Our Town North: May 1, 2022

The deadline for placing an ad in the May 15 issue is May 5

Thank you for spending time with Our Town. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

SILVERTON AREA SENIORS, INC.

Masks are optional, per personal choice.

FREE Community Breakfast

Saturday, May 7 from 8 - 11am ALL ages welcome!

Donations gladly accepted! Proceeds to benefit the Silverton Senior Center Menu: Breakfast Sandwich with eggs, sausage, cheese on English muffin OR two eggs cooked your way, sausage and FRESH scones from Silverton Bake Shop. Generously sponsored by Profitable Planning.

Resource Fair

Saturday, May 14 from 12 – 2pm at the Silverton Senior Center. Needing to update the community resources such as caregivers, drivers, housekeepers, friendly visitors, handymen? Please stop by and fill out the form so we can refer seniors to your business.

Spring Tea

Saturday, May 21 at 2pm – Tickets are $15 and are on sale NOW at the Silverton Senior Center 115 Westfield St – or over the phone – with cash, check or card. Gift Basket Prize Drawings too! Drawing will be at the Spring Tea. Limited seating. Gift Basket Prize Drawing tickets are available at the Silverton Senior Center too!

This Month

Empire of the Sun – Movie & Potluck

Wednesday, May 18 at 6pm.

NorthWest Senior & Disability Services Presentation Thursday, May 26 at 1pm

Points & Oils Topics

Wednesday, May 11 and May 25 at 10am

Computer Boot Camp Tuesday, May 31 at 4pm. Call to register 503-873-3093

Exercise, Dance, Movement

Exercise Class 9am Fri $5 Yoga 8:30am Tues/Thur $5

Simple Qigong Set to Music. Senior Center: 9:45am Tues/Thur, new price $8

Taekwondo at Senior Center: 7pm Mon/Thurs; 7pm Thur. Call 503-873-3663.

Peaceful Heart – Kirtan Meditation 4 p.m. Mondays

Free Weekly Drop In Activities

Shelf Indulgence: Local senior authors book club, Fridays 11am Silverton Ukulele Network (SUN) Mondays 3:30pm

Bingo: Thursdays 10am $1 per card or 3/$2

Bridge: Mondays 10am

Poker: Mondays 12:30pm

Pinochle: Tuesdays / Fridays 11:30pm

Knit Wits: Wednesdays 10am Open Art Studio: Wednesdays 1pm

Once a Month

Garden Club: Tuesday, May 3, 7pm (contact 805-807-4385).

Dine Out Club: Thursday, May 5. Location TBA. RSVP 503-873-3093.

Monthly Member Birthday Party: Friday, May 6, 10am

SASI Board Meeting: Tuesday, May 10, 7pm at Center. RSVP 503-873-3093.

Silverton-Mt. Angel Women’s Connection (CWC) Thursday, May 12 1pm

Services & Advice

Silver Angels Foot Care: By Appointment. Tuesdays/Wednesdays. 503-201-6461

Profitable Planning Wednesday, May 11 at 1pm

Veterans Service Office Representative Thursday, May 12, 9am

United Health Care Rep Thursday, May 19 at 1pm

By James Day

A new meat processing company will be taking over the BrucePac facility on North First Street in Silverton.

Tillamook Country Smoker will be starting operations in the facility, perhaps as soon as this summer.

The move constitutes an expansion for Tillamook Country Smoker, president Geordie Mosbarger told Our Town. The privately held jerky and meat snacks processor is based in Bay City in Tillamook County while also operating a facility in Beaverton.

“We’re continuing to gain traction as a company,” Mosbarger said of the decision to expand. ”We have a good strategy and continue to grow.”

Tillamook Country Smoker will run two shifts per day once they get started in Silverton. Mosbarger estimated that 30 to 40 new employees will be hired. Because the BrucePac facility also was used for meat processing, Mosbarger said adapting the 115,000 square foot building will be relatively painless.

The ease of the move into Silverton led Mosbarger and his team to pick Silverton ahead of sites in the Portland area.

“It fit well,” he said. “We met with the city of Silverton and because the BrucePac use was so similar no additional permits will be required. To get the plant up and running quickly was attractive to us. Plus, we really like the town.”

Silverton City Manager Ron Chandler said that no major land use reviews were required for Tillamook

to move into the space, but a building license will be required to operate, and building permits will be needed for any renovations.

“Our staff is looking forward to continuing to work with Tillamook on their expansion,” Chandler said. Although the Silverton facility boasts the largest square footage of the Tillamook Country Smoker units (Bay City is at 90,000 and Beaverton at 65,000), Mosbarger said that the size did not necessarily translate into greater production at the site.

Tillamook Country Smoker ships to all 50 states but is not available in international markets. Mosbarger, citing proprietary concerns, declined to state the company’s overall employee base or characterize its output in terms of the volume or value of products produced or shipped.

BrucePac, which left the Silverton facility in October, reportedly consolidated its Willamette Valley operations at its headquarters facility in Woodburn, although BrucePac officials were not available to confirm this. BrucePac also operates a processing plant in Durant, Oklahoma.

Heavy equipment removed the giant nitrogen tanks from the BrucePac facility in Silverton recently. Tillamook Country Smoker plans to take over the meat processing plant to produce the Bay City, Oregon, firm’s trademark jerky and meat snacks. JAMES DAY

Hangin’ out The Den offers food carts, pavilion

By Melissa Wagoner

As a real estate developer, Ben Johnston’s goal isn’t just to build buildings, it’s to create spaces for the community to gather.

Which is why, when he was given the opportunity to refurbish the building that once housed the Silverton Flower Shop in the heart of downtown, he knew just what he wanted to do.

“I have kids in the town and I want to create cool spots for them to hang out,” he said, describing the impetus for The Den – a food truck pod and outdoor dining pavilion located behind the newly opened, Silverton Bake Shop. “My big thing is trying to get places where whole families and kids can have a place.” Home to four food trucks – Rustic Melt, Fire Side Grille, Sabor Tico and Bobablastic – The Den offers everything from Russian-American and Costa Rican cuisine to artisan grilled cheeses, poke bowls and bubble tea.

“We’re trying not to compete with everybody downtown,” Johnston said of the variety he eventually landed on after conducting extensive research.

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“I did a lot of polling over the years and I’m always picking my kids’ brains.”

See page 2 for financial advisor listing.

With a formal opening celebration scheduled for May 6 to coincide with both First Friday and the reopening of the nearby Oregon Crafters Market, Johnston is excited to welcome the community for food, drinks, lawn games or to spend time around the fire pit.

“Come down,” Johnston urged, “and just hang out.”

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Stay Connected...

The City will provide information here each month on important topics. Upcoming agenda items are subject to change and meetings subject to rescheduling or cancellation due to the COVID-19 Emergency. Please check the website for remote participation options.

CITY OF SILVERTON HAS A NEW WATER CURTAILMANT PLAN

On May 1, 2022 the City will implement the new plan with Level 1, low alert, water curtailment. Here’s a summary of the Level 1 alert:

Level 1, Low Alert will be implemented each year on May 1st and continue until September 30 unless the City moves into level 2 or higher.

The goal of Level 1 is to inform the public of the need to reduce water consumption and to reduce water consumption by 5%.

City Schedule

City Council Meeting

Monday, May 2, 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Affordable Housing Task Force Meeting

Tuesday, May 17, 8:30 a.m. - 10 a.m.

Enforcement: Water waste shall be discouraged and those not following these Level 1 Actions may receive a written notice.

To read the entire Water Curtailment Plan, please search for Resolution 22-05 on the City’s website: Silverton.or.us

And/or go to the Water Conservation page on the City’s website www.silverton. or.us/345/Water-Conservation

Homeless/Housing Task Force Meeting

Wednesday, May 25, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Please visit Silverton.or.us for meeting locations and Zoom links to attend meetings virtually

Be Informed: complete details on these topics are located on the City’s website: www.silverton.or.us

City Leaders Want You to Know: STAY CONNECTED

Have a Voice: attend City meetings virtually or in person. For times: www.silverton.or.us/government

with the CITY SCAN

Downtown Silverton strollers check out The Den, a new food cart pod next to the Silverton Bakery on Water Street. MELISSA WAGONER

Mt. Angel recognizes Scott Stokley with first Community Impact Award

By James Day

Scott Stokley, a 37-year resident of Mount Angel is a local Realtor who also owns Touch of Bavaria, Angel Mountain Christmas and is about to open a new eatery in town, Lou’s Kitchen.

Chief Mark Daniel honored by chamber for Distinguished Service

By Stephen Floyd

Police Chief Mark Daniel said he was shocked when the Mt. Angel Chamber of Commerce arrived at City Hall to tell him he was being presented with the Distinguished Service Award.

Daniel, who also serves in a dual role as interim city manager, said he didn’t feel deserving, but the chamber insisted and he felt honored.

Chamber awards presented during ‘The Next Friday’ May 13

The Mt. Angel Chamber of Commerce is trying a new approach to its annual community awards. Mt. Angel Honors will be held in conjunction with The Next Friday, a monthly event showcasing businesses downtown. Each of the four honorees will stand with a partnering business. Residents are invited to meet and chat with honorees while touring the event. The chamber will make official presentations at the following times on May 13:

His dizzying schedule also includes tons of outreach for the Mt. Angel Chamber of Commerce, for whom he is a passionate supporter of local businesses and the community as a whole.

Scott Stokley. JAMES DAY

He helped put together a merchants group for the chamber, assisted in organizing “The Next Friday” event and is helping to start a chamber ambassadors group. He also played a key role in the massive benefit put on at the Festhalle to assist businesses affected by the October fire.

He’s even the go-to Mr. Fix It for the beloved gallery of figures at the Glockenspiel. If the power goes out or something goes wrong, Stokley gets the call.

Thus, it is not surprising that the chamber has honored Stokley with its Community Impact Award.

“When there is something out there that I can help with I just do it,” said Stokley in an interview at Angel Mountain Christmas, the holiday store and wine shop he opened – right when the COVID pandemic began.

“It’s been pretty successful so far,” he said, adding that “we are starting to see a little light at the end of the COVID tunnel. People are starting to get out and about. People are ready to start experiencing life again. That [the pandemic] was a tough one.”

Many of Stokley’s initiatives aim at encouraging community participation in local affairs and shopping with local businesses.

“A lot of times you are on your own,” he said, “but what I want to do is find out what we all can do to empower all of our efforts. How can we put on events together and get the word out? Let’s market ourselves and bring people to town.”

“This is a very close-knit community, and when they recognize people they truly mean it,” he said.

Daniel will be recognized as part of the return of the Chamber’s annual awards program. The Chamber said Daniel was already making a strong impact as police chief, and even more-so when he became interim city manager last year as the city searches for a long-term candidate.

“Chief Daniel not only stepped up to the role, but he has made tremendous progress with building relationships with our community and businesses, acquiring grants to complete much needed projects and has worked with staff and council to increase morale and overall satisfaction,” the chamber said in its announcement.

Daniel said the return of the awards program was a sign of the community recovering from the pandemic, not just the return of the awards but the innovative new way the chamber is presenting them. Rather than an evening at the Festhalle, the event will be incorporated into The Next Friday, which showcases businesses downtown.

“It’s a bit different from what they’ve done in the past, but change is good and they’re trying new things,” he said.

As far as his noteworthy accomplishments, Daniel said he simply sets high expectations for himself and brings his best effort to a task, even if it means running two city departments.

“I do my job and I do the best that I possibly can every day,” he said.

Daniel added the recognition means even more coming from the people he serves and cares for.

Borschowa family volunteerism earns Helping Hands Award

By Stephen Floyd

The contributions of Joe Borschowa and his family have been both highly visible and subtle. The local veteran and business owner has been heavily involved with the Mt. Angel Chamber of Commerce, the American Legion and other groups, but hasn’t sought public recognition.

Yet if you’ve ever admired the American flags on display throughout town during Memorial Day and Veterans Day, or enjoyed the Fourth of July parade, you’ve seen the fruits of Borschowa’s volunteerism. He and his family

are also heavily involved in the bautiful flower baskets downtown during the summer.

Borschowa has taken on all these roles in addition to owning and operating Main St. Garage and Main St. Towing. Because of this dedication, the chamber honored he and his family with the Helping Hands Award.

“Thank you, Joe Borschowa, for your service to our country and the helping hand you lend to our community,” said the chamber’s release.

6 p.m., Mt. Angel Mercantile, 495 E. College St., Distinguished Service Award presented to Chief Mark Daniel

6:20 p.m., Lou’s Kitchen, 230 E. Charles St., Community Impact Award presented to Scott Stokley

6:40 p.m., Chic Skape, 95 N. Main St., Helping Hands Award presented to Joe Borschowa and family

7 p.m., Mt. Angel Sausage Co., 105 S. Garfield, Innovative Business Award presented to Mt. Angel Sausage Co.

Further updates can be found on Facebook or at www.mtangelchamber.com.

Mt. Angel Sausage Co. honored with Innovative Business Award

By Stephen Floyd

When COVID-19 lockdowns began in 2020, the restaurant industry took a massive blow, and those who wished to survive had to adapt.

Mt. Angel Sausage Co. rose to the occasion and – in addition to take-out orders and outdoor seating – owner Jim Hoke took an international food display that occupied a corner of their waiting area and expanded it to a European Market with its own storefront. The move was an almost-immediate success, keeping the business afloat and providing a unique shopping experience that attracted both locals and visitors.

The chamber said the European Market is now a fixture in Mt. Angel, something the community “didn’t even know how much we needed” until it was open. For this ingenuity and spirit of perseverance, the chamber honored Mt. Angel Sausage Co. with the Innovative Business Award.

“Despite all the challenges they faced and financially tough times, they never hesitated to continue to support our community with donations, sponsorships, and more,” said the chamber announcement. “Congratulations Mt. Angel Sausage Co. for being an innovative business and an important part of this community.  We are so grateful for your continued support!”

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By Melissa Wagoner

When Michelle Isaksen was invited to a Paint Party five years ago she almost didn’t go.

“I thought, ‘I don’t even draw,’” she recalled. “I’d never painted or even sketched.”

Thankfully, her husband convinced her to attend.

“He basically pushed me out the door,” Isaksen laughed. “But in the end, I had a piece of art that I didn’t hate.” She also had a new love for painting that she couldn’t wait to share with others.

“It was a very therapeutic experience,” Isaksen said, describing the impetus for her paint party business – At Easel Art – which, though it began in her home in Scotts Mills, has recently expanded into a studio space on East Main Street in Silverton.

“I was growing out of our home,” she said, gesturing toward the enormous event space she and her husband have designed for paint parties, art lessons and birthday celebrations.

“My goal is for the community to have a positive place to come,” she said. A karaoke stage, splatterbox art installation and video screen will enable her to host events of all kinds.

“And I’m trying not to make it so expensive that people can’t afford it,” she added. As the mother of eight children she is very aware of the need for affordable birthday party options.

Though still partially under construction, Isaksen has already begun hosting painting parties and art lessons with plans for many more on the horizon.

“I did four parties last month,” she pointed out, scrolling

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Register at www.ateaselart.com

through photos of her clients proudly displaying their finished paintings, all similar and yet each one just slightly different from the rest.

“I’m never married to what I’m painting, so they can do their own thing,” she said. It is the unexpected deviations – glitter, color variations or swaps of scenery – that bring her the most joy.

“In fact, I mess up in front of my parties so they know, you can mess up,” she said. “I just want them to come paint.”

A paint party hosted by At Easel. MICHELLE ISAKSEN

Carrying through Pacific Crest Trail hiker’s story preserved in new anthology

By Melissa Wagoner

When Silvertonian Dorothy BrownKwaiser packed her bag for the 152-day hike from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail in 2012, she weighed everything – her sleeping bag, her pots and pans, even her toothbrush – parting with anything she absolutely didn’t need.

“You have to have what you have to have, but you also have to carry that stuff for 2,650 miles and ounces make pounds so it really makes a difference,” Brown-Kwaiser explained, adding that, even after the hike began, she continued to purge.

“Every package stop I sent things home or ditched things,” she said. “It might be a lace or the lid for a pot… I got to thinking – I can just make one out of foil.”

But there were a few items she never could discard, no matter how frivolous they seemed or how much they weighed.

“I had a stuffed mouse that my cat, who was hit by a car, had had and a stuff-

sack from Jazzercise, some ribbons from a friend and a few letters and pieces of poetry,” she listed. “There are things you carry that are mementos that carry you through.”

Because hiking the PCT is tough.

“It’s physically grueling and it’s mentally grueling,” Brown-Kwaiser – who completed the hike despite a crippling case of plantar fasciitis that began when she was still in California – said. “Your body’s so tired and everything hurts so much.”

Mementos – carried by nearly every hiker Brown-Kwaiser encountered – hold such importance that her essay, “The Things They Carried,” written during her time on the trail, was recently chosen as part of the latest volume of the Crossing Paths: A Pacific Crest Trailside Reader.

“This story calls to mind the little extras that somehow sneak into our packs,” the book’s editors, Rees Hughes and Howard Shapiro, wrote in the essay’s

introduction. “... These don’t weigh much but are the ounces of love, caring, and memory that can fill our hearts

when we are out on the trail away from family and friends.”

Scheduled for release on May 1, the book is a compilation of stories from numerous contributors including the well-known writer Cheryl Strayed, and can be purchased anywhere books are sold.

“It’s a good tale of adventure,” BrownKwaiser said of the book, which, along with her own essay, includes stories about the necessity of “trail angels,” the myriad ways hikers earn a trail name and how technology has changed the PCT experience in recent years.

“If anyone’s thought about doing the PCT, or has a passion for it, or if you’ve done part of it, you should read it,” Brown-Kwaiser said.

“And all the money goes back to the Pacific Crest Trail Association.”

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Dorothy Brown-Kwaiser on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2012. SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Melissa Wagoner

In 2019 Christy Davis attended a Repair Fair – an event put on by Marion County Environmental Services (MCES) in Salem that encouraged community members to bring broken items – those in danger of being thrown out – in order to have them repaired by an expert.

“What I saw at the Repair Fair was awesome,” Davis recalled. “There were people in all of the different areas getting bikes fixed, appliances diagnosed, beads on a necklace restrung, holes patched in their pants. There was a lot of laughter and buzz and they were well organized.”

It was a wonderful experience and one Davis – Director of the Silver Falls Library District – wanted to replicate.

“It was community building while things were being fixed and diverted from the landfill,” she said, listing the attributes that she found most attractive, including the obvious bonus of money saved.

“This was a mix of so many good things,”

she continued, “including volunteerism.” And so, upon her return to Silverton, she began meeting with Kelley Morehouse, a member of Sustainable Silverton, a nonprofit whose mission – to increase the

health and resiliency of the community in the face of the climate crisis – is directly in-line with that of MCES.

“I was very happy to talk to Kelley... to learn that her group was also really

interested in a Repair Fair and that they had already established a relationship with MCES,” Davis said.

Unfortunately, because the initial fair was planned for the summer of 2020 – not long after the COVID-19 pandemic began – it was necessarily canceled, as was the 2021 fair as well.

“[B]ut now we’re going for it and the library is happy to be a part of the organizational and promotional aspects of Silverton’s first fair,” Davis said of the 2022 event, which is scheduled for Monday, May 9, 3 to 6 p.m. at Coolidge McClaine Park. “I am hoping it will grow, that there will be more, and that the library will be a future location…” In the meantime, community members are encouraged to register for a repair using a link on the Sustainable Silverton webpage – www.sustainablesilverton.org –which will enable the “Fixberts” to gather any necessary supplies ahead of time and to reserve a timeslot for both the repair and a demo of how it’s done.

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The first Silverton Repair Fair is based on an pre-COVID event in Salem. DAKOTA TANGREDI

“Because it’s not just the free repair, it’s the learning component,” Dakota Tangredi, the MCES Waste Reduction Coordinator in charge of organizing the fair, said. “It’s really about knowledge sharing. It’s all these old concepts that we’re bringing back.”

Concepts like sewing a patch, rewiring a lamp or restringing a necklace that enable an item to be salvaged rather than thrown away.

“It’s the other side of the landfill,” Tangredi said. “And it’s displacing the need to buy a new thing.”

Which is an important part of the waste reduction MCES is working toward.

“We have to go up the chain,” he pointed out, describing how fixing or repurposing an item is actually more helpful when it comes to energy reduction than both recycling and composting combined.

“Even if every state recycled and composted everything we used it would only be a three percent reduction in

energy,” he confirmed. “It’s sometimes hard to tell people that.”

Thankfully, it’s a trend he sees popping up in more places than ever before.

“It’s flipping a little bit,” he said, listing Philanthropy Phabrics and The Northwest Hub in Salem as well as the Santiam Canyon Tool Library as some of the many organizations that are working to put an end to the need for purchasing

Silverton Repair Fair

Free education and repair of small appliances, textiles, jewelry, lamps and bicycles.

Monday, May 9, 3 to 6 p.m. Coolidge-McClaine Park Pavilion RSVP recommended at www.sustainablesilverton.com

everything new.

“They’re also starting to bring some of the trade stuff back,” he continued. Which is where events like the Repair Fair can be of help, by giving entire communities access to both the skills and knowledge that repairing broken items is not only possible but positive.

“Having these skills is cool,” Tangredi agreed. “And all these Fixberts are great. But they’re going to go away, so we need to get kids interested.”

Attendees are recommended to RSVP on Sustainable Silverton’s website. DAKOTA TANGREDI

Electric vehicles

By Melissa Wagoner

With the cost of gas soaring to well over $4 a gallon, more people than ever are considering an electric vehicle (EV) which, according to David Deckelmann – owner of a Nissan Leaf since 2019 – is a very good thing.

“I will always have a gas car because I love vintage cars,” Deckelmann, a self-proclaimed car enthusiast, said. Adding, “[And gas-powered vehicles] are an incredible feat. But it’s done. You knew it was real when all the major manufacturers got into it.”

“[I]t is exciting to see what they are innovating,” Dan Clements, owner of the Sin-able Sweets bakery in Mount Angel and an EV owner since he bought his first 2015 Chevy Spark, agreed.

For him, the battery range extension –which, in Chevy’s EVs, has increased

177 miles between 2015 and today – has been a game changer.

“While [the Spark] was an amazing car, it was very small and it only had a

maximum range of 84 miles,” he said. With a 100-mile-a-day commute, that battery capacity simply wasn’t enough. So, he upgraded to the 2021 Chevy Bolt

with a 259-mile range.

“We simply plug in as soon as we get home,” he said, noting that the ability to charge overnight not only saves time –because he no longer needs to fill a gas tank one to two times each week – but he also saves money on both gas and electricity.

“Portland General Electric has a new plan that drops your overnight and weekend rate down to 6.2 cents per KWH,” he said, estimating the lowered cost to between 1.8 and two cents per mile when driving. “This is perfect for EVs since we normally charge overnight anyway and the car is topped off and ready to go each morning.”

But EVs aren’t without their issues. The first being – in the case of the Bolt and the Hyundai Kona – a recall on batteries that have been known to catch fire.

Dan Clements’ 2021 Chevy Bolt. SUBMITTED PHOTO

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continued from page 12

“[B]ut not only is GM addressing this, they’ve changed their battery technology and all the newer GM EVs will have different battery architecture to improve their reliability,” Clements said. And EVs aren’t the only ones whose parts have been recalled.

“Every gas car we’ve ever owned has had a recall,” Deckelmann’s wife, Angela, pointed out.

In fact, it’s just one of the many misconceptions about EVs that she and her husband would like to dispel, starting with the controversy over environmental impact.

“Making a car is not environmentally friendly,” Deckelmann began. “It’s using natural resources. So, let’s agree that that’s a wash. But making energy at scale,” – through wind or water turbines or solar panels – “is always way more

efficient than driving a car because internal combustion is so inefficient. Only 25 percent of the energy actually moves the car. The rest is just wasted.”

Which is where another common misconception, that EV drivers suffer from constant range-anxiety, comes in. Deckelmann theorizes that most car owners, used to an idling engine that continually uses fuel, simply aren’t used to an EV that, when the car stops moving, requires little to no power.

“When a car is idling it’s got to run all the bits and parts, costing  you energy,” he said. He acknowledged that the difference is something car owners will simply have to get used to.

That, and a change in obtaining “fuel” which, in the case of EV cars, takes some getting used to. While the number of EV charging stations is growing, it’s not like there’s one on every corner. And

“refueling” with a battery charge takes more time even once a station is located.

“You have to be in the right mindset to put up with the changing infrastructure,” Deckelmann pointed out. He listed apps like PlugShare and networks like Electrify America as two of his favorite resources when traveling.

Because EVs aren’t just for commuting or short trips.

“Many people drive around the country in their EVs with no issues,” Clements pointed out. “…There are many options for travel charging and that list is growing almost daily.”

So, too, are the innovations in the vehicles themselves. Reverse charging capabilities, portable battery options and towing capacity are now possibilities.

“The simple number of new models coming out as, or adding, an EV is

huge,” Clements continued. “We actually leased our second EV in the family simply because in three years there’s going to be so many new EV options that we wanted a way to have our EV now (we got a Kia Niro… and love it) and then have all the new options in three years.”

He firmly believes that EV vehicles are something everyone should at least try. “Do not be afraid of new and different,” he advised. “Go and test drive one. Go and look and see what rebates there are and how they apply to you. If you do not live in a single-family home that you own, see if you can have the landlord set up for a charging station, or at apartments, install charging stations (building owners often get tax credits for this, too)…

“It’s a fun new world in EV driving and you should check it out.”

By Melissa Wagoner

When Pam Russell and her husband purchased their home in Silverton in May 2021, they were excited to have a place of their own for the first time in 15 years. Newly retired empty-nesters, the couple thought they might take up gardening on the small plot of land. That’s when they discovered an interloper that just would not go away – the tree of heaven.

“The neighbors have a tree that was damaged in the ice storm,” she said of the first time the parent tree caught her eye.

Then spring came and tiny seedlings started popping up everywhere, even inside patio pots.

“Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)

is a highly invasive broadleaf tree,” Brooke Edmunds – the community horticulturalist for Marion and Polk County – confirmed. Noting that, because of these invasive tendencies,

she and her colleagues are continually answering questions, directed toward the Master Gardener Help Desk, about how best to deal with unwanted seedlings.

“The root system of tree of heaven is also known to invade sewer and septic systems. It can crack building foundations,” she said listing the many issues the plant’s unchecked growth can cause. “The tree has a ‘weedy’ growth habit and sends up root sprouts. And to top it off, it smells bad and the branches are prone to breaking off in the wind and ice.”

But how did it get here in the first place?

“The tree of heaven... is native to China, where its leaves, roots and bark were used in traditional herbal medicine,” Ana Farris, the Botanical Curator and Horticulture Supervisor at The Oregon Garden, said of the plant’s origin story. “It was introduced to Europe in the early 1700s

Ailanthus or the “tree of heaven.” © VILLI45 / 123RF.COM

Tree of Heaven

continued from page 1

because of its appeal as an attractive ornamental. By the late 1700s it had been brought to the United States; the first documented sighting in Oregon was in Wasco County in 1904.”

And since that date it has continued to spread, popping up in yards and gardens across the state, including at The Oregon Garden where continued vigilance by the horticulture staff is required to keep the plant in check.

“At The Oregon Garden we control it by cutting down the stalk and applying an herbicide to the freshly cut stem, making sure to apply it directly to the cambium layer of the plant to ensure it is absorbed into the vascular system,” Farris described. “This prevents the plant from suckering after being cut down. We typically use a product called Tordon which can be found at your local farm store such as Wilco.”

It’s the most effective method for the tree’s removal, according to both Farris and Edmunds who cautioned, “just cutting the tree down does not mean that you are rid of the problem.”

Rather, parent trees can continue to produce shoots

along a root system up to 100 feet away.

And for those – like Russells’ neighbor – whose property already boasts a mature tree, Edmunds stressed the importance of hiring a certified arborist because there is never an instance where continued growth of this tree should go unchecked.

“This plant is on Oregon’s Noxious Weed list and should not be planted,” she stated, going on to suggest that, once the trees and seedlings have been removed, planting a native tree would be a more appropriate choice.

“Check out the OSU Extension guide ‘Selecting, Planting, and Caring for a New Tree’ for ideas to fit your location,” she recommended.

Similarly, Farris added, “If you are looking for an alternative to tree of heaven that will also have beautiful fall color, consider staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina), smooth sumac (Rhus glabra), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), black walnut (Juglans nigra) or sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua).”

Just don’t “for heaven’s sake” continue to let them spread.

Need a flavor boost in your cooking without adding salt? Try growing favorite herbs in your garden, a porch container or in a sunny window. Many herbs, like rosemary and thyme, are perennials that will thrive in our “Mediterranean” climate. Annual herbs, like basil and dill, grow and bloom in one season then die, and are often cultivated indoors in the winter. Biennial herbs, like parsley, bloom their second year and may reseed themselves. Parsley is the most-grown herb, used mostly as an edible garnish. Herbs are not just culinary. Some are grown for their aromatic qualities, like mint and lavender. Herbs have interesting foliage and are used in fresh or dried arrangements. Some herbs, like garlic may have medicinal or health purposes. While medical practitioners recognize some herbs have healing qualities known since ancient times, a health care professional should be consulted because they may interact

with prescription or over-the-counter medications.

Nearly all herbs can be grown from seed. Cilantro, dill and fennel should be sown directly in the garden or container because they do not transplant well. Cuttings or divisions are easier ways to propagate oregano, chives, mint and marjoram. French tarragon is supposedly only started from a cutting or division, but seems to reseed prolifically and appear everywhere if allowed to bloom. Herbs grow best in well-drained fertile soil. Drainage is a key

to success since most herbs struggle or die in soggy soil. Compost is ideal; fertilizer encourages excessive foliage and reduced flavor. Some herbs, like mints, must be contained or they will spread and take over the garden.

Herbs require lots of sunlight to produce their flavors. Growing them indoors, even in a window, may require supplemental light. Without enough light they may stay alive but may stop growing, especially in winter. Indoor herbs may need weak weekly feeding with a liquid fertilizer to grow actively.

Very few insects attack herbs. Some herbs, like garlic and chives, are used as companion plants in the garden because they seem to repel pests. Deer do not like aromatic plants, generally. Aphids may be attracted to anise, caraway, dill, fennel and curly-leafed parsley, but can be washed off with a hose.

Certainly wash herbs before drying, eating or using them in food preparation. Fresh leaves can be picked as soon as the plant has enough foliage to absorb sunlight and grow actively. Cutting to one-third of their size will leave enough foliage to thrive. Herbs have their best flavor and aromas when harvested in the morning, and before flowering. Air-drying is the most common way to preserve herbs, but they may be frozen. Some, like basil, lose their flavor when dried and are best saved when chopped and frozen in an ice cube tray. For more information on herbs and other gardening advice, visit http://extension. oregonstate.edu . Master Gardeners have written some helpful one-page summaries available at www.cmastergardeners.org. Master Gardeners are available by phone most business hours at extension offices (in Tangent and Salem).

© ILUZIA / 123RF.COM

OSU Gardener’s May Chores

Oregon State University Extension Service encourages sustainable gardening practices. Always identify and monitor problems before acting. First, consider cultural controls; then physical, biological and chemical controls (which include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, botanical insecticides, organic and synthetic pesticides). Always consider the least-toxic approach first.

Recommendations in this calendar are applicable to Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

PLAN & PREPARE

Prepare and prime irrigation system for summer. Place pheromone traps in apple trees to detect presence of codling moth. Plan a control program of sprays, baits, or predators if found.

If needed, fertilize rhododendrons and azaleas with acid-type fertilizer. If established and healthy, their nutrient needs should be minimal. Remove spent blossoms.

PLANT

Plant dahlias, gladioli, and tuberous begonias in mid-May.

Plant chrysanthemums for fall color. When selecting new roses, choose plants labeled for resistance to diseases. Fertilize roses and control rose diseases

such as mildew with a registered fungicide. Plant most vegetables now; check with local gardeners. Use a soil thermometer to help you know when to plant vegetables. Wait until the soil is consistently above 70 degrees F to plant tomatoes, squash, melons, peppers and eggplant. Prevent root maggots when planting cole crops (cabbage, broccoli, collards and kale), by covering with row covers or screens, or by applying appropriate insecticides.

PUT PESTS OUT

Manage weeds while small and actively growing with light cultivation or herbicides. Once the weed has gone to bud, herbicides are less effective.

Trap moles and gophers as new mounds appear. Leaf-rolling worms may affect apples and blueberries. Prune off and destroy affected leaves. Monitor aphids on strawberries and ornamentals. If present, control options include washing off with water, hand removal, or using registered insecticides labeled for the problem plant. Follow all label directions. Promoting natural enemies (predators and parasitoids that eat or kill insects) is a longer-term solution for insect control in gardens. Spittlebugs may appear on ornamental plants as foam on stems. In most cases, they don’t require management. If desired, wash off with water or

use insecticidal soap as a contact spray. Read and follow label directions.

Control cabbageworms in cabbage and cauliflower, 12-spotted cucumber beetle in beans and lettuce, maggot in radishes. Control can involve hand removal, placing barrier screen over newly planted rows, or spraying or dusting with registered pesticides, labeled for use on the problem plant. Read and follow label directions when using insecticides.

Tiny holes in foliage and shiny, black beetles on tomato, beets, radishes, and potato indicate flea beetle attack. Treat with Neem, Bt-s, or use nematodes for larvae. Read and follow label directions when using insecticides.

Monitor rhododendrons, azaleas, primroses and other broadleaf ornamentals for adult root weevils. Look for fresh evidence of feeding (notching at leaf edges). Try sticky trap products on plant trunks to trap adult weevils. Protect against damaging the bark by applying the sticky material on a 4-inch wide band of poly sheeting or burlap wrapped around the trunk. Mark plants now and supply beneficial nematodes when soil temps are above 55 degrees F. If root weevils are a consistent problem, consider removing plants and choosing weevilresistant varieties.

Control slugs with bait or traps and by removing or mowing vegetation near garden plots.

Cabbage worm nibbling on kale. © DIGIHELION / 123RF.COM

Ladybug hunting aphids. © SANDERMEERTINSPHOTOGRAPHY / 123RF.COM

Reimagining care

By Brenna Wiegand

Christopher Thoming, MD, MBA, has been selected to serve as the vice president and chief medical officer for Legacy Silverton Medical Center. Dr. Thoming will work closely with Legacy Silverton Medical Center President

Jonathan Avery and Chief Nursing Officer Karen Brady to promote safe, high-quality care and clinical operations and contribute to the medical center and service area’s strategy, growth, and operations.

Legacy has instituted chief medical officer positions at all its hospitals. Under the purview of Legacy Health Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Seth Podolsky, Thoming is the chief medical officer for Legacy Silverton Medical Center and Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center.

Legacy appoints a Chief Medical Officer for Silverton

“The creation of new, critical physician roles at Legacy Health will help reimagine new and better ways to align and create a transformational approach to care,” Kristin Whitney, Public Relations Strategist for Legacy Health, said. “Dr. Thoming will be instrumental in Legacy Health’s system integration, working on quality and clinical initiatives that cross system lines to support the organization while balancing the needs of Marion County residents.”

Dr. Thoming earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Oregon State University and his medical degree and MBA from Oregon Health Sciences University.

He spent 30 years as an emergency room doctor prior to his appointment as vice president of medical affairs in Legacy Health’s Willamette Valley Region.

In 2019 he turned his focus to enhancing physician relations, building strategic partnerships and improving quality in the region composed of Legacy Meridian Park and Legacy Silverton medical centers.

“There are some unique challenges for our area, including medical staff development,” Thoming said. “Much of our time is spent looking strategically at where our needs are for physician talent and bringing those services here. This includes the whole spectrum of medical professionals.”

Being thrust into a protracted global pandemic has put unprecedented strain on health care throughout the nation, but it has also helped health care organizations identify weak points. This information has catalyzed discussions that were going on prior to the pandemic.

“We were discussing how we can enhance our quality and provide equitable access to people and now an important factor in all of this is the use of telehealth,” Thoming said. “The pandemic has increased its adoption and its ultimate place in our healthcare armamentarium and we’re going to figure out how to use it to extend the leverage of these precious resources across our area rather than having patients drive downtown for care.

“I think there’s a lot to be said about what’s coming in terms of precision medicine and working to change our operational approach to health care by becoming more patient-centric,” Thoming said. “The customers determine our value and care should be about the customer and on the customer’s timetable and we should be as far upstream as possible in the way we design our program and how we deploy our people.”

The inclusion of these positions brings the physician into operational leadership and can lend a more clinical eye to decisions around how their health care is delivered.

“This is a positive for the communities in our system and we’re off to a good start,” Thoming said. “Time will tell in terms of how the actual physicians manifest themselves.

“We’ve got a great group of folks providing excellent strategic leadership and I can only see it enhancing the type of care we provide at Meridian Park and Silverton.”

Dr. Christopher Thoming SUBMITTED

Douglas ‘Chet’ Bunting

June 16, 1953 – April 4, 2022

Douglas “Chet” Bunting was born on June 16, 1953 to Bill and Lavona Bunting. Doug’s youthful love was playing basketball. He played for both Silverton High and Chemeketa Community College, where he broke single-game scoring records for both schools.

He received a teaching degree from OCE but spent most of his life working as a concrete finisher for Manning Concrete until the age of 67.

Doug had a great love for sports. He spent time hunting, fishing, playing guitar, shuffleboard and walking around his favorite store, Bi-Mart.

He was very proud of family and many friendships and loved to tell stories to any who would listen.

Doug is survived by his brother, Paul Bunting; nephew, Josh (Quena) Harris; niece, Esja (Eric) Rappé; great nephews, Eric Jr. and Evan Rappé; and great nieces, Nell and Téa Harris. He was preceded

Mark Allen Treat 1954 – 2022

Mark Allen Treat, 67, passed away April 12, 2022, at Salem Health Hospital of cancer.

Born in Pasadena, California in 1954 to Irwin and Dortha Treat. Graduated from Duarte High School in California, settling in Silverton, Oregon in 1979. Mark started his own cable splicing business for many years then worked for Frontier until retirement. Mark enjoyed fishing, crabbing, hiking, and most recently travel trailer camping with girlfriend, Brigitte Johnson. Mark is survived by sister, Susan Sommerville; two daughters; a granddaughter and a great granddaughter.

in death by his father and mother; sister, Melody Harris; and brother-in-law, Ken Harris.

A memorial service was held on April 23 at Silverton Middle School Gymnasium. A private interment was at Valley View Cemetery. Arrangements are with Unger Funeral Chapel – Silverton.

Submissions welcomed: Our Town appreciates the opportuity to share life’s Passages with our readers. If there is a birth, engagement, wedding, anniversary, college graduation or obituary of a local resident you’d like to share, please send it to ourtown.life@mtangelpub.com or mail it to Editor, Our Town, P.O. Box 927, Mount Angel, OR 97362, or drop it by our office at 401 Oak St., Silverton any weekday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The COVID-19 outbreak has created added challenges for us all. We are here to bring clarity and confidence to your financial life during this difficult time. Call us to request a sophisticated retirement planning projection. We are a team of LPL Financial investment advisor representatives including a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ accepting new clients with $250,000 or more of investable assets.

Stay safe and stay healthy.

Christopher Albert May

Christopher Albert May was born May 20, 1977 in Klamath Falls, Oregon to Stephen and Sheryl (Sherry) May, but soon left Klamath Falls to head north to Eugene for three years and then on to Silverton, Oregon where he was a part of the Silverton High graduating class of 1995.

He spent the next years exploring what he wanted to do with his life. He attended Santa Rose Junior College where he played water polo for the school and was in the choir, which gave him the opportunity to travel to Europe with a group in the summer. He then went to Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon to study firefighting and while there enjoyed other things like ballroom and swing dancing competition. While in Corvallis, he became a firefighter before moving into wildland firefighting for several years.

It was there his daughter, Alora, was born in 2004. He also picked up the farrier trade (shoeing horses) which took him to Bend, Oregon where Ty joined the family in 2011. Christopher met and married the

May 20, 1977 – April 14, 2022

love of his life, Sarah, in 2018. Most recently he was working at Facebook, responsible for care and setup of the AV requirements and needs for the complex in Prineville, Oregon.

He enjoyed activities, including soccer, swimming, water polo, hiking, singing, and more. Always with his family, he was a great father, and always willing to lend a hand to anyone who needed help. He would always bounce back against any problems and then just move on.

Christopher leaves behind his wife, Sarah; children, Alora, Ty, Maggie, and Westley; his parents, Stephen and Sherry May; brothers, Scott (Holly) May and Todd (Kathy) May; sister, Bridgette (Ed) Johnson; and nephews and nieces, Zachary, Samantha, Maxwell, Evan, and Ashley.

Services will be held Saturday, May 7 at 3:30 p.m. at Redmond Grange, Redmond, Oregon. A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, May 22 at Silverton Elks Lodge from 2 to 5 p.m.

Michael Provonsha June 4, 1937 — April 4, 2022

Douglas Bunting June 16, 1953 — April 4, 2022

Mary Brenneman Sept. 3, 1943 — April 9, 2022

Jodi Miller-Pfaff Sept. 25, 1947 — April 9, 2022

Warren Levecke Oct.17, 1924 — April 11, 2022

Gary Olson Oct. 16, 1970 — April 15, 2022

Casting a long shadow

By Melissa Wagoner

It’s been two years since the COVID19 pandemic began. And while we still have not reached the “end” (wherever that may be) Our Town asked readers to describe what the pandemic era been. “My best friend’s marriage fell apart after 35 years...” Yvette Marty recalled. “Without all of her activities, not seeing her children and grandchildren… she took her life… I haven’t seen family in more than two years. I work from home and no longer see coworkers. For the first time in my life, I have been dealing with my own mental and physical health issues. I have felt more lonely than ever before. Confidence is more shaky and anxiety is high. Cost of living has increased making finances tighter and now with the war, its worse than ever. People are more angry, full of hate, and stressed to the limits. I pray that the world returns back to some form of normalcy.”

“My aunt and cousin both passed away from COVID, within about a month of each other,” Megan Elizabeth shared.

“Also, I work for the state, exclusively from home, on unemployment cases from two years ago. The fraud department of OED is that backed up.”

“The positive is our daughters, now four and six, got really close with each other when they weren’t able to play with friends for the majority of the pandemic,” Brittany Tangeman shared.

“Some of the negatives are the everchanging landscape of being a healthcare worker during the pandemic. Going from being respected and appreciated by the general public to now being burnt out and feeling forgotten. Anxiety continues to be high as my youngest is still too young to be vaccinated.”

“I lost my best friend, he was 50 and healthy,” Tony Samperi, Jr. said. “I lost my father, who did have COPD, but without COVID he would probably still be here. The sudden losses cause

Community College

sadness, for sure, but also a greater appreciation of people close to you that are still here.”

“My hair fell out three months after having COVID…” Kathryn BillingsMcKeown said. “Yes, I am alive and well, but I really miss my hair!”

“I and my family had to move continents,” Eric Hammond commented. “China back to the US.”

“I still suffer from Long COVID – two years on March 15,” Michele Stone Finicle shared. “I had to leave my career but I have found a community of hundreds of thousands of the strongest, most uplifting people on the planet despite disability. I have served as a Long COVID patient advocate for OHSU and Kaiser Permanente and serve in a national advocacy project promoting recognition, research, resources, and treatment for Long Haulers. It has forced me to slow down, evaluate what is worth my attention, and reconnect to a slow, purposeful rhythm of life. It has

completely upended my life in terribly frightening and terribly beautiful ways.”

“My issue with germs is a lot worse now,” Melissa Powell admitted.  “[I] can’t touch anything in public places without my hands feeling dirty. I got lucky though, I have a lot of vulnerable friends and family that I could have lost.”

“We lost my mom and mother-inlaw to COVID,” Lichen June said. “I still struggle with Long COVID after two years (March 12). Grief during quarantine has been hard. Seeking help for a condition that the doctors and researchers do not yet understand has also been hard. I have a number of friends who also struggle with Long COVID. I hope our struggle leads to answers and ease for others in the future. I am no longer able to go to work and I had to close the nonprofit I ran. While I am not enjoying the limitations of my disability, I am enjoying my garden on our small farm and growing food for

members share experiences after two years of COVID

others as a way to still give back. I feel I have learned some important lessons in how to simplify my life by necessity.”

“Our public-school teachers worked so hard to take care of me and my family,” Hallie Lovegood recalled.

“Even bringing us meals when we were extremely sick. They held my hand and my kids’ hands through the years that took almost everything I’ve worked for away from me. I am severely disabled from Long COVID now, and I hold on to what our teachers did for us when I need hope.”

“I could not visit my dad with Alzheimers in memory care for a year and a half,” Patti Browder recalled. “[We] had to make do with waving through a non-opening window, attempts to talk over the phone, attempts to Skype. Very confusing for someone who has little memory from one moment to the next, who has severe hearing and vision problems. Finally, my dad’s wife could take it no longer and brought him

home. Six months later he peacefully passed, but it was very difficult. And still brings tears to my eyes. When asked at one point what he wanted for his

birthday, my dad in a moment of clarity said, ‘for you to be inside here with me.’”

“Our neighbors started an outside socially distanced ‘happy hour’ March 19, 2020 and we have met weekly since then,” Colleen Berg Stravens described. “We live in an area where houses are far apart and we didn’t know some of our neighbors. We’ve gone through a lot together these past two years but we always knew we could count on our neighbors.”

“I was able to take the longest vacation of my entire life and career,” Nicholas Alan Coffey said. “I’m self-employed and never could find time to take time off and it forced me to take a threemonth long vacation. I still made money as I do online things, but I got to do that from home. Was the best year ever.”

“I’m four months into COVID and still on oxygen,” Hazel Trask Spees described. “I spent 17 days in the

hospital... If not for an answered prayer I would have died... Now I’m back home and very limited on how much I can do until my lungs heal. I was making a little money on the side to help carry me, now I can’t do that. COVID is an awful disease.”

“I got a ‘bonus son’,” Colette Clarke wrote. “My son’s best friend was living with his girlfriend in Arizona and they broke up just as COVID-19 hit. He had nowhere to go because he had a really dysfunctional family, so he came to live with us. We rode out the lockdown together and now I have two sons!”

“The isolation just exacerbated [my mother’s] dementia, and we lost her three and a half weeks ago,” Lisa Summers Kutsch said. “While the facilities may have kept the residents physically safe, it nearly destroyed them mentally and emotionally.”

Healthcare worker Brittany Tangeman during the pandemic. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Frequent Addresses

Mt. Angel Public Library, 290 E Charles St.

Silverton High, 1456 Pine St., Silverton.

Silverton Senior Center, 115 Westfield 50 & older. 503-873-3093

Silver Creek Fellowship, 822 NE Industrial Way, Silverton.

Weekly Events

Monday

SACA Food Pantry, 9 a.m. - noon, SACA, 421 S Water St., Silverton.

Repeats Thursdays. 503-873-3446, silvertonareacommunityaid.org

Bridge, 10 a.m., Silverton Senior Center.

Mt. Angel Community & Senior Center

Store, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., 195 E Charles St.

Repeats Tues. - Sat. 503-845-6998

Silverton Meals on Wheels, 11:30 a.m.

Delivery only. $3 donation suggested.

Monday - Friday. Carol, 503-873-6906.

Mt. Angel Senior Meals, 11:30 a.m.

Delivery only. $3 donation suggested.

Repeats Thursdays. Ginger, 503-845-9464.

Silverton Recovery AA, noon - 1 p.m.,

302 N Water St. Seven days a week.

Poker, 12:30 p.m., Silverton Senior Center.

Silvertone Ukulele Network, 3:30 p.m., Silverton Senior Center.

Peaceful Heart, 4 - 5 p.m., Silverton Senior Center. Yoga breathing, kirtan and yoga philosophy. No experience required. Everyone welcome. Refreshments served. Free. peacefulheartkirtan@gmail.com

Free Dinner, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., Oak Street Church, 502 Oak St., Silverton. Pickup only. Open to all. 503-873-5446

TaekwonDo, 7 p.m., Silverton Senior Center. Repeats Thursdays. Jon Haynes, 503-873-3663

Tuesday

Silver Angel Foot Clinic, Silverton Senior Center. Repeats Wednesdays. Call for appointment. 503-873-3093

Scotts Mills Food Boxes, 9 - 11 a.m., Scotts Mills Community Center, 298 Fourth St. For esidents in Scotts Mills/ Butte Creek/Monitor rural areas. Food donations welcome. Niki Barber, 503-873-5059

Simple Qigong, 9:45 a.m., Silverton Senior Center. Set to music. $8. Repeats Thursdays.

Community Helpers Family Storytime, 10:30 a.m., Mt. Angel Public Library. Age 2 - 5. Recordings posted at mtangelreads. readsquared.com. 503-845-6401

Indoor Playtime, 11 a.m. - noon, Mt. Angel Public Library. Age 2 - 5. All toys provided. 503-845-6401

Mt. Angel Food Pantry, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Mt. Angel Community Center, 195 E Charles St. Repeats Wed. 503-845-6998

Pinochle, 11:30 a.m., Silverton Senior Center, Repeats Fridays.

Tune Tours Afternoon Show, 2 - 5 p.m., Mt. Angel Theater & Stu.dio, 220 E Charles St. Live music and entertainment specifically designed for music lovers and seniors, but all are welcome. $10. In association with Abiqua Studios & Tune Tours. Repeats

Thursdays. Jon, 323-449-1183

Stories and STEAM, 3:30 p.m., Mt. Angel Public Library. Family storytime around a specific theme that incorporates Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math. Free.

Ages 6 - 10. 503-845-6401

SACA Food Pantry, 4 - 7 p.m., SACA, 421 S Water St., Silverton. 503-873-3446, silvertonareacommunityaid.org

Serenity Al-Anon Meeting, 5:30 p.m. Zoom. Repeats 10 a.m. Saturdays. For Zoom link, call Barbara K, 503-269-0952.

Wednesday

Knit Wits, 10 a.m. - noon, Silverton Senior Center.

Mission Benedict Food Pantry, 1 - 4 p.m., St. Joseph Shelter, 925 S Main St., Mt. Angel. Repeats Friday. 503-845-2468

Open Art Studio, 1 - 4 p.m., Silverton Senior Center.

Line Dancing, 1 - 2 p.m., Silver Creek Fellowship,. No registration required. Free; donations accepted for instructor. Open to all. Sheila, 503-409-4498

Silver Chips Woodcarving Sessions, 1 - 4 p.m., Silverton Arts Association, 303 Coolidge St., Silverton. $2 a week. All skill levels. 503-873-4512.

Mission of Hope Food Pantry, 2 - 4 p.m., Silver Creek Fellowship. 503-873-7353

Thursday

Free Coffee, 7 - 9 a.m., Scotts Mills

Community Center, 298 Fourth St.

Yoga, 8:30 a.m., Silverton Senior Center. $5. Repeats Thursdays.

Yoga, 9 a.m., Silver Creek Fellowship. Instructor Marg Jones. Open to all. Sheila, 503-409-4498

Bingo, 10 a.m., Silverton Senior Center. $1 per card, $2 for three cards.

Free Covid-19 Testing & Vaccine Clinic, noon - 7 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds Pavilion, 2330 NE 17th Ave., Salem. PCR testing and all three vaccines available, including booster and pediatric doses. Flu shots available. Walk-in only. Free. Repeats noon - 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday; 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday. co.marion.or.us/HLT/PH

Mediation & Shared Dialog, 7 - 8:30 p.m. All spiritual traditions welcome. Request invitation for virtual gather by emailing compassionatepresence@yahoo.com.

971-218-6641

Friday

Toastmaster Club, 7:30 a.m., Zoom. Increase listening skills, speaking, thinking and evaluating. Contact tmcommunicators@ gmail.com for Zoom link.

Silvertones Community Singers, 10:30 a.m., Silverton United Methodist Church, 203 Main St. Anyone who loves to sing is welcome. Tomi, 503-873-2033

Shelf Indulgence, 11 a.m., Silverton Senior Center. Local senior authors book sharing. Free.

Saturday

Silverton Farmers Market, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Silverton United Methodist Church, 204 W Main St. Fresh produce, plants, flowers. Every Saturday. 503-873-5615

Oregon Crafters Market, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., 215 N Water St., Silverton. Local crafters & artists, live music, food & spirits. Repeats noon - 5 p.m. Sundays. oregoncraftersmarket.com

Saturday Free Lunch, noon - 1:30 p.m., Trinity Lutheran Church, 500 N Second St., Silverton. Pickup only. Open to all. 503-939-3459

Silverton Country Historical Society

Museum, 1 - 4 p.m., 428 S Water St., Silverton. Repeats Sundays. silverton. museum@live.com

Peaceful Heart, 2 - 3 p.m., Silverton Community Center, 421 S Water St. Yoga breathing, kirtan and yoga philosophy. No experience required. Everyone welcome. Refreshments served. Free. peacefulheartkirtan@gmail.com

Sunday, May 1

May Day

Puzzle Exchange

1 - 3 p.m., Mt. Angel Mercantile B&B, 495 E College St. Exchange a puzzle for a new-to-you one. Every first Sunday. Email: mary@maryfranklin.net.

Monday, May 2

Silverton City Council

6 p.m., Silverton High. Open to public. Agenda available. 503-873-5321, silverton.or.us

Mt. Angel City Council

7 p.m., Mount Angel Public Library. Open to public. Agenda available. 503-845-9291, ci.mt-angel.or.us

Tuesday, May 3

Caregiver Connection

2 - 3:30 p.m. Zoom. For family caregivers and/or unpaid family caregivers. Free. To register, contact Suzy, 503-304-3429, suzy.deeds@nwsds.org

American Legion Post #89

6:30 p.m., American Legion Hall, 740 E College St., Mt. Angel. All veterans are welcome. 503-845-6119

Silverton Garden Club

7 p.m., Silverton Senior Center. New members welcome. 805-807-4385

Wednesday, May 4

STEAM Girls

3:15 - 4:30 p.m., Mt. Angel Public Library. Experiment and explore STEAM themes with other middle school girls. Grades 6 - 8. Snacks provided. Free. Repeats May 18. 503-845-6401

Bicycle Camping

6 p.m., Fall Line Sports, 302 Lewis St., Silverton. Get introduced to bicycle camping through talk, question and answer period and looking at equipment. Planned two-night ride from Silverton June 3 - 5. 503-873-0977

Virtual Trivia Night

7 p.m. Zoom. Test your knowledge on a variety of topics. For Zoom invite, contact Ron Drake at Silver Falls Library, 503-8738796. Repeats May 18.

Scotts Mills Budget Committee

7 p.m., Scotts Mill City Hall, 265 Fourth St. Meeting to receive the budget message and comment from the public. Open to public. A copy of the budget can be obtained 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday at City Hall. 503-873-5435, scottsmills.org

Thursday, May 5

Cinco de Mayo

Silverton Kiwanis Club

7 a.m., Main St. Bistro, 201 E Main St., Silverton. Bi-monthly meeting of Silverton Kiwanis Club. New members welcome. Repeats May 19.

Cinco de Mayo Celebration

3:30 p.m., Mt. Angel Public Library. Make festive tissue paper flowers, decorate maracas and take home a holiday-themed treat. All ages. Free. 503-845-6401

Friday, May 6

World Labyrinth Day

1 p.m., Queen of Angels Monastery, 840 S Main St., Mt. Angel. Celebrate World Labyrinth Day and take steps for peace. A brief explanation of the Peace Walk on the labyrinth is at 12:45 p.m. Free. Refreshments afterward. To register, call Sister Dorothy Jean Beyer, 503-845-2556.

First Friday in Silverton

7 – 9 p.m. Explore the historic downtown, have dinner, shop, browse galleries, boutiques. 503873-5615, silvertonchamber.org

Master Gardener Plant Sale

10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 NE 17th St., Salem. Gardening tips and demos. More than 10,000 plants available. Buy a plant and a pot, and get it planted for free. Free parking and admission. Repeats 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. May 7. Marioncomga.org

Plant Sale

1 - 4 p.m., Angel’s Auto Werkes, 120 Main St., Mt. Angel. Flower baskets, cacti, succulent sale sponsored by Mt. Angel American Legion Post #89 Auxiliary.

LEGO Lab

3 - 4:30 p.m., Mt. Angel Public Library. Build an original creation out of LEGOs to put on display at the library. All supplies provided. All ages. Free. Repeats May 20.

503-845-6401

Lunaria Gallery First Friday

7 - 9 p.m., Lunaria Gallery, 113 N Water St., Silverton. Meet the artists of the gallery’s May showing: “New Work” by Helen Nute Wiens in the Mail Floor Gallery; Lunaria Gallery Intern Raya Sherrett in the Loft Gallery. The show runs 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday - Sunday through May 29. Free. 503-873-7734, lunariagallery.com

Saturday, May 7

Community Breakfast

8 - 11 a.m., Silverton Senior Center. Breakfast sandwich or two eggs cooked your way with sausage and fresh scones from Silverton Bake Shop. Sponsored by Profitable Planning. Free. Donations accepted. All ages. 503-873-3093

Free Comic Book Day

Noon - 5 p.m., Mt. Angel Public Library. Stop by the library and receive a free comic book. All ages. 503-845-6401

Food Equity Discussion

3 - 5 p.m., Silverton United Methodist Church, 203 W Main St. All are welcome to attend this discussion to learn about food equity, identify inequities in our greater Silverton-area food system and connect people and organizations to begin addressing issues. Hosted by Silverton Food Co-op.

Sunday, May 8

Mother’s Day

Scotts Mills Historical Museum

1 - 5 p.m., 210 Grandview Ave. Open for public browsing. Free. Open by appointment by contacting Joe Plas, 503871-9803; Lois Ray, 503-868-1765; Lynn Borek, 425-698-9016; smahsmuseum@ gmail.com

Monday, May 9

Mini Repair Fair

3 - 6 p.m., Coolidge McClaine Park, Silverton. Bring items to be fixed by “fixberts” as they share their expertise at no cost. Suggested items: bicycles, lamps, small kitchen and household appliances, electronics, sewing & textile repair. Reserve a spot at http:// bit.ly/Silverfallsrepairfairsignup. Walkins also welcome. Sponsored by Marion County Environmental Services, Sustainable Silverton and Silver Falls Library.

Mt. Angel School District

6:30 p.m. Zoom. Agenda available. Open to public. Zoom link at masd91.org. 503-845-2345

Silver Falls School District Board

7 p.m., Zoom. Agenda available. Open to public. For login details: 503-873-5303, silverfallsschools.org

Tuesday, May 10

Ancestry Detectives

10 a.m. Zoom. Bring your brickwall issues and hear how Kathy cleared a mixed identity in her research. For Zoom information, contact David Stewart, ancestrydetectives353@gmail.com.

STEAM Activity Packet

9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mt. Angel Public Library. Pick up a packet and create jumbo animal dice using a template and imagination. Grades K-5. Free. Pick up available all month while supplies last.

503-845-6401

Lotus Flower Lantern Craft

6:30 p.m. Zoom. The Korean Spirit and Culture Project offers patrons a chance to make a lotus lantern craft and learn about Korea. Ages 10 and older, adults. Call the Silver Falls Library, 503-873-8796, to register and reserve a lotus lantern kit. While supplies last.

Wednesday, May 11

Paper Quilling

1 p.m., Mt. Angel Public Library. Gather to learn the techniques of paper quilling and leave with an 8-inch wall hanging. Adults only. All supplies provided. Free. 503-845-6401

Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book Club

6:30 p.m. Zoom. Discuss The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. Everyone is welcome. For Zoom invite, contact Ron Drake at Silver Falls Library, 503-873-8796.

Thursday, May 12

Teen Arts & Crafts

4:30 p.m., Mt. Angel Public Library. Scratch Art in a step-by-step class. Snacks provided. Teens only. Free. 503-845-6401

Friday, May 13

Movie in the Park

4:30 p.m., Berchtold Park, 290 E Charles St., Mt. Angel. Bring a chair and enjoy Encanto on the library’s new outdoor theater. Free sno-cones. All ages. Free. 503-845-6401

Awards Night - The Next Friday

5 - 8 p.m., downtown Mt. Angel. Mt. Angel shops and restaurants open until 8 p.m. the second Friday of each month. Retail shops will host refreshments. Mt. Angl Chamber Community Awards presentations start at 6 p.m. mtangelchamber.com

Saturday, May 14

Resource Fair

Noon - 2 p.m., Silverton Senior Center. Silverton Senior Center is updating its community resources such as caregivers, drivers, housekeepers, handymen, etc. Stop by and fill out a form so seniors can be referred to your business. 503-873-3093

Sunday, May 15

Taizé Prayer

7 p.m., Benedictine Sisters’ Queen of Angels Chapel, 840 S Main St., Mt. Angel. Open to public. 503-845-6773

Monday, May 16

Silverton City Council

6 p.m., Silverton High. Work session. Open to public. Agenda available. 503873-5321, silverton.or.us

Tuesday, May 17

Take & Make Packets

9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mt. Angel Public Library. Pick up a packet and make your own DNA models out of toothpicks and candy. Tweens & teens. Free. Pick up available all month while supplies last. 503-845-6401

Prayer of the Heart

3:30 - 4:30 p.m., Queen of Angels Monastery, 840 S Main St., Mt. Angel. All are welcome to join the contemplative prayer group. Benedctine-srs.org

Library Book Club

7 p.m. Zoom. Discuss A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. Everyone is welcome. For Zoom invite, contact Ron at Silver Falls Library, 503-873-8796.

Wednesday, May 18

Mt. Angel Library Board

6:30 p.m., Mt. Angel Public Library. The Advisory Board advises, recommends and advocates for the library. Open to public. 503-845-6401

Thursday, May 19

Book Group for Adults

1 p.m., Mt. Angel Public Library. Gather to discuss The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain. Copies are available at the library. Adults only. Free. 503-845-6401

Virtual Writers’ Group

6:30 p.m. Zoom. Share what you have been working on or just listen in to see what others are writing. Open to all. For Zoom invite, contact Ron Drake at Silver Falls Library, 503-873-8796. Mt. Angel Planning Commission

7 p.m., Mt. Angel Public Library. Open to public. Agenda available. 503-845-9291

Friday, May 20

Red Cross Blood Drive

8 a.m. - 2 p.m., Silverton High. Appointments needed by visiting redcrossblood.org.

Saturday, May 21

Armed Forces Day

Monthly Book Talk

9:30 a.m. - noon, Zoom. Discuss Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner. Open to all. Free. Contact Sr. Dorothy Jean Beyer at 503-845-2556, dorothyjeanb7@gmail.com.

Silverton Pet Parade

10 a.m. Silverton. Hundreds and pets and their owners dressed in outrageous and fanciful costumes take part. All types of pets welcome. Children without pets are encouraged to dress in costume. No fee to participate. Participants line up beginning at 9:30 a.m. Parade travels down Coolidge Street, along Main Street to First Street and ending at the old Eugene Field School. silvertonpetparade.com

Spring Tea

2 p.m., Silverton Senior Center. Tea and gift basket drawings. $15 per person, limited seating. Drawing tickets are available at the senior center. 503-873-3093

Wednesday, May 25

Virtual Film Discussion

7 p.m. Zoom. Watch Harold and Maude on your own and then join the Zoom meeting for a moderated discussion. For Zoom invite, contact Ron Drake at Silver Falls Library, 503-873-8796.

Scotts Mills Historical Society Board

7 - 8 p.m., Scotts Mills Museum, 210 Grandview. Open to public. 503-871-9803

Thursday, May 26

Paint Night

4:30 p.m., Mt. Angel Public Library. Paint the Oregon mountains in a step-by-step class. All supplies provided. Teens and adults only. Space is limited. Register at the library or by calling 503-845-6401.

Monday, May 30

Memorial Day

Memorial Day Service

9:30 a.m., Calvary Cemetery, Mount Angel. Patriotic and liturgical music, mass, placement of memorial wreath, reading of names of fallen, honor guard. All welcome. Bring lawn chairs. In case of rain service will take place at St. Mary Church.

Vigil for Peace

2:30 - 3:30 p.m., Towne Square Park, Silverton. Silverton People for Peace gather to advocate for peace, social justice issues including a focus on issues of current concern. Open to all. 503-873-5307

An article in the April 1 issue of Our Town [specifically in Your Garden] didn’t have a lot of good things to say about lawns. While we believe the author is entitled to her opinion, as grass seed growers in the area we are proud of the crop we produce and would like to point out some of the many benefits lawns provide.

First off, the article started by acknowledging a lush, green lawn looks beautiful and feels fabulous underfoot and can serve a purpose as a backdrop for picnics, sporting events or just lounging in the sun. These are all true and valid points and, we believe, should not be dismissed as unimportant.

A healthy home lawn provides aesthetic benefits, environmental benefits, practical benefits as a playing surface for sports or just for kids having fun and even economic benefits in its ability to raise the value of a home as much as 15 percent, according to some estimates.

A healthy lawn can help cool the environment. One study showed that on a hot day, the surface of a lawn can be around 75 degrees Fahrenheit while a sidewalk or street can be well over 100 degrees.

Also, a healthy lawn of 50-feet-by-50-feet produces enough oxygen for a family of four.

And if you follow some simple steps, like setting your mowing height a little higher than you might think and leaving clippings on lawns, a lawn can take surprisingly little fertilizer, pesticides and water to maintain a lush, green appearance.

Leaving grass blades a bit longer allows them to shade the roots and provides more leaf surface for making food, so you can water, feed and mow less often.

Leaving clippings on lawns provides the soil with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the same nutrients found in commercial fertilizers. And if you have a mulching mower, you can mulch in leaves in the fall to add extra nutrients and save time raking.

Also, while many homeowners think they need to water lawns daily, turfgrasses actually prefer a thorough watering once or twice a week rather than a daily misting. Allowing the soil to dry between waterings encourages the grass to grow deeper roots and can improve a lawn’s drought tolerance.

And finally, overseeding a lawn in the fall before cold

temperatures hit can help your lawn emerge from the winter thicker and healthier, improving the grass’s ability to absorb water, fight insects, diseases and outgrow weeds.

As grass seed growers, we obviously are biased in favor of lawns. But we also think the science and aesthetics speak for themselves when it comes to evaluating the benefits of home lawns.

Blue Line Farms, Inc.

Taylor Farms, Inc.

Victor Point Farms

Your voice is welcome in Our Town

If you would like to send a letter to the editor, please submit to ourtown.life@mtangelpub.com. We publish on the first and the 15th of the month. Please keep your submission to no more than 500 words. It must be signed to be considered for publication. Please include your phone number, in case we have any questions. The number will not be published.

Equestrian stars Silverton heads to state off strong district finish

The Silverton High equestrian squad came within one point of claiming a team win in the third North Valley district competition of the season.

The Foxes scored 703 points in the April 7-10 Oregon High School Equestrian Teams (OHSET) event at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem. Canby won the large team competition with 704.

Teams from all eight OHSET districts are now pointing toward the May 12-15 state championships at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond.

Silverton brought home blue ribbons in four individual events and three team competitions in the third meet.

Samantha Griffin claimed three individual titles and participated on two team winners. Griffin won barrels, breakaway roping and steer daubing as an individual and teamed with Alexis Ditchen to win the two-man birangle

and Hannah Russell to claim working pairs.

Also winning an individual title was Danielle Velasco (figure 8), while Sidney King and Morgan Cuff won in team sorting.

Kennedy’s baseball and softball teams are looking like state contenders once again.

The two teams memorably finished second in state title bids on the same day in 2019, but COVID wiped out the 2020 season completely and the shortened 2021 campaign did not feature an official OSAA state title.

This year’s Trojans baseball squad is 12-2 overall, ranked second in the state and 7-1 in Special District 2 play. Kennedy is locked in a 3-way race for league dominance with 8-2 Culver (ranked 15th) and 6-3 Western Christian (ranked 4th). The Trojans play a three-game series with Culver starting Monday, May 9, while also faced with a 3-game set against 4-3 Santiam starting Monday, May 2. Three teams from the district advance to the 22-team Class 2A/1A state playoffs.

Kennedy softball is 7-3 overall, 6-0 in district play and ranked 6th. Santiam (4-2), Culver (3-1) and Jefferson (3-2) trail the Trojans in the standings. JFK has two games left against Culver and one vs. Santiam. The top three in the district qualify for the playoffs, but the 22-team girls bracket also includes three at-large slots.

Silverton baseball and softball also are

in the playoff hunt. The Foxes are 9-5 in baseball, with a 3-1 Mid-Willamette Conference record and the No. 11 ranking in Class 5A. The league is a mad scramble, with Corvallis (5-1), West Albany (4-0), Crescent Valley (4-2) and Lebanon (3-0) all battling with the Foxes for the 4 automatic playoff berths. There is one at-large slot and given that all 5 MWC contenders (as well as 3-3 Central) are in the top 14, the league stands a good chance of claiming that final position.

Silverton softball is 9-4 overall, 2-1 in league and ranked 13th in 5A. The Foxes, like their baseball counterparts, are 5th in the MWC, trailing Lebanon (5-0), Dallas-Falls City (5-0), Corvallis (3-2) and West Albany (3-2). The playoff situation is identical: the MWC has four automatic playoff berths and one statewide at-large berth exists. Got a news tip? Email me at james.d@ mtangelpub.com. Follow me on Twitter @ jameshday and Our Town on Facebook.

Sports Datebook Home contests only

Monday, May 2

Softball

4:20 p.m. Kennedy vs Santiam

5 p.m. Silverton vs Corvallis

Baseball

4:30 p.m. Kennedy vs Santiam

Tuesday, May 3

Thursday,

May 5

Baseball

4:30 p.m. Kennedy vs Santiam

Monday, May 9

Baseball

4:30 p.m. Kennedy vs Culver

5 p.m. Silverton vs Lebanon

Tuesday, May 10

Softball

Boys Tennis

4 p.m. Silverton vs Corvallis

Girls Tennis

4 p.m. Silverton vs Corvallis

Wednesday, May 4

Baseball

5 p.m. Silverton vs Crescent Valley

Boys Tennis

4 p.m. Silverton vs Stayton

Softball

4:30 p.m. Kennedy vs Central Linn

4:30 p.m. Kennedy vs Colton (double-header)

Softball

5 p.m. Silverton vs South Albany

Thursday, May 12

Baseball

4:30 p.m. Kennedy vs Culver

Friday, May 13

Baseball

5 p.m. Silverton vs West Albany

Softball

5 p.m. Silverton vs Crescent Valley

Track & Field

2A Special District 2 District Meet, Kennedy High

Saturday, May 14

Track & Field

2A Special District 2 District Meet, Kennedy High

Tuesday, May 17

Softball

4:30 p.m. Kennedy vs Amity

Thursday, May 19

Baseball

4:30 p.m. Kennedy vs Monroe

Friday, May 20

Baseball

5 p.m. Silverton vs Central

Softball

4:30 p.m. Silverton vs Central

SILVER FALLS FAMILY YMCA

Mark Your Calendars

Summer is almost here! There are lots of fun events coming – please see below for a snapshot of some upcoming programs.

First Friday Childcare

$5 first Friday care is available Friday, May 6 starting at 4:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required. Please call the pool at 503-873-6456 to secure your spot!

Bowling Tournament

We hope to see you Friday, May 13 at 5 p.m. at Silver Creek Lanes!

This fundraiser helps support our local Y branch by providing scholarships for our programs!

Registration is NOW open! Tournament includes three games for every team. Each team (5 bowlers) is $125 to register! Let’s fill up the lanes and support our local kids! To register please contact kbarnes@ theyonline.org

Swim-A-Thon

Come support our swim team on Saturday, May 21 at 4 p.m.! All proceeds benefit local swimmers on the Silver Falls Rapids team. This year they are fundraising for new equipment! Come cheer them on!

SPLASH Swim Lessons

SPLASH into summer with our 2022 SPLASH program! Join us June 13 –16 for $5 swim lessons.

Limited spots available! Register is OPEN! Call to confirm your spot today! Spots available at 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., and 6:30 p.m.

601

A Grin at the End

Finally ready Nadine’s gift

“I’m ready to die,” she said, turning her head toward the apartment window. I looked at my mother-in-law, Nadine Stack, not knowing what to say. This was three years ago, and at age 97 she was in good health and still able to get around. She was even a member of the beanbag baseball team at Mount Angel Towers, the assisted living apartments where she lived.

“I’m just ready,” she said. “I’ve had a good life.”

She might have been ready, but I don’t think we were. She had 12 children spread across the country, from Alaska to Arizona to Tennessee to Maine. Two others had preceded her in death. They – we – were a fairly close-knit family, but I don’t think anyone had really contemplated the thought of losing her.

All mothers are special, but Nadine was one of a kind. She grew up during the Depression on a remote ranch in eastern

Montana. As a young girl, a bag of barley served as her bed. During World War II she joined the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve. After the war, she married another young veteran from eastern Montana, Charlie Stack, The wedding was in Seattle, and soon after they headed for a new adventure in Alaska and his first duty station with the Civil Aeronautics Authority, the predecessor of the Federal Aviation Agency. Over nearly 30 years in Alaska they lived on Annette Island and in Cape Yakutaga, Nome and Fairbanks.  Oh, yes, they raised 14 children, too. Despite the challenges and hardships raising a family involves, Nadine never once uttered a negative word. If she did

think it, she didn’t say it out loud. The closest I ever heard her get to criticism was to say, “That’s not for me.”

When Charlie retired from the FAA in the 1970s, they built a house on McCully Mountain outside Lyons, Oregon, where they raised sheep and a few chickens. They later lived in Sublimity for a short time and then in Mount Angel.

When COVID appeared, Nadine moved in with my wife Patti and me. She was still in relatively good health, and it was a pleasure having her with us. One of her favorite things was to watch the fire in the fireplace.

One Saturday last summer, I heard her in the living room. She was leaning over the fireplace trying to start a fire. I reminded her that it was going to be in the 70s that day, so a fire might be optional. She turned to me and couldn’t talk. Rather, she could only say a single word: ”Three.”  We bundled her off to the emergency room, hoping the doctors could figure out how, overnight, she could lose her speech.

After tests and consultations, one of the doctors said the culprit appeared to be a small brain bleed near the speech center. He couldn’t say for sure, but he conjectured that over time the problem

would go away. For further studies and observation, he suggested she be hospitalized.

After a couple of days, she came home from the hospital. Sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, descended on our house. They had only one concern: to provide their mom with the best care possible. They had no way of knowing how long it might be, but they committed themselves to the long haul.

In the meantime, she regained her speech, just as the doctor had thought she would. But ultimately she began to fade.

Then something amazing happened. Waves of unrelenting love rained down on her. Sons and daughters, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins arrived to visit and help as her health continued to fail. For nine months they kept it up. There was rarely a time when someone wasn’t here helping to care for Nadine.

During this time we all received one last gift from Nadine: This close-knit family became a single unit. We shared not only the work and worry of caring for her and staying up with her through the night, but we also shared ourselves as she made one last journey.

On March 22, at 11:15 a.m. Nadine Stack – mother, friend, neighbor and the touchstone for generations of the Stack family – died quietly. She was 100 years old. With her were Patti and two brothers, Kevin and Damian, and Kevin’s wife Jackie and their grandson, Jayden.

When it happened, they and their other brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, were finally ready, too.

Carl Sampson is a freelance editor and writer. He lives in Stayton, Oregon.

GENERAL

MULTI-FAMILY RUMMAGE

AND ANTIQUE SALE Friday, May 27 and Saturday, May 28 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 29 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 831 Spruce St., Mt Angel.

AVON IS IN SILVERTON!

Call Arlene for a book or to place an order. Online shopping available: youravon.com/ arlenecaballero 503-720-5416

FREE TO ANY MUSIC LOVER

Player piano and three boxes of rolls. Just pick it up.

503-881-1575

CANDY’S FIREWOOD Doug Fir, Alder, Hemlock & Maple. Sold by the CORD. You Cut $150.00 easy access to road. We cut 14" to 16" length $180.00. I will deliver three cords in dump trailer within 35 miles of Lyons, OR for $600.00.

To place an order for June or July, call 503 859-3558. You Stack!

HELP WANTED

LIVE IN RANCH HAND

VISIONS CLEANING

Invision coming home to a clean sanitized home! Let Visions House Cleaning wearing gloves and masks do the hard work. Silverton, Mount Angel & Scotts Mills $75. Other areas $100. Excellent references. 503-989-0746. Email at landrider007@gmail.com

GOT STUFF U WANT GONE?

From yard debris to scrap metalFrom garage sale leftovers to rental clear outs. We repurpose, recycle, reuse or donate what we can. Call and find out what we can do for you. $20 minimum. Keith 503-502-3462

JESSE’S LAWN SERVICE & HANDYMAN Pruning, edging, trimming, blackberry cleaning, gutter cleaning, arborvitae, moss treatment, yard clean-up, haul-away. 503-871-7869

To advertise call 503-845-9499

#T2719 INVESTOR OPPORTUNITY

$489,000

Opportunity for investors, potential for development, 3 bedrooms, 2 bath home sitting on 1.52 acres, partially in the city limits, partial in UGB. Hooked up to city water, sewer. Come put your touches on this home or make room for more homes. Lots of potential for the next owner. Buyer to do their due diligence. Call Meredith at ext. 324, Ryan at ext. 322 (WVMLS#788578)

SOLD! – #T2711 CUSTOM HOME 4 BR, 2.5 BA 3111 sqft Call Chuck at ext. 325 $759,900 (WVMLS#787289)

SOLD! – #T2715 RANCH STYLE HOME 3 BR, 1.5 BA

1461 sqft Call Chuck ext. 325 $459,900 (WVMLS#787944)

#T2718 MANY UPDATES 4 BR, 2 BA 2403 sqft Call Meredith at ext. 324, Ryan at ext. 322 $496,600 (WVMLS#788318)

SOLD! – #T2717 GREAT LOCATION 3 BR, 2.5 BA 2437 sqft Call Meredith at ext. 324, Ryan at ext. 322 $589,000 (WVMLS#788288)

#T2714 2-STORY HOME 4 BR, 2.5 BA 2606 sqft Call Kirsten at ext. 326 $589,900 (WVMLS#788746)

#T2721

HOME $418,700 Mid Century single level home in a desirable area, private entry into this home, oversized lot with garden area and back deck for all your entertaining needs. 3 bedrooms, 2 bath home with single car garage and workstation area. Hardwood floors, newer paint inside and out, newer roof. Designated office area off the dining room. Plus wonderful reading alcove off the living room. This home is ready to move into! Call Meredith at ext. 324, Ryan at ext. 322 (WVMLS#789185)

#T2719 INVESTOR OPPORTUNITY 3 BR, 2 BA

1164 sqft Call Meredith at ext. 324, Ryan at ext. 322 $489,000 (WVMLS#788578)

#T2721 MID-CENTURY HOME 3 BR, 2 BA

1434 sqft Call Meredith at ext. 324, Ryan at ext. 322 $418,700 (WVMLS#789185)

#T2713 CHARMING FARMHOUSE 4 BR,

1 BA 1416 sqft Call Becky at ext. 313 $545,000 (WVMLS#787746)

SOLD! – #T2720 CLASSIC SILVERTON HOME

3 BR, 2 BA 1411 sqft Call Meredith at ext. 324, Ryan at ext. 322 $474,250 (WVMLS#788838)

#T2724 NEW CONSTRUCTION 3 BR, 2 BA 1399 sqft Call Meredith at ext. 324, Ryan at ext. 322 $395,000 (WVMLS#789622)

#T2713

$545,000 Charming farmhouse on the outskirts of Silverton. All the best parts of country living with all the amenities of being near town. This beautiful 1901 house is waiting for its new owner to put the finishing touches on it to make it their own. Manageable acreage with a 3-stall barn with hay storage is just right for your horses, livestock or your next 4h project. There are too many things to love about this property! Call Becky at ext. 313 (WVMLS#787746)

NEW! – #T2729 PIONEER SUBDIVISION

3 BR, 3 BA 2235 sqft Call Meredith at ext. 324, Ryan at ext. 322 $572,800 (WVMLS#790157)

SOLD! – #T2710 2.14 ACRES 3 BR, 2 BA 1188 sqft 1.82 Acres Silverton, Call Chuck at ext. 325 $399,900 (WVMLS#787367)

NEW! – #T2725 WELL MAINTAINED GEO/ DOME 3 BR, 4 BA 2416 sqft Silverton Call Meredith at ext. 324, Ryan at ext. 322 $627,400 (WVMLS#787367)

SCOTTS MILLS

#T2707

HOME IN THE VINEYARDS 4 BR, 3 BA 3415 sqft Call Meredith at ext. 324, Ryan at ext. 322 $668,000 (WVMLS#789928)

For Rental Info Call Micha at 503-873-1425 or Check Our Website.

BROKERS ARE LICENSED IN OREGON

Chuck White Broker 873-3545 ext. 325

Mason Branstetter Principal Broker, GRI 873-3545 ext. 303

Kirsten Barnes Broker 873-3545 ext. 326

Whitney Ulven Broker, GRI 503-873-3545 ext. 320

Mike Ulven Broker 503-873-3545 ext. 312 WWW.SILVERTONREALTY.COM

MID-CENTURY

CHARMING FARMHOUE

We have Buyers looking! Now is the perfect time to list your home. Contact us today for a FREE home evaluation!

Meredith Wertz Broker, GRI 873-3545 ext. 324

Ryan Wertz Broker, GRI 873-3545 ext. 322

Sarah Graves Office Manager 873-3545 ext. 300

Micha Christman Office Manager 873-1425

Becky Craig Principal Broker, GRI 873-3545 ext. 313

Michael Schmidt Principal Broker GRI 873-3545 ext. 314