Flower baskets go up again in Lake Oswego on Saturday

A Lake Oswego tradition returns early Saturday morning when flower baskets go up around the city.

The Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce will send out 60 volunteers on 10 teams to hang up 259 flower baskets. City of Lake Oswego workers will be hanging up the baskets in the places that are most difficult to reach, but otherwise the work will be done by civic-minded citizens who just want to beautify the city.

The Rev. Keith Dickerson, pastor of Lake Oswego’s Hope Community Church, will return for his fifth year as director of the chamber’s flower basket program, and his enthusiasm is already running high.

“This will be the 23rd year for hanging flower baskets,” Dickerson said. “We hit 259 baskets last year and that was a new record. This project is another indication that people who live, work and worship in Lake Oswego really love this community. They all want to make a contribution in some way.”

While hanging flower baskets involves a lot of labor, that is not the only thing Dickerson’s committee must do to keep the program blooming. It also must raise $75,000 to keep it going. The public can make donations by calling the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce at 503-636-3634.

As always, the reward for the basket hangers will be breakfast at Gubanc’s restaurant in Lake Grove.

The flower basket program will be promoted with a booth at the Lake Oswego Farmers’ Market the next two Saturdays, May 18 and 25.

The Garden Corner of Tualatin will again serve as vendor for the flower basket program.