Nine years ago, Whitney Dorer walked down the aisle to say “I do” to her wife Amy Michet. On Thursday, the two walked down another aisle of sorts to take the plunge, this time into the Willamette River.
Dorer, Michet and dozens of others set up beach chairs and blankets at the new Cathedral Park dock under the St. Johns Bridge in North Portland.
“We have my parents visiting from out of town and they love swimming, so I said what is better than going to your new neighborhood swimming hole?” Dore said.
The dock opened last Saturday and was a St. Johns community effort led by the Human Access Project, an advocacy group focused on water quality in the Willamette, which contributed a third of the $900,000 dock price tag.
The dock provides a welcome change for Kristina Brinton, a Southwest Portland resident who drove 25 minutes to the park for the Fourth of July holiday.
She remembers taking a college sailing class in the ‘90s when her instructor advised her not to touch the river water or it will “make your skin itchy,” Brinton said.
“This is a lovely swimming area,” she said. “I’m really happy that they put money into developing it.”
And while the river will provide some relief from a predicted series of 100-degree days through Tuesday, safety officials caution people to be prepared for the shock of cold water and take the appropriate precautions.
“We encourage people to use common sense, swim sober and be realistic about their abilities in the water,” the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said in an email. “The best way to prevent drowning is to wear a well-fitted life jacket in the water.”
Al Greenlee and family friend Timara McGee came to celebrate at the park to keep a family alive tradition.
“I moved to Portland from St. Louis in the ‘70s and can tell you all about the parties Black folks used to have here,” Greenlee said. “That’s why I keep coming back whenever I can and make new ones with the grandchildren.”
Chris Medema and his dog Dukkha live about a mile from the park and Medema remembers interacting with the old wooden dock.
“When you first stepped onto the dock, it made real rickety sounds,” Medema said. “I love what the community has done coming together to create this for everybody in Portland to enjoy.”
Dukkah, Buddhist word for sacrifice, poses for a picture on the new Cathedral Park dock during the Fourth of July holiday.
A man attempts a drive into the Willamette River from the new Cathedral Park dock on Fourth of July.
Whitney Dorer (left) and Amy Michet (right) celebrate their 9th anniversary on the new dock at Cathedral Park during Fourth of July.
Amy Michet (left) and Whitney Dorer (right) jump off the new Cathedral Park dock into the Willamette River during Fourth of July.
Valerie Nova (left) and Kate Netherly (right) enjoy some catch and release fishing on the new Cathedral Park dock during the Fourth of July holiday.
Kate Netherly (right) prepares a fishing rod on the new Cathedral Park dock during the Fourth of July.
Locals encourage each other to jump into the Willamette River from the new Cathedral Park dock on the Fourth of July.
Kale’a Anderson (left) Maxwell Anderson (center) and Raymond Anderson (right) attempt to hold onto a paddle board before it capsizes at Cathedral Park during the Fourth of July.
Cathedral Park visitors enjoy the new dock as a paddle boarder passes by on Fourth of July.
Lifelong Northern Portland resident Al Greenlee poses for a picture at Cathedral Park during the Fourth of July holiday.
— David Nuñez covers breaking news and public safety for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-294-7607 or dnunez@oregonian.com.
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