June
FREE
2013 The
News for the Mid-Willamette Valley
June Loc Events C al alendar Page 2
Exciting Happenings at Albany’s Heritage Mall
Points
American Legion Post 10 Ready to Welcome You
By Rick Rogers
High
It was nearly three years ago, the early morning of July 4, when the unthinkable happened. An arsonist set fire to American Legion, Post 10, Oregon’s largest American Legion post located on Pacific Boulevard in Albany, and burned it to the ground. Now, just a few weeks shy of that fateful day nearly three years ago, a brand new post building is ready to open its doors to the entire community for a weekend of activities, food, and fun. The grand reopening weekend will get under way with public tours of the new building beginning at 10 AM on Friday, June 14. That will be followed by a 1 PM Opening Ceremony, the serving of snacks until 4 PM, and then a Steak or Crab Louie dinner 6 PM followed by live music. Saturday, June 15 will kick off with a Boy Scout Breakfast served by the scouts 8 through 10 AM, a hamburger and hot dog barbeque from 11 AM until 1 PM, and then a Prime Rib or Fried Prawn dinner starting at 6 PM followed by live music. Sunday, June 16, the Legion will host a Father’s Day Brunch from 10 AM until 1 PM.
Post 10 Commander Brock Bursey told High Points that the new Legion building will be family friendly, offering a wide range of activities for the former and current military members and their families. Bursey says the Albany post currently has about a thousand members including the Woman’s Auxiliary group and the Sons of the Legion Group. The Woman’s Auxiliary, led by its president Tonya Kramer, has been a nonprofit partner in the Points for Profit program for a number of years. The auxiliary’s current project is distributing artificial poppies to help raise donations for disabled veterans. Bursey stressed that although the American Legion operates for members who meet a certain criteria as former military members and their families, the post will be open to everyone on the weekend of the grand opening. There will also be a recruiting booth in operation for former military and current members to check out the membership requirements and Legion benefits. High Points salutes the American Legion, Post 10, in Albany for all of the great community work that they do and congratulates them on their new post building.
By Rick Rogers Excitement fills the air at Heritage Mall with the announcement that Hobby Lobby, a national craft and home decor chain, will open its first Oregon location at the Albany mall early next year. The huge 61-thousand square foot store will occupy the former Gottschalks location and the space currently occupied by Old Navy. Hobby Lobby currently has 531stores located in 44 states and is a national leader in their industry. Mall Manager Betsy Penson told High Points that Old Navy will be moving inside the mall with a new store located in a space near Target. The Oklahoma-based Hobby Lobby announcement marks the first of several possible store and restaurant locations now in negotiation with the mall’s new owners, Vintage Real Estate. The company took over ownership of the 406,500 square foot mall at 14th and Geary Streets in Albany last December. Penson says that having Hobby Lobby as a mall retailer is especially exciting because people have been known to travel long distances to visit one of their stores in other areas. In addition, they will become a major retail employer in the area offering “family wage” job positions. Heritage Mall is now home to 52 other retailers including three major anchor stores, Sears, Target and Ross Dress for Less. Roger Burghdorf, Executive Vice-President in charge of leasing for Vintage Real Estate says, “This is just the beginning of our program to re-tenant this great mall with national brands and unique boutiques. Heritage Mall is proud to participate in the Points for Profit program and reminds everyone to save their receipts from retailers in the mall for their favorite participating non-profit organization.