By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch One of the prime spots in Pierce County for picnics is even more of a destination this year, now that Pierce County has opened two new covered picnic sites at Frontier Park in Graham. The additions give the park a total of three covered picnic sites. That's good for everyone. The public has more formal picnic sites to rent for family reunions, birthday parties, graduation celebrations and other occasions. And that means more rental revenue for the parks system. The sites, with a fee of $75 a day, are always in demand. Cara Cross, a Pierce County Parks and Recreation supervisor, said she starts taking reservations on Oct. 1 for the following year. Cross can be reached at 253-841-8515. Procrastination is not advised. Schedulers coordinate with community groups that use the shelters regularly or for annual events, while also juggling the needs of families that want the shelters for a gathering that's too big for somebody's back yard. The new shelters are on opposite sides of the park, flanking the older one that occupies the large lawn facing Meridian. Rental fees vary. The new ones, each with 10 tables, go for $75 a day. The third shelter, which has a commercial food-service kitchen, electricity and 12 tables, runs $200 a day with the kitchen or $100 without it. There is one short period each year when the shelters aren't available. That's the one week in August when the 60-acre park doubles as the grounds for the annual Pierce County Fair. This year's fair is scheduled for Aug. 6-9. Besides the picnic facilities, Frontier Park also rents out a lodge for classes, weddings, receptions and company parties. Depending on the size of an event and other considerations, such as whether the kitchen is needed, one or both of the two rooms can be rented for hourly rates of $125 to $75. Other county parks that rent picnic shelters include Spanaway Park, which has five of them, each with running water, electricity and a grill. Fees range from $75 to $200. The parks department's administration office can be called at 253-798-4177 to check on availability. Two dates that definitely are out are Sept. 12-13, when hydroplane races on the lake will shut down the shelters. The 135-acre park has beach and boat access to Spanaway Lake.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment