Don’t finalize those summer plans just yet. Willowbrook Arts Camp, which has been a staple in Tualatin for 42 years, is returning to Brown’s Ferry Park this summer after a one-year hiatus.
“We are happy to welcome Willowbrook back to Brown’s Ferry Park this year,” Tualatin Recreation Manager Julie Ludemann emailed Tualatin Life on Jan. 28, “After Willowbrook’s new program director and our new Parks & Recreation director are on board, I will be scheduling a meeting with all parties. This will likely occur in late February/early March. We will have more details after that time.”
Willowbrook Arts Camp Executive Director Sarah Hinton emailed Tualatin Life on Jan. 27, “I will be welcoming our new program director to the team next Monday, and this will be when a lot of this work really kicks into gear.”
The camp was started in 1982 by Althea Pratt-Broome at her historic Sweek House property with 25 young students. The camp flourished for 10 years until it outgrew the space and moved to Brown’s Ferry Park, which was a city-owned undeveloped acreage.
The camp continued to thrive and grow, and in 2023, it averaged 450 students each week. But along with its popularity came growing problems, primarily traffic congestion caused by parents dropping off and especially picking up campers in the weekday mornings and afternoons, raising safety concerns for other park users, neighbors, drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.
The camp’s Board of Directors looked around the area for a new location for the camp and also tried to come up with solutions for the traffic congestion but failed to come up with a plan to satisfy city officials, so the camp was closed for 2024. Ludemann added, “I do know that they have done a lot of work to alleviate the traffic issues.”
The Tualatin City Council at its Jan. 13 meeting approved signing a contract with Willowbrook Arts Camp to use the upstairs level of the Brown’s Ferry Center at 5485 S.W. Nyberg Lane from Jan. 13, 2025, through Jan. 13, 2026. The contract will automatically extend for one year if not terminated by either party with at least 90 days written notice.
Ludemann said Willowbrook Arts Camp will use the upstairs of the building for their office space.
