Our Town South: May 1, 2023

Thurs May 11th 5-8pm

Market Place at the Grove Trunk Show

Snow Peak Shopping Night

SUGARHEROES open till 8

What the Quirk DIY Fashion Show

Pygmalion 7pm at Spot Light Theatre

Fri May 12th

Art Gone Wild Gallery Show-live music, drink and desserts, 5-8 pm

Yoga Event at The Vault

Pygmalion 7pm at Spot Light Theatre

Sat May 13th

All classes free at The Vault-Zumba 8am, Cores 9:15, HIIT 10:30

Store Championships MTG March of the

Machines Stayton Hobby Hut

Blue Bird Cellars tasting at Wolfgang’s

5-8 pm

Pygmalion 2pm & 7pm at Spot Light

Theatre

Sunday Mother’s Day

Share a Meal at Covered Bridge Cafe, Mick & Moms, North Third, Red Apple, Snow Peak or Ugos Free Gift for Moms at SUGARHEROES

11-2

Pygmalion 2pm & 7pm at Spot Light Theatre

$10 off at Elegant Beauty &

May 7-14th

FIRE WOOD

We may owe you money. If you were a member of Stayton Cooperative Telephone Company receiving our services during the years 2000 and/or 2001, SCTC may owe you money. The Board of Directors of SCTC has authorized the forfeiture of all patronage distributions that have remained unclaimed for more than four years after approval of distribution. The date of forfeiture is April 13, 2024. Members must respond prior to that date to receive monies owed. Notices were mailed to the last known addresses on November 11, 2020 to all members entitled to a distribution. SCTC is making every possible effort to find those members that did not respond to previous notifications. SCTC has posted a complete list of members, as they appear on our records, on our website at https://www.sctcweb.com/unclaimed-checks/ . You can also visit our office at 502 N 2nd Ave in Stayton. Our business hours are M-F from 9:00 am until 5:00pm. If your name, or someone you know, appears on the list and payment has not been received, contact us immediately. You can email patronage@sctcweb.com, leave a message on our patronage hotline at 503 769-2724, or send a letter to SCTC, Attention: Patronage, PO Box 477, Stayton OR 97383.

Disturbing audit

By Stephen Floyd

Plaintiffs presented damning new evidence during opening arguments April 25, in a $2.2 billion civil trial against PacifiCorp by survivors of the 2020 Oregon wildfires.

Plaintiff attorney Nicholas Rosinia said PacifiCorp was warned by state regulators roughly a month before the fires about hundreds of trees in contact with power lines throughout the state. Rather than try to mitigate the threat, said Rosinia, internal emails showed the company was worried about public backlash if the media found out.

“They knew they had a problem,” said Rosinia. “They knew, and they did nothing to prevent a fire.”

The trial began April 24 with jury selection in Multnomah County Circuit Court, with proceedings scheduled to last through June 16.

New emails depict alleged negligence in PacifCorp trial

Plaintiffs include roughly 20,000 survivors of the Santiam, Obenchain, 242 and Echo Mountain Complex fires, which sparked Sept. 7, 2020, during extreme wildfire conditions.

Rosinia told the jury PacifiCorp was notified in 2020 by the Oregon Public Utility Commission that an audit revealed 373 instances of vegetation in direct contact with energized equipment. This came after a similar notification in 2019 that 504 such instances were found, which regulators called “disturbing.”

An email between members of PacifiCorp’s internal communications team regarding the 2020 report said, “If this were to become a media story, we would need a very strong response.” PacifiCorp Vice President David Lucas said in a separate email:

“I see a lot of liability from fires and third party injury claims in the event something happens.”

Rosinia said this was clear evidence PacifiCorp knew they faced a significant problem and deliberately took no action to mitigate wildfire risks.

He also noted PacifiCorp made the decision to keep its power lines energized as wildfire conditions intensified, though Portland General Electric and Consumers Power de-energized their lines. He said PacifiCorp even sent teams to the disaster areas to restore power as fires raged and high winds continued blowing trees into power lines.

“Pacificorp couldn’t be troubled enough to take any action at all to avoid starting the fires,” said Rosinia.

PacifiCorp attorney Doug Dixon said plaintiffs’ arguments oversimplified a complex case. He said new environmental conditions from climate change, as well as federal and state forest management policy, must be taken into account when determining how the fires actually started.

“Plaintiffs want to ignore a changing world and blame it all on my client,” said Dixon, who referred to the company by its Oregon business name Pacific Power. “Why? Because they view Pacific Power as an easy, as a convenient target, and you can’t sue climate change.”

Dixon said PacifiCorp was a “pioneer” in adapting to climate change, including in 2019 when it developed a wildfire mitigation plan for high-

risk areas within its Oregon services territories. It also developed a public safety power shutoff plan among other progressive policies, said Dixon.

“The list could go on, but the truth is no one can ever predict precisely where a fire is going to start, and that was especially true on Labor Day, 2020,” he said. “...The law does not require for Pacific Power to have a crystal ball.”

Dixon said his client chose not to de-energize power lines in 2020 after weighing wildfire risks against the potential harm to utility customers if they lost power. He said de-energization for public safety was “extraordinarily rare” and “highly controversial,” and a natural disaster is when customers “need power the most.”

He said stories from plaintiffs who lost everything in the fires were “absolutely heart wrenching,” and everyone “feels awful for the harm that they have experienced.” He said the main question of the lawsuit was a different matter of whether or not PacifiCorp’s equipment ignited the fires, and if the company had taken reasonable actions to mitigate fire risks.

“After you have heard all of the evidence, you will conclude that Pacific Power is not to blame for these fires,” said Dixon.

Access to court proceedings was provided through Courtroom View Network.

Board challenge Watts takes on Cramer for North Santiam seat

By James Day

North Santiam School District

board member Erin Cramer is being challenged for a second term in Position 2, Zone 2 by Amy McKenzie Watts in the May 16 election.

Cramer was elected in 2019, while Watts is making a second try for a board seat.

Three other incumbents are running unopposed in the May 16 election: Mike Wagner (Position 4, Zone 3), Mark Henderson (Position 5, at-large No. 1) and Coral Ford (Position 6, Zone 2.

Three other board members, Chair Alisha Oliver (Position 7, at-large No. 2), Laura Wipper (Position 3, Zone 2) and Mackenzie Strawn (Position 1, Zone 1), do not face the voters until 2025.

Cramer is the director of medical clinics at Santiam Hospital. Watts is a web designer and former sixth grade teacher at an outdoor science school in California who also has served on the Stayton Planning Commission.

Watts said she has gained far more experience since her earlier run.

“When I ran before, it was the first time I ran for any public service position,” she told Our Town. “Now I serve on the Stayton Planning Commission, am an elected precinct committee chairperson, and have been attending board meetings for the last two years. With the experience of running for the NSSD school board previously and from holding other offices, I have gained confidence in my qualifications and positions.”

Cramer described his first term by noting that “as a board, I’m really proud of how we grew together into a cohesive team of people foremost interested in doing what’s best for kids, rather than the politics of the day.

“As a district, we’ve worked to advance our kids through support of excellent

teachers, updated curricula, and expanded offerings such as CTE, the arts, and alternative education that really try to provide great pathways for preparing all of our kids for what their next steps will be.”

Watts said her key goals were to “empower parents, keep kids safe, and ensure quality education [by] engaging the parents and the rest of the community by listening to and acting on their input. I especially want to reach the under-represented and under-served portions of the community.

“It takes a team to have a successful school system, and I want everyone to have the ability to be heard and to be involved. When I have attended the school board meetings, most times there are very few parents or other community members attending.”

In looking ahead Cramer noted the importance of hiring Lee Loving as superintendent. Loving is finishing up his first school year at the helm after taking over when Andy Gardner left te superintendent in Albany

“We selected a successor to a very successful long-term superintendent,” Cramer said. “We have new leadership, and it’s good leadership, learning about our communities. Economic uncertainty and the aging infrastructure of our schools underpin our conversations frequently.

“Restoring the faith and trust of a large number of our citizens is important too, and the board is well positioned to support all of the staff in our district who work so hard every day to develop the academic, social, and emotional

learning and intelligence of our 2,000-plus students.”

Watts said that she hopes to ensure better communication with the public and to get students more involved in district work if elected.

“Along with encouraging open dialogue between parents and community members and the board members, I would find guidelines acceptable to our smaller community rather than adopting a one-size-fitsall approach from other districts to handle the challenges we will face in the future,” she said. “I would advertise meetings better and seek out more public input by personally and publicly

inviting all to get involved in an open dialogue with the school board.

“I also would create rotating-member student peer accountability and review groups for junior high and high school for discussing curriculum and student issues. The focus would be to increase the input of the students and build the students’ leadership skills, goal ownership, and self-responsibility.”

Cramer, meanwhile, closed by saying,   “I appreciate the opportunity to serve the community in this way. NSSD has played an outsized role in the growth and development of both my sons, and I’d like to think my participation on the board over the past four years was beneficial to the team and to the community. I enjoy the work and being part of such a success, and hope the voters feel returning me to the board is the best decision for the kids and the community.”

Eric Cramer. SUBMITTED PHOTOS

Amy McKenzie Watts.

HomeGrown H Remedies HG

By Mary Owen Oink, Oink, Oink!

Three books about one little pig were written over the course of a decade by local author Patricia (Strickland) Betters: Oink, A Love Story, Oink and the Willow House, and just out, Oink’s Friend, Jack Betters, 84, will host a book signing from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 3 at Cascade Assisted Living in Stayton where she now resides.

Betters was raised in Ouray County, Colorado in the 1940s and 1950s.

“I grew up on my family ranch, just outside of Ridgway,” she said. “It was situated under Court House Rock, five miles east of town.”

The 365-acre ranch serves as the backdrop for the children’s books she authored, she said.

The books tell of the life of a little girl named Patty, who rides home every day from Cow Creek Elementary School on her horse, Babe. She shares her life in the one-room school and chores on the ranch, relaying her relationships with the ranch animals. These included Oink, her pet pig who was the runt of the litter.

The Strickland family lived in a log cabin of sorts. Her mother, Alice, brother, Tim, and sister, Marie, tended to the ranch while her father, Vincent, worked in the Idarado Mine as a hard-rock miner. After Betters finished eighth grade, the family moved to Delta, where she graduated from high school.

“One really gets the sense of how everyone worked hard on the Ridgway ranch, dawn to dusk,” said Alan Todd, the publisher of the Ouray County Plaindealer in 2013, after reading the first book. “It’s also clear that love was central to the young Betters, as the relationships shared among her and her animals are engaging and amusing.

“And just as any warm and humorous tale ends with a crowd scene, Oink, A Love Story ends with her dog, cats and pig snuggling into bed with her, lying upon four quilts under the canopy of the Cimarron Mountains,” Todd added in his review.

In 2009, Betters suffered a stroke from which she has recovered, but was left with limited speech skills.

“It was then, with the help of my daughter, Michelle, who illustrated the books, that I wrote and self-published my first Oink book,” Betters said.

Betters wrote the books for her grandchildren “so they might know how I grew up in beautiful Colorado at a time very unlike today.

“People have responded very positively,” she said. “I have many people waiting for the adventures of Oink in my third book.” Many of Betters’ friends at Cascade Assisted Living bought her books to give their grandchildren, and are excited to attend her book signing, she said.

“I have also sold my books through Salem’s Riverfront Carousel gift shop,” she said.

Betters feels good to have been able to show friendship and “unconditional love” through her stories, which, she said, have been her passion.

“These stories give me an outlet to express that, especially to children,” she said. She is not sure she will write anymore at this point, but said, “We’ll see what Oink comes up with.”

“I would like to encourage anyone who has a dream that it’s never too late to pursue it,” Betters said.

Author Patricia Betters and the original “Oink” book, Oink, a Love Story. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Gardenscaping Learning takes root at Sublimity Elementary

By Stephen Floyd

Sublimity Elementary School students

planted a new outdoor garden April 18 as part of efforts to broaden their classroom experiences.

The garden was built through a $65,000 state nutrition grant received last year by the North Santiam School District.

Principal Ryan Westenskow said the garden will give students a unique opportunity to learn lessons in science, agriculture and business that can’t be taught just in the classroom.

“That learning happens so much more organically – pun intended – so we’re hopeful we can create some of that applied learning,” he said.

Westenskow said the garden was the result of passionate teachers who brought up the idea last August as a way to engage students on a meaningful, interactive level. The district applied for the Oregon Farm to Child Nutrition Grant to fund the project and was awarded in November.

The grant was split between Sublimity Elementary School and Stayton Elementary School, which is working on its own outdoor garden. In addition to building the gardens, the grant will help pay for flowers and vegetables to be planted, as well as farm-related field trips.

Westenskow said Sublimity students became involved early on and submitted garden designs, which were then used to create the final design including 13 raised

beds and a circle of beds in the middle. The garden was designed by Brenda Knobloch, school garden coordinator with the Salem-Keizer Education Foundation, whose work includes features at The Oregon Garden in Silverton.

Construction was handled by Luke Smith, owner of Trillium Landscape Constriction, in Mill City, who completed the project in about threeand-a-half weeks. Westenskow said he couldn’t be more satisfied with the work of Knobloch and Smith, and he feels fortunate the school became connected with the right people.

“I haven’t seen very many projects of this scale come together this quickly and this nicely,” he said.

The planting happened in time for Earth Day on April 22, and students from all grade levels were able to participate throughout the day. Westenskow said children learned not only the basics of handling young plants but how to choose an appropriate location, as some beds receive less sunlight or are further away from water.

He said school gardens are nothing new, but Sublimity’s garden was built with broad support from teachers, students, and even groundskeeping staff. That way the project won’t depend on a small handful of people to keep it going, but will truly belong to the school.

“It’s a place where, we hope, kids and teachers will want to be,” he said.

Students planting their first garden at Sublimity Elementary School. GEORGE JEFFRIES

Something to Do

Silver Falls birding, wildflower event set

By James Day

The annual Mother’s Day Birding and Wildflower Festival is set for Saturday, May 13 and Sunday, May 14 at Silver Falls State Park.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days and is scheduled to coincide with World Migratory Bird Day.

Outdoor classical music returns

Pianist Hunter Noack brings back his “In A Landscape: Classical Music in the Wild” performances to Silver Falls State Park on July 5 and 6. In its eighth season, the outdoor concert series allows America’s most stunning landscapes to replace the traditional concert hall.

To meet the acoustical challenges of performing a nine-foot Steinway grand piano in the wild, music is transmitted to concert-goers via wireless headphones. No longer confined to seats, audiences are able to explore the landscape.

“In A Landscape” has presented over 200 concerts in Oregon, Washington, Montana, New York, Idaho, California, Utah, and Wyoming to over 35,000 people. Tickets, $40, are available at www.inalandscape.org.

Silver Falls State Park officials said in a press release that the event includes guided birding and wildflower hikes, a wildflower show, live raptor presentations, a native plant sale and educational presentations and discovery tables.

The birding guide this year is a woodpecker expert so visitors are likely to spot a few of that family of birds in addition to frequent Silver Falls visitors such as Wilson’s warblers, Pacific wrens, varied thrushes and American dippers.

“It’s a great time of year to visit because the migratory birds should be here in force,” said Silver Falls Park Ranger Matt Palmquist.

At the flora end of the spectrum, the park will be filled with trilliums, bleeding hearts, violets and some calypso orchids. The wildflower show features at least 100 species of flowers on display as well.

All activities take place in the South Falls day-use area, with the exception of some 7:30 a.m. birding walks. The schedule are posted on the state parks website https://

stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=things-to-do. event&eventId=48590

All activities are free, but a $5 daily parking permit or an Oregon State Parks annual parking permit is required to park at Silver Falls State Park.

A look at a display of wildflowers from a previous Silver Falls Birding & Wildflower Festival. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Hunter Noack. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Silver Falls State Park seeks to add new ‘Friends’

If you’ve visited Silver Falls and stopped by the Nature Store or gotten some fun facts at a discovery table, you’ve seen the Friends of Silver Falls State Park volunteers and staff in action.

Friends of Silver Falls State Park is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the historic and natural resources of Silver Falls State Park.

Members work alongside park staff to give visitors an enhanced experience at Oregon’s crown jewel of parks. To maintain the effort, support from those who care about preservation and conservation is needed. You can join the friends and help preserve the park for future generations. Membership fees are tax deductible and fund projects, events and educational programs.

Memberships start at $20 per year and Gift Packs are available for a limited time starting

at $40 (membership included).

Gift packs include a classic trucker hat with a real wood patch and your choice of an Oregon Elements sticker - mushroom, camas, or fir.

Those items are in addition to all the regular benefits of a membership: newsletter, Nature Store and Smith Creek Village and Tree Climbing at Silver Falls, discounts, and, access to the Friends Membership Portal with exclusive invitations.

Patron Members ($120) also receive an Oregon State Park Pass which covers dayuse fees at all Oregon State Parks. Among their many accomplishments, Friends of Silver Falls funded the planning and design for the new North Falls Viewpoint which is set to be completed this year. For more information or to join or donate go to www.friendsofsilverfalls.net.

Engine problems Lyons-based mechanic liable in civil suit alleging fraud

By Stephen Floyd

A local mechanic with a long history of legal judgments by clients who claimed they were defrauded has lost a new lawsuit, while his business and wife still face allegations.

Godofredo “Lee” Quiroz, of Jefferson, with Canyon Auto Service in Lyons, was ordered to pay $49,375 April 24 in Marion County Circuit Court to Salem resident Rachel Wolf.

Quiroz failed to respond to an amended complaint filed by Wolf in February and Judge Daniel Wren found him in default. Wren awarded Wolf enhanced damages on the grounds Quiroz’ actions were “reckless, willful, malicious, in bad faith or illegal.”

Our Town has reached out to Quiroz for comment but received none by press time.

Quiroz’ wife, Tammy Quiroz, and the business remain defendants in the lawsuit. They have denied wrongdoing. Tammy Quiroz is represented by Salem attorney Arthur Cummins. Lee Quiroz and plaintiff

Wolf are self-represented.

A trial date has not been set, but a hearing is scheduled for May 17 to consider the validity of Tammy Quiroz’s defense.

Wolf filed suit July 26, 2022, after Lee Quiroz dodged her efforts to collect on a prior legal judgment. She was awarded $8,180 in 2019 after Lee Quiroz was found liable for a botched engine replacement.

Wolf, a forensic accountant, acquired Lee Quiroz’ personal and business banking records in her attempts to collect. Her lawsuit said she unearthed evidence of numerous alleged crimes including negotiating bad checks, falsifying business records, obtaining execution of documents by deception, and tax evasion.

When filing she also took into account the many past legal actions taken against Lee Quiroz and claimed all of this amounted to a years-long pattern of fraud.

Those actions included:

• a 2009 suit for work performed when Lee Quiroz owned North Santiam Hi-Performance & Auto Repair, in Mill City. The court awarded the plaintiff $1,600.

• a 2016 suit when Lee Quiroz was operating C&E Performance, in Keizer. Evonne Alderete and Trent Standing were awarded $5,146 for the bungled upgrade of a 1972 Dodge Dart.

• a 2019 suit, when Lee Quiroz was sued by Kenneth van Devender, who said he paid the mechanic to restore a 1957 Chevy BelAir. When Quiroz did not respond to the suit, van Devender was awarded a $148,000 default judgment.

• a June 2022 suit, by Karen Libby, of Elma, Wash., who hired him in 2018 to rebuild a 1965 Ford Mustang. A 3 1/2 year saga ended with the Mustang being towed back to Washington from the property of the mechanic’s personal friend in Mill City “stripped of all parts, glass, seats, running gear, and more,” according to the lawsuit. Libby was awarded $10,000 and court costs.

At the time, Lee Quiroz worked for Valley Auto, a company opened by his former employee Patrick Neufeld in the same location as Valley Auto Works.

During a deposition in federal bankruptcy court in 2021, Lee Quiroz admitted to conspiring with Neufeld to open Valley Auto to shield himself from creditors. Neufeld was named in Wolf’s current lawsuit. After he failed to reply, a default judgment of $13,710 was entered against him Oct. 4, 2022.

In 2018, Wolf filed her original lawsuit.

She had hired Lee Quiroz to replace the engine of her Saturn sedan. At the time, Lee Quiroz owned Valley Auto Works, a business he opened in 2017 at the same location as C&E Performance after the latter was dissolved as a business entity that year.

The engine was installed incorrectly which led to a critical failure. Wolf later learned she was charged for parts never installed.

After a trial Jan. 31, 2019, Marion County Circuit Court Judge David Leith ruled Lee Quiroz’ actions were “fraudulent” and awarded Wolf full damages.

After the judgments in favor of Wolf and van Devender, Lee Quiroz filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection Oct. 17, 2019. After a trial Nov. 3, 2021, Judge Peter McKittrick denied Lee Quiroz’ request for protection and ruled Valley Auto was wrongfully used to hide assets.

Canyon Auto Service was registered in Oregon the day before the bankruptcy trial with Lee Quiroz as its owner. The day after the trial, the registration was re-filed with Tammy Quiroz as owner and Lee Quiroz as registered agent. Then on Nov. 12, 2021, was refiled with Tammy Quiroz as both owner and registered agent.

Wolf claims in her current lawsuit Lee Quiroz still operates Canyon Auto Service as though he is the owner, including signing paychecks and opening payment processor accounts. Wolf has asked the court for an injunction preventing further attempts by Lee and Tammy Quiroz to use a business to shield themselves from personal liability. Tammy Quiroz denied these accusations in a Feb. 21, 2023 court filing, insisting she is the legitimate owner of Canyon Auto Service. She said Wolf failed to make any claim upon which the court could grant relief and asked for the suit to be dismissed.

The Feb. 21 filing on Tammy Quiroz’ behalf was in response to an amended complaint filed by Wolf Feb. 16, 2023. The defendants, including Lee Quiroz, responded to Wolf’s July 2022 complaint on Aug. 29, 2022. In the response, Lee Quiroz claimed Wolf’s allegations were “twisted fabrications” by a disgruntled former client.

Have you seen the tiny tomato plants in the garden stores? They are a tempting impulse buy for folks longing for sunshine and the taste of fresh home-grown tomatoes, especially plant addicts. But nights are still cold. They have no chance of survival. Anyone who can’t resist is going to have to nurture and care for them, and for the next couple of weeks.

Tomato plants have a low temperature threshold of 50 degree F, which means they won’t continue to develop unless they are kept warm. Keep these baby plants at room temperatures of 65 - 80 degrees F in a sunny window or under lights. Without warmth and light, they will just sit, and will probably be stunted for life. If they are eventually planted after being subjected to cold, wet cloudy conditions they will probably never thrive, or may even rot before summer.

Not only do the plants need to be warm, they also have to be potted up to bigger pots at least two times to have good

root systems. When the roots reach the boundaries of the little pot then the plant needs more soil (and a little fertilizer) to provide nutrition and support for growth. Each time the plant is replanted it should be buried a little deeper. Take off the lower leaves and fill the pot up to the next lower leaves. Tomatoes have adventurous stems – roots will develop along the buried stem, creating a stronger plant that will grow and produce better. Someone asked, “Can’t you just put them into a gallon pot right away?”

This will not allow as much root development as burying multiple times.

Provide plenty of water but avoid soggy soil that can cause rot. And while you’re caring for the plants, don’t forget to pet them daily. Be the wind! Wind in the garden gets the plants to respond with stronger stems.

No wind in the house? Use your hand to stroke the tops of the plants and get the stems to thicken up for your attention. Stronger stems, along with better roots, send nutrition to the leaves.

If the small plants develop flower buds it’s probably because a fertilizer high in potassium (the middle number on the fertilizer label) stimulated them.

There is little chance those buds will get pollinated and develop into fruit, so just clip them off until planting time.

The effort to make fruit just pulls energy from the plant before it is mature enough to finish the job.

It looks like we’ll have to wait – maybe

until June – to plant tomatoes outside. The soil temperature should be at least 60 degrees F, and at the very least, night temperatures should be 50 degrees F or more. Anything less could cause the plant to hold back, be stunted, or just rot. When selecting tomato seeds or plants, look for those with the shortest days to maturity.

While we wait, EC1333 Grow Your Own Tomatoes and Tomatillos can be read or downloaded at https://catalog. extension. oregonstate.edu. Search “tomatoes” and find publications on tomato diseases, canning and recipes.

EC 1333 includes lists of varieties developed and recommended for our area, including information maturity times. For visual or auditory learners, there are Master Gardener videos on growing tomatoes available at https:// clackamascountymastergardeners.org. There are recent webinar recording links and University handouts and videos.

If you neglected properly cleaning and storing your garden tools last year, it’s not too late. Halt corrosion, dry, splintery handles and dullness by taking a little time to care for these faithful gardening friends.

Remove all soil from metal surfaces: after a stream of water from the hose, remove small soil particles and rust spots with sandpaper, steel wool... whatever is called for.

Check all nuts, bolts and screws to be sure they are tight and in top working order. Replace worn or rusty ones.

Sharpen the cutting edges of hoes, shovels, pruners, etc., with a file, stone or grinding wheel

Wipe all metal parts with an oily rag to help protect from dust and rust and lubricate moving parts.

Wash and dry wooden handles; use a wire brush and sand well (preventing slivers) before painting with raw linseed oil (or what’s on hand: motor oil, lamp oil or cooking oil). Let it sit overnight; keep applying until it feels oily then wipe dry. Some prefer treating them with an exterior varnish. Replace weak and broken handles.

Try to store your tools off the floor, preferably on a rack or hanging by nails. You can fill a 5-gallon bucket with sand

and oil to dip tools in after each use.

Consider putting an identification mark on all tool handles, brightly colored in case you misplace it in your own garden.

Gather hoses and nozzles for cleaning and repair; don’t forget new washers.

Make sure the lawnmower is tuned up and ready to go.

Free “Terrarium Spa” for maintenance.

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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 weevil-resistant varieties.

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

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.

By Gregg Harris

Don’t you just love all the wonderful plants we have available to us today?

It hasn’t always been like this. In the 1820s there was a 95% failure rate whenever you tried to transport a live plant across the ocean. Salt spray, temperature and lack of light in the hold of the ship would cause nine out of ten attempts to end in failure. That is, until the discovery of the terrarium in 1829.

Dr. Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward of London, England was given the pupae of a moth to hatch.

This particular moth went through its metamorphosis under ground. So, Dr. Ward placed moist soil in the bottom of a large jar, nestled his pupae into the soil, and then, because he was concerned it might hatch while he was away, he put the lid on the jar.

When Dr. Ward placed the lid on his jar that day he changed history.

In fact, he shifted the geopolitical balance of power among nations. Trillions of dollars changed hands and millions of lives were saved, all within just a few decades and all because he put the lid on the jar.

Ward had accidentally created a terrarium. When he came back to check on his moth a few weeks later, he discovered little ferns growing out of the soil. If it had just been a weed or a few blades of grass, he would not have thought much about it, but it happened to be the very ferns that he had been trying to cultivate for several years, unsuccessfully. He decided to watch and see how long the ferns could grown inside the closed jar and they

During those four years he got an idea. He thought, “If I can keep my ferns growing so happily in nothing but a jar, maybe I could design and build a glass cargo case for

transporting live plants across the oceans.” That is what he did. His invention became know as the Wardian Case Terrarium. It worked so well that anyone could transport any plant from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world without losing any at all.

Today we enjoy a vast array of agricultural, medicinal, landscape and houseplants without much thought as to how they all got here. But it all happened because one man put a lid on a jar.

Gregg Harris the owner of Silver Falls Terrariums in Silverton, Oregon. www.silverfallsterrariums.com

A 19th Century print of a terrarium. EL BAROCCO/ ADOBE STOCK 253380099

The Hub Friends unite to create community

By Mary Owen

Shop for that perfect gift and top it off with a peach Arnold Palmer, a current favorite at The Hub, a boutique store in Stayton.

Owners Ashley Cox and Samantha Tibbs opened the store last November as a way to meld their talents and interests.

“We each own other small business ventures, and decided to come together to combine our talents under one roof,” Cox said. “Samantha owns a food truck, The Dawg House, as well as a laser engraving business, Designed to a T. I own a boutique called Lindy Judd.”

Their friendship started by supporting each other’s businesses and teaming up to bounce ideas off of each other as well as to support multiple causes and fundraisers.

“From there, we’ve always referred to each other as our ‘small biz bestie,’” Cox said.

Having a brick-and-mortar space allows Cox and Tibbs to welcome other small business owners as vendors “to showcase their talents and products and help them grow their reach and audience,” the pair agree. Currently, The Hub has 14 vendors.

“We love to say for us when it comes to small business, it’s all about community over competition,” Cox said.

The space also provides a place for people to meet and socialize while shopping, snacking and “sipping on our newest fun menu items,” Cox said.

Recently added to the menu were soups from Soup Meets Soul, which the women agree pairs well with their sandwich melts.

“We’ve also been having the ‘donut queen,’ Lyndsey Nichole from Scio, do pop ups on Saturdays,” Cox said.

The Hub Sip & Shop LLC

263 E. Ida St., Stayton

Connect with them by Facebook Messenger

Although the space is small, Cox called it great for events for locals who want to get out without having to travel to larger, neighboring cities.

“We host many after-hours events such as paint nights and plant parties,” she said. “More will be coming soon.”

Jill Lancour gave kudos to the “a cute little coffee shop.”

“The coffee is amazing, and it is fun to shop in the boutique,” she said.

Melissa Bush called the owners “so sweet” for bringing the community together with their local events and vendors.

“Such a wonderful little café,” Haley O’Rourke said. “Yummy drinks and food, and many talented vendors to shop from in there!”

Jazzmyn Ferguson called the atmosphere welcoming. “And the food was amazing,” she said. “They have amazing vendors selling stuff in the shop – so many cool things!”

Aside from gift items and a veritable menu of drinks and good eats, The Hub has plants for sale from Rooted, a shopping and retail vendor from Albany. At Christmas, The Hub partnered with Designed to a T, Lindy Judd and The Dawg House to raise funds to supply local foster kids with pajamas and toys.

“We are already really enjoying getting to know return customers, regulars, and all the new faces we get to meet and interact with,” Cox said. “We are ever thankful for the support and feel of this small town community.”

Big Town Hero seeks local ‘hero’ nominations

Who’s your hero?

To honor local heroes, Big Town Hero is bringing a top-level corporate giveaway program to its Stayton store. Nominate your “hero” for the win!

“This was honestly just thought of by an employee who thought it would be fun to do something locally since corporate does this at their level,” said Michelle Dudley, owner/manager. “On our bags if you scan the QR code, it will take you to the corporate website where you can nominate someone through them. We just thought it would be fun to keep it local and see what we get.”

Starting out, each month a local “hero” will be honored with a free lunch, she said.

Dudley invites customers to nominate their chosen person by dropping their name in the box at the store. “I will be keeping it going and will do monthly giveaways,” Dudley said. “If it picks up, I’d love to do more.”

Dudley said they have no expectations at this point. “We are just excited to see who gets nominated!” she said.

Headquartered in Gresham, Oregon, Big Town Hero “creates an authentic community experience while providing healthy sandwiches on bread made from scratch,” according to the corporate site. Salads, soups, paninis and accompaniments are also available. For more information, visit the sandwich shop at 1008 N. First Ave. or Big Town Hero Stayton on Facebook.

– Mary Owen

By Mary Owen

Regular curriculum takes a holiday every Wednesday for Regis High School students.

“What started out three years ago as a way to deal with the challenges of COVID has evolved into a unique approach to scheduling for Regis students,” said Mike Bauer, business teacher and coach at the Catholic high school in Stayton.

“The new schedule blends the traditional approach to the required high school curriculum with a unique weekly Wednesday schedule that offers student college and career guidance, academic time to work on core curriculum classes, wellness opportunities, faith experiences, and classes to explore student interests.”

When the pandemic hit, Bauer said Regis became one of the first schools in the area to offer in-person education blended with online classes.

“Two summers ago principal Candi Hedrick, academic dean, Chris Van Cauteren, and counselor, Selena Schumacher, developed a curriculum model that blended ideas and opportunities gleaned from the pandemic, best education practices, and the ideas of teachers,” Bauer said. “The schedule that resulted has students taking their regular classes on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.”

On Wednesday, teachers meet in the chapel for prayer before a faculty meeting to discuss issues and plan activities. Students attend an advisory period on what these activities

include, such as exploring careers and topics of interest, getting announcements and student body information, preparing for PSATs, meeting with college and career reps, listening to guest speakers, discussing monthly mental health topics and learning service opportunities.

“Aspire, one of the school’s vital mentor programs, has found a home in this period,” Bauer said. “Every month students are able to access help from their Aspire mentors with post high school decisions.”

The second period is academic time set aside for students to meet with teachers, work on homework and projects, and in general stay caught up on core curriculum classes, Bauer said.

“Students and teachers in the math and science departments are particularly pleased with this as students are able to work out difficulties they may be having,” he said. “A by-product of the chance to get academic work done at school recognizes that our students and families are so busy, and we want to help preserve important family and down time in the evening.”

Probably one of the areas that has been most enhanced by the Wednesday schedule is the Spirituality period, where the student body is able to come together for meaningful spiritual experiences each week, Bauer said.

“One week it might be mass, another week a guest speaker, another week a student-led prayer service,” he said.

“The Wednesday lunch periods have

become a time of community building as quite often parents will prepare a meal for students to enjoy with their fellow students,” he added.

After lunch is Wellness period where students can take supervised hikes on community trails, prepare healthy smoothies, and engage in yoga, meditation and various relaxation techniques.

Also, students can explore art for fun, group fitness, chess, tea and kindness, and other stress-relieving activities, Bauer said.

“Perhaps one the most beneficial periods of the day is the two-hour block set aside at the end of the day called Exploratory,” he said. The Exploratory period offers students the opportunity to learn skills in a variety of areas and experiences, including field biology, golf, personal finance, lifetime sports, history through film, debate, swimming, criminal justice, CPR, photography, community gardening, baking, job shadowing, and barista training at the Regis Café.

Junior Cutler Nelson raved about job shadowing, saying, “I loved it because it allows someone to see what really goes on in a profession instead of what they always hear about.”

Student Kollin Schumacher, said, “I really appreciate that we can explore college and career opportunities.”

Science teacher Mandy Miotke gave kudos to the Wednesday schedule that allows teachers to greatly expand elective offerings.

“With a two-hour block, I can transport my field biology students to streams and forests to practice real-life techniques and experiments,” Miotke said. “I can transport my swimming students to the pool to practice techniques and even get certified and hired as lifeguards.”

Social studies teacher Kaitlin Leeper believes the exploratory experience allows students to “fully engage with their passions and investigate possibilities for their future beyond high school.

“It has been a wonderful opportunity for our students and teachers,” she said.

According to Bauer, students appreciate the mid-week break in academic studies.

“They are able to get caught up on homework during Academic time and are prepared for their Thursday/Friday classes,” he said. “With five days a week with the same class, it seemed like by Friday teacher and student fatigue has set in.

“The wide variety of opportunities afforded to students by this unique schedule is a win for students, staff and teachers,” Bauer said. “More gets done each week with a higher degree of energy. The students at Regis High School have something to look forward to each week.

“This is the second year of the new schedule for Regis and much has been learned by the students, teachers and staff that has led to many positive outcomes as the program continues to evolve,” he said.

Repentance & Forgiveness

The Orchard Hill Boys caught me standing in line to ride the roller coaster at the Miamisburg Shopping Center. It was a Friday night. I should have known better than to be out in public. I knew that this gang of angry rednecks were still looking to beat me up again.

Why? Well, I was a hippie in a redneck town. It was 1967. They suspected me, correctly, of being a pot-smoking communist and a traitor to the cause of the war in Viet Nam.

But I was also something of a “chick magnet.” At age 15 I was writing love songs and poetry that their redneck girlfriends dug, and so, boy-friend jealousy was also part of the mix. They hated me, and this gang of violent teenage bullies ruled the school, the mall, and the streets of our small town. But on this particular night, I was going to really take a beating. There were three of them against one of me. Two of them swayed back and forth with fists up, bobbing and weaving back and forth to keep me distracted while the third guy came up behind me and hit me in the side of my head with a tire iron! I went flying in a cartwheel and crumpled to the pavement as they hightailed it away into the crowd. I stumbled away with my hand on the side of my head. I could have died.

That’s when I decided to run away from home, not to get away from my family, but to get away from the Orchard Hill Boys. I hitchhiked out of town the next day with my guitar and a few dollars. I swore I would come back someday and make those rednecks pay.

Give Me Justice!

There’s a funny thing about “justice.” It seems that everyone has this deep sense of right and wrong inside of them that cries out for punishment of all the evil doers around us. We want everyone else to pay up for whatever wrong they have done. It only seems fair. We nurse our vigilante fantasies about stepping up like some comic book hero to beat the bad guys to a pulp. Whether it’s a bully in school, an abusive parent, or a perverted uncle, we crave revenge. But have you noticed that no one wants to pay up for their own evil deeds. It’s as though what’s “fair” and “just” is only about me getting the good things I believe I deserve, rather than others getting the good life they think they deserve. I deserve to be happy because I mean well, (for the most part). I’m only unkind when other people are unkind to me (for the most part). But those people, they don’t deserve to be happy after what they’ve done to me. They deserve to suffer.

Humble Yourself

Part of what it means to be a Christian is to humble yourself before your Creator and admit that you don’t deserve any more good than anyone else. Beyond that, it’s admitting that you deserve God’s judgement for all the evil things you have done, and also for all the good things that you should have done but haven’t. It’s pleading “Guilty as charged.”

forgiveness is granted, by grace alone, just by believing that Jesus paid for it all with His own death on the cross, the only thing left for us to do is to show our love and thankfulness to God by the way we love and forgive others. That includes even those Orchard Hill Boys who hurt me so badly.

By Gregg Harris

“But,” you might ask. “how can I be sure it worked?” We can be sure that God accepted Jesus’ payment for our sins because God raised Him from the dead after 3 days in the grave. Easter is the day we celebrate that historic event. It is all the proof we need. Believing this is how I get to let go of my anger toward others. God will take care of those rednecks, either by forgiving them, (just as He forgave me), or by making them pay for their sins on the Day of God’s Judgement.

they did to me was not only wrong, it was

“No matter how comfortable a religion may be, it can never take the place of being forgiven for your sins. Only Christianity can provide that. The only way to be forgiven for your sins is by trusting in Jesus. He is your only way to get into heaven. Whatever else you may believe, please don’t miss out on Jesus.”

So, when you hear a Christian say he has been “saved,” this is what he’s supposed to be talking about. Being saved is not about avoiding all the hard things that happen in this life. Christians go through many of the same difficulties as others. Rather, it’s about being saved from the God’s judgement after you die. There are many religions in the world. They are mainly about mankind looking for God. Christianity is unique. It is about God looking for us, not us looking for God. He is seeking to save those who are lost. In spite of our sins, He seeks us out and saves us through faith in what Jesus has done for us.

To be a Christian is to stop being like the selfrighteous guy in Luke 18:9-14 in the Bible who was patting himself on the back for not being like the scuzzball tax collector beside him who was beating himself up with grief and pleading with God to be merciful.

Jesus said the humble tax collector was forgiven while the self-righteous guy was still on the hook for his sins. No repentance.

Jesus did not come to save those who think they are so good they don’t need to be forgiven for anything. Religious folks who think God owes them something for being so good are going to be disappointed. No one is good enough to earn their way into God’s favor. No one. Not me. Not even you.

Jesus came to rescue those of us who admit we are so guilty that we don’t deserve anything but God’s punishment. He came to pay for all the ways we have defied God and disobeyed Him. The only thing we can bring to the process of our salvation is the sin that God so graciously forgives. Sin is the violation of God’s law. And so, when that

illegal. Forgiving others frees me from my bitterness. But as a deterrent they should still go to jail. Our courts are not supposed to forgive criminals. They are supposed to administer justice toward criminals.

But in so far as my own heart is concerned, I get to forgive them. Are they my enemies? Then I get to love them, pray for them and do good toward them. In doing so I get to be like my Father in Heaven. He sends His sunshine and His rain on everyone. Forgiving also gets me out of God’s way so that He has a clearer shot at either saving those guys, or judging them. “‘Vengeance is Mine!,’ says the the Lord. ‘I will repay.’” So I leave that to God.

The Judge of All The Earth

Just to be clear. No one is going to get away with anything in God’s Creation. Every individual sinner will either pay for his or her own sins by dying both a physical death and then a spiritual death, (which is total separation from the presence of God forever), or Jesus will pay their debt in full by applying His own sacrifice on the cross to their account. Either way, someone is going to pay. So, who will pay for your sins?

No matter how comfortable a religion may be, it can never take the place of being forgiven for your sins. Only Christianity can provide that. The only way to be forgiven for your sins is by trusting in Jesus. He is your only way to get into heaven. Whatever else you may believe, please don’t miss out on Jesus. Talk to Him right now. He will guide you into whatever comes next. So, that’s it for now. Drop by Silver Falls Terrariums, any time from 11am to 5pm, Wed.-Sat. and we can discuss whatever you want to talk about.

A Note to My Fellow Believers: These articles are an investment in the biblical literacy and evangelism of our community. Please pray for me as I write them. Pray for all those who read them. And If you would like to support me in publishing them, please call me at 503-926-1388. Thank you.

Men’s Breakfast

Every Thursday, 5:30am to 7am at Noble Inn, 409 S. Water St, Silverton, OR

Join me for Breakfast, Prayer, Bible Study, Swapping Stories & a Weekly Challenge. Please RSVP by text: 503-926-1388. www.NobleInn.org/articles.

Gregg Harris, “The Terrarium Guy”

Frequent Address

Stayton Community Center, 400 W Virginia St. Stayton Public Library, 515 N First Ave.

Weekly Events

Monday

Stayton Community Food Bank, 9 a.m. - noon, 1210 Wilco Road. Repeats

Monday - Friday. 503-769-4088

Santiam Senior Center, 10 a.m.4 p.m., 41818 Kingston-Jordan Road, Stayton. Seniors 50 and older. Daily, weekly, monthly events. 503-767-2009, santiamseniorcenter.com

Senior Meals, 11:30 a.m. Delivery only. Age 60 and older. Serves Stayton, Sublimity, Aumsville, Lyons, Marion, Mehama. Repeats Wednesday, Friday. $3 donation suggested. For delivery, call Ginger, 503-769-7995.

Santiam Canyon Community Chorus, 7 - 8:30 p.m., Stewart’s Hall, 158 SW Broadway, Mill City. New members welcome. Jo Ann, 503-859-2502

Tuesday

Toddler Storytime, 10:15 a.m., Stayton Public Library. Explore early literacy through play. Content is planned with toddlers in mind but all ages are welcome. Free. 503-769-3313

Family Storytime, 11 a.m., Stayton Public Library. Explore early literacy through songs, stories. Content is planned for preschool-aged children and up but all ages are welcome. Free. 503-769-3313

English/GED/Citizenship Classes,

6:30 - 8 p.m., Stayton United Methodist Church, 1450 Fern Ridge Road. Class free. Workbook $20. Runs through June. Repeats Thurs. Mary, 503-779-7029

Wednesday

Stayton/Sublimity Chamber Business Network, 8:15 a.m. Network building event for local business, non-profit professionals. Coffee, light refreshments served. Location varies each week. For location, call 503-769-3464.

St. Boniface Archives and Museum, 9 a.m. - noon, 370 Main St., Sublimity. Learn about Sublimity and possibly your family history. Free. 503-508-0312

Baby Time, 11 a.m., Stayton Public Library. Explore the world of early literacy through movement, songs, rhymes, play. For infants and toddlers up to 24 months and their caregivers. Free. 503-769-3313

Stayton Area Rotary, noon, Santiam Golf Club, 8724 Golf Club Road, Aumsville. Guests welcome. 503-508-9431, staytonarearotary.org

Cascade Country Quilters, 12:30 p.m., Santiam Senior Center, 41818 KingstonJordan Road, Stayton. 50 and older. 503767-2009

Thursday

Sublimity Quilters, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., St. Boniface Catholic Church, 375 SE Church St., Sublimity. Make quilts for local donations and charities. Everything is provided. New members welcome. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, 9:30 - 10:30 a.m., Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 1077 N Sixth Ave., Stayton. Families with young children can visit St. Anne’s Atrium to learn about the Bible. RSVP to Sacha, 503-769-2656; dre@immacstayton.org.

Mama’s Community Market, 1 - 4 p.m., Aumsville Pentecostal Church, 10153 Mill Creek Road. Food Pantry. 971-710-5665 Point Man Ministries, 6 p.m., Canyon Bible Fellowship, 446 Cedar St., Lyons. Veterans support. 503-859-2627

Friday

Cars & Coffee, 8 a.m., Covered Bridge Cafe, 510 N Third Ave., Stayton. Bring your classic vehicles for coffee, breakfast. Family Fit & Fun, 11:05 a.m., Stayton Public Library. For children and family members of all ages. Free. 503-769-3313

Saturday

Silverton Farmers Market, 9 a.m.1 p.m., Silverton UMC, 203 W Main St. Begins May 23. 503-873-5615

Oregon Crafters Market, 11 a.m.

- 6 p.m., 215 N Water St., Silverton. Local crafters & artists, music, food, spirits. Repeats noon - 5 p.m. Sunday. oregoncraftersmarket.com

Revival Youth Hangout, 5 - 6:30 p.m., New Hope Community Church, 657 N Second Ave., Stayton. Youth of the area are welcome. Follow “Revival_ Heartbeat” on Instagram and Tiktok. revivalheartbeat@gmail.com

Monday, May 1

Daughters of the American Revolution

10 a.m., Stayton United Methodist Church, 1450 SE Fern Ridge Road. Show and tell of member’s Patriots. All welcome. Refreshments served. Abigail Scott Duniway chapter serves the communities of East Marion County and Santiam Canyon. 503-689-6991

Santiam Artists Connection

10 a.m. - 1 p.m., Old School Community Center, 22057 Emma St., Lyons. Artists gather to paint, draw. Bring own supplies, projects. All levels welcome. Free; donations to Community Art Center accepted. Santiamh2a.org

Stayton City Council

7 p.m., Stayton Community Center. Open to public. Agenda available. 503-769-3425, staytonoregon.gov

Tuesday, May 2

Stayton Lions Club

Noon, Covered Bridge Cafe, 510 N Third Ave., Stayton. Club and new members are welcome. Repeats May 16. Staytonlionsclub.org

Lyons Budget Committee

6:30 p.m., Lyons City Hall, 449 Fifth St. Open to public. 503-859-2167, cityoflyons.org

Stayton Parks and Rec Board

7 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Agenda available. Open to public. 503-769-3425

Wednesday, May 3

Caregiver Connection

1 - 2 p.m., Zoom. Free educational support group for unpaid family caregivers caring for a loved one 60 years of age or older, or caring for a person living with dementia. For Zoom invite and register, call 503-304-3432.

Thursday, May 4

Dungeons & Dragons

5:30 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Play Dungeons & Dragons at the library. Sign up at https://bit.ly/3GRzRPB. Two identical sessions each month. Age 12 and older. Free. 503-769-3313

NSSD Board Special Session

5:30 p.m., District Office, 1155 N Third Ave, Stayton. Board meeting for North Santiam School District. Open to public. Agenda available. 503-769-6924, nsantiam.k12.or.us

Friday, May 5

Cinco de Mayo

Pigeon Party

10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Mo Willems’ Pigeon turned 20. Celebrate with crafts, activities. All ages. Free. 503-769-3313

Saturday, May 6

Wildfire Community Preparedness

10 a.m. - 1 p.m., The Oregon Garden, 879 W Main St., Silverton. Drop in for this free event to learn ways to make preparations to increase the survivability of your home, Firewise program, native & fire resistant plants, post disaster grant programs, land management programs and funding assistance, activities for kids, refreshments, drawings. Jennifer, 503-801-4979

World Labyrinth Day

1 p.m., Queen of Angels Monastery, 840 S Main St., Mt. Angel. 20-minute Silent Peace Walk. Refreshments follow. All welcome. To register, call Sr. Beyer at 503-845-2556.

Sunday, May 7

Mother’s Day Breakfast

7:30 - 10 a.m., St. Mary’s Church, 9168 SE Silver Falls Hwy., Aumsville. Coffee cake, eggs, sausage links, peaches. Mothers eat free. 18 and older $7. Children 12 and under are free.

St. Joseph the Worker Dinner

5 p.m., St. Mary Parish Center, 575 E College St., Mt. Angel. Fundraising dinner benefitting St. Joseph Family Shelter, Mission Benedict and Casa Adele. $50/ each. Tickets at ccswv.org.

Monday, May 8

Stayton Homeless Task Force

6 p.m., Stayton Community Center. Open to public. 503-769-3425

Sublimity City Council

6 p.m., Sublimity City Hall, 245 NW Johnson. Open to public. 503-769-5475

Aumsville City Council

7 p.m., Chester Bridges Memorial Community Center, 555 Main St., Aumsville. Open to public. 503-749-2030

Lyons Fire District Board

7 p.m., Lyons Fire Station, 1114 Main St. Open to public. 503-859-2410,

Stayton Fire District

7 p.m.,. Stayton Fire Station, 1988 W Ida St. Open to public. staytonfire.org

Tuesday, May 9

Ancestry Detectives

10 a.m. - noon, Silverton Senior Center, 115 Westfield. David Duncan presents “Potentiating Your DNA Results,” a talk on strategies to place DNA matches in your tree as the Cousin Collaborative Networks push at DNA limits. All welcome. Meeting is in person and virtually on Zoom. Kathy Valdez, membership, 503-508-4251. Info: adsteering@ancestrydetectives.org

Dementia Care Conversations

3 - 4 p.m. Zoom. Free group for unpaid caregivers providing support to a loved one living with dementia. The focus is to provide dementia care information, training and resources to family caregivers. Offered by Family Caregiver Support Program at NorthWest Senior and Disability Services. To request a referral to the group, contact the Aging and Disability Resource Connection at 503-304-3420. Repeats May 23.

RDS Board Meeting

6 p.m., Beauchamp Building, 278 E High St., Stayton. Revitalize Downtown Stayton monthly meeting. Open to public. 503-767-2317, downtownstayton.org

Cascade School Board

7 p.m., Cascade District Office, 10226 SE Marion Road, Turner. Open to public. 503-749-8010, cascade.k12.or.us

Wednesday, May 10

Stayton Library Board

6 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Open to public. 503-769-3313

Thursday, May 11

Employment Expo & Job Fair

Noon - 4 p.m, Stayton High, 757 W Locust St. Hosted by Stayton Sublimity Chamber of Commerce. 503-769-3464, staytonsublimitychamber.org

Stayton FFA Plant Sale

3 - 6 p.m., Stayton High, 757 W Locust St. Annual Stayton FFA plant sale in the greenhouse. Repeats 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. May 13. 503-769-3313

Melted Crayon Art Jewelry

5:30 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Melt crayons to make a colorful art pendant. Ages 11 and older. Free. Sign up at https://bit.ly/3zYwOkf. 503-769-3313

Aumsville Fire District

6:30 p.m., Aumsville Fire Station, 490 Church St. Agenda available. Open to public. 503-749-2894, aumsvillefire.org

Lyons Library Board

7 p.m., Lyons Public Library, 279 Eighth St. 503-859-2366

Pygmalion

7 p.m., Spotlight Theater, 383 N Third Ave., Stayton. $15 adults, $12 seniors, $8 youth. Repeats 7 p.m. May 12-13, May 18-20; 2 p.m. May 13-14, May 20-21. Tickets: spotlightcommunitytheatre.com

Saturday, May 13

Birding & Wildlife Festival

10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Silver Falls State Park, 20024 SE Silver Falls Hwy., Sublimity.

Guided birding and wildflower walks, educational tables, live raptor presentations, native plant and wildflower sale. $5 parking fee. Repeats May 14.

Yard Sale Drop Off

3 - 5 p.m., Mari-Linn School, 641 Fifth St., Lyons. Mari-Linn PTA is looking for gently used donations for this year’s annual yard sale. MariLinnPTA@gmail.com

Free Family Event

4 p.m., Foothills Church, 975 SE Fern Ridge Road, Stayton. Mary Rice Hopkins presents music and puppets. All welcome. 503-769-2731

Sunday, May 14

Mother’s Day

Brown House Tour

Noon - 2 p.m., Brown House Event Center, 425 N First Ave., Stayton. Tour the historic Charles and Martha Brown House. $5/person. Children under 18 are free. Open to public. 503-769-8860

Monday, May 15

Red Cross Blood Drive

1 - 6 p.m., Foothills Church, 975 SE Fern Ridge Road, Stayton. Appointments needed by visiting redcrossblood.org.

Sublimity Budget Meeting

6 p.m., Sublimity City Hall, 245 NW Johnson. Open to public. 503-769-5475

Stayton City Council

7 p.m., Stayton Community Center. Open to public. 503-769-3425, staytonoregon.gov

Tuesday, May 16

North Santiam Watershed Council

6 p.m. Zoom. Open to public. For Zoom link information, call 503-930-8202 or email council@northsantiam.org

Sublimity Neighborhood Watch

6:30 p.m., Sublimity Fire Station, 115 NW Parker St. Sublimity residents interested in organizing a Neighborhood Watch can meet with Marion County Sheriff personnel, who will provide information on how to organize.

Wednesday, May 17

Red Cross Blood Drive

10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Aumsville Fire Station, 490 Church St. Appointments needed by visiting redcrossblood.org.

Thursday, May 18

Chamber Community Awards

11:30 a.m., Foothills Church, 975 SE Fern Ridge Road, Stayton. Stayton Sublimity Chamber of Commerce honors individuals and businesses who exemplify excellence and servant leadership in the community. $35/person. Tickets at staytonsublimitychamber.org.

Mosaic Coasters

5:30 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Make a unique set of coasters. All ages, but children should work with a grownup. Sign up at https://bit.ly/3L1qfUr or call 503-769-3313

NSSD Board

6 p.m., Stayton High, 757 W Locust St. Board meeting for North Santiam School District. Open to public. nsantiam.k12.or.us

Friday, May 19

Detroit Fishing Derby

6 a.m. - 5 p.m., Detroit Lake. Adult entry fee $25+online registration fee. Child entry fee $20+online registratio fee. Repeats May 20-21. For complete details and registration, visit detroitlakeoregon.org.

Mt. Angel Maifest

3 - 11 p.m., Festhalle, 500 NE Wilco Hwy., Mt. Angel. Spring beer festival with a German twist. Repeats 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. May 20, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. May 21. Tickets and a schedule of events at mtangelmaifest.org.

Saturday, May 20

Armed Forces Day

Bethel Clothing Closet

10 a.m. - noon, Bethel Baptist Church, 645 Cleveland St., Aumsville. Clothing from newborn to 2x. Free. 503-749-2128

Art Mart

10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Stewart’s Hall, 158 SW Broadway St., Mill City. Locally-created, handmade art and crafts projects. Vendor spaces $20. For vendor’s application, email kenc@wvi.com or call 503-507-2941.

Silverton Pet Parade

10 a.m., Coolidge McClaine Park, 300 Coolidge St., Silverton. Bring your pet to walk downtown Staging starts at 9:30 a.m. silvertonkiwanis.org

Paws in the Park

10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Coolidge McClaine Park, 300 Coolidge St., Silverton. Pet fair with vendors, food, entertainment. Bring pets for parade, stay for fair. All pets welcome. 503-873-5615, silvertonchamber.org

Joseph’s Storehouse of Hope

11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Mari-Linn School, 641 Fifth St., Lyons. Food boxes. 503-881-9846

Enchilada Dinner

5 - 7 p.m., Santiam Valley Grange, 1140 Fifth St., Lyons. Enchiladas, rice, beans, dessert. $10/plate. 503-859-2161

Sunday, May 21

Pancake Breakfast

8 - 11 a.m., Stayton Fire Department, 1988 W Ida St. Volunteer firefighters and support members service all-you-can-eat pancakes, ham, eggs. Adults $10, children

6-12 $8. 503-769-2601

Herbs for the Whole Family

10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Silverton Grange, 201 NE Division St. Herbal healing for common ailments of kids, elders and others. $50. For more information and tickets, visit elderspiritherbals.com.

Monday, May 22

Stayton Budget Committee

6 p.m., Stayton Community Center. Open to public. staytonoregon.gov

Aumsville City Council

7 p.m., Chester Bridges Memorial Community Center. Open to public. Agenda available. 503-749-2030, aumsville.us

Tuesday, May 23

Lyons City Council

6:30 p.m., Lyons City Hall, 449 Fifth St. Open to public. 503-859-2167, cityoflyons.org

Wednesday, May 24

Stayton Budget Committee

6 p.m., Stayton Community Center. Open to public. 503-769-3425, staytonoregon.gov

Thursday, May 25

Dungeons & Dragons

5:30 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Play Dungeons & Dragons at the library. Sign up at https://bit.ly/3GRzRPB. Identical session runs June 1. Age 12 and older. Free. 503-769-3313

Stayton Budget Committee

6 p.m., Stayton Community Center. If needed. Open to public. 503-769-3425, staytonoregon.gov

Saturday, May 27

Flea Market

9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Santiam Valley Grange, 1140 Fifth St., Lyons. Crafts, collectibles. Hamburger lunch available to go; limited seating. Free admission. 503-859-2161

Monday, May 29

Memorial Day

Memorial Day Service

9:30 a.m., Calvary Cemetery, 1015 N Main St., Mt. Angel. All veterans welcome to join in the Veterans’ March and Presentation of Colors. Mass. POW/MIA remembrance. Reading the names of the fallen. Placement of memorial wreath. Three volley salute. Sounding of taps. Bring your own lawn chairs. In case of inclement weather, the service will take place at St. Mary Church, Mt. Angel. Hosted by Mt. Angel American Legion Post 89.

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 on all levels of society. Open to all. 503-873-5307

Tuesday, May 30

Sublimity Planning Commission

4:30 p.m., Sublimity City Hall, 245 NW Johnson St. Open to public. Agenda available. 503-769-5475, cityofsubllmity.org

Stayton Planning Commission

7 p.m., Stayton Community Center. Open to the public. Agenda available. 503-769-3425, staytonoregon.gov

Wednesday, May 31

Book Discussion

4 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Discuss Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah. Tea, treats, book talk. 503-769-3313

Stayton High’s girls distance runners are making their presence felt as the track and field season hits the midway pole, a pole, it should be said, that has been buffeted by breezes and pelted by rain.

Haley Butenschoen of the Eagles ranks first in Class 4A in the 800 with a time of 2:23.88, while teammate Hope Bridge is No. 2 in the 3,000 at 10:56.47.

The Cascade girls also have a topranked athlete, shot putter Kalina Saechao, who leads the rankings with a throw of 37-2.5.

Cascade also is showing its strength in the sprints. Julie Duncan of the Cougars is fourth in the 100 (13.07) and sixth in the 200 (27.19), while teammate Lillian Pickett is fourth in the 200 (26.75) and seventh in the 100 (13.19). As you might

expect, Cascade also fields a speedy 4x100 relay squad. Pickett, Duncan, Allison Course and Livia Free have run 52.00, good for fifth in the 4A rankings.

On the boys side Ethan Newton of Cascade is ranked in both hurdles races. His 40.73 300 hurdles times ranks him second, while his 15.70 100 hurdles time is the third best mark.

The Stayton boys are led by sprinter Travis King, who is fourth in the 100 (11.29) and 200 (23.16).

Looking ahead Stayton and Cascade will participate in the OWC district

meet May 19-20 at Sweet Home. The state meet is May 25-26 at Hayward Field in Eugene.

Baseball: Stayton is battling with North Marion for the lead in the Oregon West Conference. At Our Town’s presstime the No. 4 Eagles were 10-3 overall and 6-0 in league play. North Marion, ranked eighth, is 11-4 overall and 7-0 in the OWC. The two teams will settle things for the near term with a three-game series this week. Stayton hosts the Huskies, who are fielding a cooperative team with Gervais, on Monday, May 1 and Thursday, May 4, while visiting legendary Bob Brack Stadium in Aurora on Wednesday, May 3.

Regis, meanwhile, is 11-3 overall and 8-1 in Class 2A-1A’s Special District 3. The Rams are ranked eighth and chasing No. 2 Blanchet (17-1, 13-0)

for the district lead. Regis lost to the Cavaliers 11-1 on April 25 and faced them two more times this on April 28 after Our Town’s presstime.

Softball: Stayton has rocketed to a great start under first-year coach Ryan Borde. The Eagles are 14-3 overall and 7-0 in the Oregon West, including a 10-6 win at defending 4A state champ Cascade, which is 4-2 in league. The two teams played the second game of the series Thursday at Jay Lamb Field in Stayton.

Regis, meanwhile, is 3-4 overall and 3-3 in Class 2A-1A’s Special District 2. The Rams currently sit in fifth place in the league and need to finish in the top 4 to earn an automatic playoff spot.

Got a news tip? Email me at james.d@mtangelpub.com

Proud supporter of the Santiam Teen Center, Family Building Blocks and the Santiam Integration Team.

Sports Datebook Home contests only

Monday, May 1

Thursday, May 4

Baseball

4 p.m. Stayton vs North Marion/ Gervais

Friday, May 5

Track & Field

Track & Field

Girls Golf

Noon Stayton @ Special District 2

Invitational, Santiam Golf Course

Baseball

4 p.m. Stayton vs North Marion/ Gervais

Softball

4:30 p.m. Cascade vs Newport

Tuesday, May 2

4 p.m. Cascade vs Philomath

Softball

4 p.m. Regis vs Salem Academ/ Willamette Valley Christian (double-header)

Baseball

4:30 p.m. Regis vs East Linn

Christian

Wednesday, May 3

Baseball

4:30 p.m. Cascade vs Sweet

Home

Softball

4:30 p.m. Regis vs Blanchet Catholic

3 p.m. Regis Community Twilight

Meet Girls Tennis

4 p.m. Stayton vs Molalla

Monday, May 8

Softball

4 p.m. Stayton vs Philomath/ Alsea

4:30 p.m. Cascade vs North Marion

Baseball

4:30 p.m. Cascade vs Stayton

Tuesday, May 9

Softball

4:30 p.m. Cascade vs Stayton

Wednesday, May 10

Baseball

4:30 p.m. Stayton vs Cascade

Thursday, May 11

Softball

4 p.m. Stayton vs North Marion

4:30 p.m. Regis vs Colton

Baseball

4:30 p.m. Cascade vs Stayton

Monday, May 15

Softball

4:30 p.m. Regis vs Monroe

Girls Tennis

4 p.m. Cascade vs Molalla

Boys Tennis

4 p.m. Stayton vs Estacada

Baseball

4:30 p.m. Regis vs Culver

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It’s hilarious TikTok and other Congressional antics

I love comedy. There is nothing like a good, old-fashioned belly laugh to make my day. I watch movies, comedians, improv – you name it – to get a daily dose of the giggles.

There’s one comedy group, however, that stands out from all of the rest. It’s also the biggest. With 535 members, it’s always up to some madcap shenanigans.

Of course, I am referring to Congress.

Lately, they have been on a roll. They want to clamp down on TikTok, the Chinese-owned social media company that seems to specialize in videos of random garbage, ranging from ads for household cleaners to clips from old TV shows.

Pretty amazing stuff.

But the junk TikTok shows isn’t the problem, according to our contingent of congressional cut-ups. The problem is that TikTok someday will give everything it learned about me and you to the Chinese government.

So, let me tell you what they will find out

about me. I like airplanes, and astronomy. And goofy videos – particularly those about Congress.

That’s about it. Yet the folks in Congress – Democrats and Republicans – seem to believe that TikTok can be weaponized and turn me and everyone else against the good old U.S. of A.

A note to the Chinese. Don’t even try. The folks in Congress have beat you to it. For example, Congress and the administration have told anyone with a federal government-issued cell phone to delete TikTok.

Wait just a minute. Do you mean to tell me that my tax dollars have been going toward buying cell phones for federal

employees so they can watch TikTok? So it’s OK for them to watch Facebook on the taxpayers’ dime? And Instagram and Twitter?

If Congress was serious, it would order all social media to be blocked from government phones.

After all, outfits like Facebook have been collecting – and selling – personal information to anyone with a checkbook, and posting ads from the Russians and God knows who else. If you have enough money, they will even dedicate a special team to promote your propaganda.

The great irony about social media is that Congress allowed it to become the slurry of half-truths and personal attacks it is today. Congress exempted Facebook and all of the other platforms from liability for the content they publish.

Anywhere else in the world, publishers are held responsible for content, but not Facebook and the others.  Congress created the problems it now complains about, but won’t fix them.

Oh, members will huff and puff, and issue press releases but in the end they will do approximately nothing meaningful. That’s what makes them all so funny. The billionaires that own Facebook, Twitter and the other social media platforms are laughing at them. They know they can stroke a campaign check to this congressional committee chairman or that member of Congress and any problems will go away. They are anxious to get rid of TikTok because it is a successful competitor. No doubt Congress will find a way to take care of its patrons in the Silicon Valley.

Yes, these are hilarious times on Capitol Hill in Washington. With all of the real problems facing us – including the runaway inflation that Congress created by spraying down the economy with trillions of borrowed dollars – they are worrying about TikTok. It’s too funny!

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

A Turning Leaf Home Medical Equipment

GENERAL

LOOKING FOR SILVERTON

HIGH 1971 CLASSMATE I’m looking for John Withers from the Scotts Mills area, going to SUHS from 1968 to 1970.

I am Catherine Wyatt from Silverton. I was a grade behind John. We dated my freshman year. I go by ‘Raven Wyatt’ on Facebook. If anyone knows his whereabouts, please contact me on Facebook.

SERVICES

HANDYMAN & HOME

REPAIR SERVICE Installation and repair of fencing, decks,doors, gutter cleaning, moss removal, power washing, yard debris removal.

CCB# 206637 Call Ryan 503-881-3802

HOUSECLEANING JOBS

WANTED Dependable. Many references. 503-873-6401

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, stump grinding, powerwashing, haul-away. 503-871-7869

WANTED

PART-TIME OFFICE ASSISTANT

WANTED We are looking for a part-time Office Assistant. We are a family-owned funeral home in Silverton and

Mt. Angel. This position represents the company with the public by telephone and in person and must be courteous and professional. You must be reliable, a team player, be able to multi-task and have knowledge with Microsoft Word and be able to pay attention to detail. Schedule would be Monday, Thursday and Saturday working 20 hours a week. If you think you would be a perfect fit, please e-mail your resume to info@ ungerfuneralchapel.com

ROOFER WANTED For house in Mount Angel. Single story. 17-year-old roof. Submit bids by June 1, 2023. Call 503-845-9452 for more information.

To advertise call 503-769-9525

Saturday, June 10th

5K Walk

3K, 5K & 10K Runs

• Registration: 7:00am–8:00am

• Run Start: 8:30am

• Starting Line: Santiam Hospital & Clinics 1401 N. 10th Ave. • Stayton, OR

• Course Closes: 10:00am

Shirts guaranteed through May 14th

• Raffle of two $150 Stayton Sports Gift Cards (MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN)

• Prizes awarded to first place male & female runners in all age divisions

• Snow Peak Brewing Beer Garden (ID required)

• Enjoy Coffee, Smoothies, Fresh Fruit & Delicious Scones

• Dunk Tank, Facepainting, Bouncy House & Snow Cones

• Get warmed up with beat music

• Keepsake Prizes to all finishers

Register online: santiamhospital.org

Special Thanks to our Sponsors: OMAC Advertising, PT Northwest & Saalfeld Griggs

Additional sponsors & vendors: Hooked on Food, Our Town, Pacific Perks, Stayton Roth’s, Snow Peak Brewing, Stayton Road Runners Club, Stayton Sports, Ticos Coffee Roasting