Enchanted forest rides, villages smashed by trees packed with ice. ‘Humpty Dumpty is OK’

Enchanted Forest, Oregon’s fairytale park near Salem, was to reopen on March 19 after a GoFundMe campaign raised more than $ 400,000 to help rebuild the family business because of the financially devastating tourism equipment caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

But the beloved amusement park suffered another setback: the weight of an inch of ice piled up on tree branches toppled a dozen Douglas trees and chopped off limbs that collided in rides and structures.

The children’s train was smashed, the tower was knocked down from the castle and other miniature structures were smashed in the villages handmade by park founder Roger Tofte, a former draftsman for the Oregon State Highway Division who bought the land and with the construction of Enchanted Forest in the mid-1960s.

Huge trees blocked roads and tracks and “put a sick feeling in our stomachs when we saw the damage,” said Susan Vaslev, a second-generation Tofte family. ‘We have a lot of work to do where we were the day before. It’s dangerous here, a safe area. It looks like a war zone. ‘

On Monday, the family met roofers and a construction staff to talk about starting repairs while the park was still without power.

“Luckily we had very large trees,” Vaslev said of the bushveld, “so we are not a parking lot.”

She wants to reassure fans that the entire park has not been destroyed. “Humpty Dumpty is OK,” she said.

Vaslev said they are happy that the GoFundMe campaign has enabled them to maintain their insurance coverage. But they will have to finance the considerable deductibility and removal of debris.

The state wildfires in September were an even more tragic time for the family.

Roger Tofte’s 13-year-old great-grandson Wyatt Tofte died in the Beachie Creek fire. His grandmother, 71-year-old Peggy Mosso, was killed and Wyatt’s mother, Angela Mosso, was seriously injured.

Vaslev said the family will soon know if they can reopen on March 19.

– Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

[email protected] | @janeteastman