Hey Allan, remember how much of a difficult time we had last year? It was late in the game and finding a location that suits everyone is the million dollar task, right there.
Not trying to be a negative nelly, here, but based on the experience from last year, we couldn't secure any place because the preferred parks were already reserved or the cost was higher than anyone was willing to pay. Hence, that is why we went to a freebie park like Council Crest.
I suppose we could go to any park and provide our own shelters and bbq's. Realistically, that is what the reservations are paying for - the use of those amenities.
Are you just looking in Portland only, or have you checked out the outlying communities, as well? There is Canby, Tigard, Tualatin, Oregon City, West Linn, and Wilsonville, just to name a few other cities that have great parks.
- Bill