Benton County will start accepting reservations on Tuesday for group picnic areas in county parks from next May through October.

Group picnic areas that can be reserved include Bellfountain, North Albany, Adair "A," Adair "B," and Fort Hoskins Historic Park Picnic Shelter.

Adair Park Areas "A" and "B" may be reserved together for large groups. All park hours are dawn to dusk. The cost to reserve each individual group picnic area is:

• $45 per day per area, Monday through Thursday.

• $85 per day per area, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays.

Bellfountain, North Albany and Adair Park group picnic area facilities feature sink, hot plates, electric outlets, food preparation and serving areas, group-size barbecues, softball fields, playground, horseshoe pits and a volleyball court.

Equipment bags containing volleyball, net, softballs, bats, bases and horseshoes are also available to reserve for a $15 equipment replacement fee.

The Fort Hoskins Historic Park Picnic Shelter features sink, hot plates, electric outlets, food preparation and serving area, and group-size barbecue.

Special Use Permits are available to authorize specific activity requests such as: use of sound system; overnight use; set-up and placement of tent or other structure(s); use of animals, children's rides, play structures or dunk tanks; and to identify liability insurance requirements for certain activities. The base processing fee is $50; user groups also may be charged for extra time and assistance provided by staff.

Year-round facility reservations can also be made for Beazell Forest Education Center, located at Beazell Memorial Forest in Kings Valley. Beazell Memorial Forest is a 586-acre forest-conservation zoned resource owned by Benton County government through the Natural Areas and Parks Department. The center features a large, open assembly room that will accommodate a wide variety of events, including celebrations, meetings, seminars or retreats.

For information and reservations, contact Benton County Natural Areas and Parks Department at (541) 766-6871; the department is at 360 S.W. Avery Ave., Corvallis.

Democrat-Herald