For six months out of every year, the Lake Oswego Village flower baskets grace our streets and give us one more reason to love Lake Oswego.

So how can you take something that’s great and make it even better? Here are three ideas.

1. Donate to the Lake Oswego Village Basket Foundation through the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce. These flower baskets are blooming examples of civic pride at work as they are funded by donations that cover the costs of hardware, planting and maintenance. Giving is one of the ten keys to happy living so increase your enjoyment of the flower baskets by knowing you helped make them possible! Call the Chamber of Commerce at 503.636.3634.

2. Learn how to make one of your own. The Lake Oswego Parks and Recreation Department is offering two Do-It-Yourself workshops on May 2 ($35 at Luscher Farm) and May 16 ($33 at the Adult Community Center). Lake Oswego residents will get all the equipment, planting materials and instruction they need to recreate these celebrated color-popping baskets. Register online. (Fees for non-residents are $53 and $50).

3. Practice your photography skills once the baskets are in full bloom and enter the Lake Oswego Photo Contest. Depending on how you incorporate one of the baskets in your photo, it would be a great contender in the Places in Lake Oswego division. Haven’t seen a basket show up in any of the winning entries in the past six years so this could be your year!

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