays this fall. Instead, get ready to explore haunted tunnels, skate the night away and cruise through a wave pool.
The Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation District, based in The Dalles, has ramped up its emphasis on recreation recently, creating a number of programs that cater to youth, including Excellent Adventures. The program lives up to its name, providing exhilarating excursions for pre-teens and teens on many school holidays and periodically throughout the summer.
This fall, kids in the Columbia Gorge can sign up for trips to five exciting places: North Clackamas Aquatic Park, Kahneeta Hot Springs, two different excursions to Gresham Skate World, and a Halloween visit to Pittock Mansion and the Shanghai Haunted Tunnels in Portland.
The Excellent Adventures program isn’t the only opportunity local parks and recreation agencies offer for kids. Each fall, the Northern Wasco district also hosts a dodge ball tournament to raise money for scholarships for low-income youth who want to participate in the Excellent Adventures program. The district also puts on a Punt, Pass, Kick competition in September where kids in different age divisions compete against each other in each skill area.
The Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District offers some fun programs for youth, including kayak water polo every fall, which welcomes adults as well. The district’s skate park on Wasco and 20th Street in Hood River is a popular attraction for kids and teens…
