Our Town South: July 1, 2023

On

Cover

A Turning Leaf Home Medical Equipment

Correction

The Stayton Sublimity Chamber of Commerce 2022 award for New Outstanding Business went to K’s Koffee. There was a misspelling in the original story. Jennifer Tiger won Distinguished Service Award, Mike Bauer the Lifetime Legacy Award, Siegmund Excavation & Construction Inc. Large Business of the Year, Lulay Financial LLC Small Business of the Year and the Community Angel Award went to Debbie Turner of Deb’s Attic. Congratulations to all the winners!

ourtown@mtangelpub.com

www.ourtownlive.com

The deadline for placing an ad in the Aug.1 issue is July 20. Calendar listings are free for community events. Submissions must include date, time, location and cost. Submissions for the Aug. 1 issue are due July 21. Email calendar items to: datebook@mtangelpub.com

Our Town is mailed free to residents and businesses in the 97383, 97385, 97358 and 97325 zip codes. Subscriptions outside the area are $40 annually

Something to Talk About

By James Day

A 2-alarm fire damaged a pair of fuel storage silos at a Freres Engineered Wood facility in Lyons on June 23 night. The facility was closed at the time and neither firefighters nor Freres employees were injured.

More than 40 firefighters and 11 pieces of apparatus responded, according to the Lyons Rural Fire Protection District.

The report said that the call came in at 10:04 p.m. “With the quick responses from our volunteers we were able to get a knockdown,” the department said.

Freres President Rob Freres said that a log crane operator “saw the flames and radioed it in. That started the process.”

The silos provided wood fuel to the boiler that powers operations in Freres Plant 4. Freres said the company has set up a temporary conveyor system to provide fuel to the boiler. It should be back online by the June 27 graveyard shift, he said, which is after the Our Town press deadline. Replacing the damaged silos and conveyors will take approximately six to eight weeks, Freres said. No word was available on the cause of the fire, and Freres said investigators likely will not discover the cause.

“It could have been a hot bearing that ignited some of the wood fuels,” he said, “but I’m doubtful we will learn the ignition source.”

Freres employees have gone through emergency training and the plants have fire hoses near the silos and throughout the company’s facilities. “Some of the hoses were used and some were melted,” Freres said.

Freres, who was at the fire scene by 10:30 p.m., praised

the emergency response.

“We are blessed to have the (fire) department on 12th Street (just a couple of blocks away),” Freres said. “They are all volunteers and made up of many of our employees and families. They did an outstanding job and we are very grateful for their good work.”

Freres said that “it took awhile to remove the fuel from the silos and get the fire out. It wasn’t until 7 a.m. Monday (June 26) that the second silo was empty. It’s been a process.”

Freres said the company has deluge systems, which are designed to spray high volumes of water over large areas, in other plant facilities. It intends to add one in Plant 4. Assisting the Lyons Rural Fire Protection District were crews and equipment from Aumsville, Scio, Gates, Stayton, including the district’s Mehama station, Sublimity and Salem. A total of 41 firefighters participated, the report said.

Freres Engineered Wood is the Santiam Canyon’s largest employer with approximately 500 employees. The firm specializes in mass plywood panels, veneer, plywood, lumber and ag products such as chips and sawdust.

Freres Engineered Wood President Rob Freres, right, gets an update from firefighters on the scene of June 23’s blaze at a Freres facility in Lyons. LYONS RURAL FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

Projects funded Money rolls in to local agencies to address wildfires

By James Day

Virtually every local fire agency is heading into fire season with a bit of extra muscle, courtesy of state grants.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal has awarded $6 million in grants to 185 agencies throughout the state to spend up to $35,000 to add staffers for wildfire season. This is the second year of the grant program, which is paid for by funds from Senate Bill 762, the 2021 legislation that was designed to serve as a comprehensive wildfire preparedness and resiliency bill amid the fires that have plagued the state, including the Labor Day 2020 blazes that affected huge swathes of the Santiam Canyon. The program led to 400 hires a year ago.

Earning grants were the Stayton Fire District, Sublimity Fire District, Lyons Rural Fire Protection District, Gates Rural Fire Protection District, the Idanha-Detroit Rural Fire Protection District, Scio Rural Fire Protection District, Monitor Rural Fire Protection District, Mt. Angel Fire District, and Silverton Fire District.

The Santiam Canyon Long-Term Recovery Group, meanwhile, has been awarded a grant from the Oregon State Fire Marshal to support community wildfire risk reduction programs.

The Santiam Canyon agency was one of more than 100

organizations that received grant funding from the state, which is dispersing $18 million. The SCLTRG received $242,266, and agency officials said they are still working on how they will spend the award.

Projects receiving funding include community-wide wildfire defensible space programs, vegetation removal around buildings, community chipping programs, community education related to wildfire preparedness, equipment for vegetation removal, and staff to support these local efforts.

“This grant will allow communities to create proactive, local solutions to lessen the impacts of wildfire,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “We know that wildfire can happen anywhere in Oregon. Investing in communities in all areas of our state will bring much-needed community risk reduction and resiliency projects and programs to life.”

Stayton Fire District received $44,500. Stayton Fire has Canyon stations in Mehama and Elkhorn as well as its Stayton and Marion stations.

Stayton Chief Jay Alley noted that the new funding is part of a crop of district grant assistance that totals approximately $100,000.

The $44,500 community risk reduction grant, Alley said,

will provide equipment for fuel hazard reduction around and near structures. The funds will pay for a trailer with two removable containers that will haul away material. The program will be available area wide and delivered upon request to a home or neighborhood. This program will start this summer and be available into the future. Other grants include:

• A $5,000 Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund grant for the purchase of wildland protective shirts and pants to replace deteriorating wildland clothing. The district will contribute $8,000 and will be able to outfit all personnel, Alley said.

• A $10,000 Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) fire adapted home grant will provide funds to conduct wildfire risk reduction activities to the service area. The funds will be used for outreach and education, publications and wildfire risk reduction planning and assistance. The focus is on vulnerable populations and rural/wildland urban interface communities.

• A $35,000 Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) wildfire season staffing grant to pay for the hiring of additional staff. With the grant money the Stayton Fire District will hire two seasonal firefighters to staff a brush rig for all incident responses.

Something to Do

Summer means fun

By James Day

A couple of big milestones will be set at this year’s 4th of July celebration in Stayton, which kicks off a month of summer fun in the Stayton area. This year marks the 50th anniversary of fireworks for the Stayton celebration and the 40th rendition of the annual fun runs. Stayton Police Chief Gwen Johns will serve as the Grand Marshal of the Stayton 4th of July Parade, which was added in 1991. Sponsored by the Stayton Lions Club, the parade, which gets rolling at 4 p.m., runs south from its start at the corner of Regis and First to Washington, then heads west to Gardner and back north to Regis. The announcer’s booth will be on the east side of First between Locust and Washington. The staging area and check-in booth for parade entrants is on Regis west of First. The holiday festivities begin with an 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. pancake breakfast at the Stayton Community Center parking lot. Firefighters will do the cooking, with the money raised helping pay for the all-night

grad party for the Stayton High Class of 2024.

The community center also will be the takeoff point for the annual Stayton Fun Runs. Events kick off at 9 a.m. and include a 3K run-walk, a 5K trail run and a 10K trail run. Fees are $10 in advance or $15 on the day of the race. Go to https://runsignup.com/Race/OR/Stayton/ StaytonFunRun/ through July 3 or register on the 4th (day of the race registration begins at 7:30 a.m.) The most patriotically dressed runner will win a Denali blanket, a $130 value.

At 5 p.m. the action shifts to Stayton High for food, kids games, face painting, music and a drawing for local gift certificates (proceeds benefit the Stayton Lions Club).

Families are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs and blankets to the grassy area east of the football-soccer stadium. At 9 p.m. a contest to select the ten best-dressed kids will take place, with A&W certificates going to the ten winners.

Fireworks are at 10 p.m., with organizers

advising spectators that alcohol, smoking, vaping, weapons, personal fireworks and pets are NOT allowed on the event grounds and school property.

The fireworks will be launched from the grassy area west of the stadium and spectators are prohibited from entering that area.

Santiam Stampede: The Stampede, now

in its 25th year, has National Professional Rodeo Association events set for Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22 at the Harvest Festival Grounds on Sublimity Road. Events start at 7 p.m. both nights, with tickets ranging between $10.50 and $15.50 in advance and $13-19 at the gate. Kids 5 and under are free. More information at https://scsrodeo.com/. Santiam Summerfest: The downtown Stayton event is celebrating its 27th year on Saturday, July 30 on Third Avenue. The vendor street fair, family fun zone (petting zoo, sports and games) and the big boy toys area (construction, forestry and emergency services equipment) runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with food, beer and live entertainment going from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. No admission is charged, but a $5 donation for individuals or $20 per family is suggested.

Vendor and food booth applications still are being taken. Email info@ StaytonSublimityChamber.org or call 503-769-3464.

Santiam Summerfest in Stayton. SHELDON TRAVER

Helping Hands

Torch bearer Special Olympics

By Stephen Floyd Stayton Police Chief Gwen

Johns recently helped escort the Flame of Hope to the opening ceremony of the 2023 Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.

The flame was lit in Athens, Greece June 7 and carried by volunteers with Law Enforcement Torch Run, an international group of police and Special Olympians who advocate for the athletes and help fundraise.

Johns has volunteered with the torch run for almost three decades and this year was given the honor of leading a team on the final leg of the journey. June 12 to 17 they traveled on foot down roads lined with spectators, and stopped in 16 German communities to hold local ceremonies.

Johns told Our Town the schedule was grueling at times, putting in a dozen miles

per day over several hours. She said they also got to meet Special Olympians as they arrived for the competition.

“We got to see athletes from all over the world,” said Johns.

She added she hopes her experience in Germany can help spread the word about Special Olympics and opportunities to support the program. As of press time, donors had contributed $2,675 to Johns’ volunteer page at bit.ly/spdjohns. Final leg runners raised a total of $200,000.

The City of Stayton said it was excited for Johns’ unique opportunity and in a Facebook post said they wished her the best of luck.

The Special Olympics World Games concluded June 25 and saw 6,500 athletes compete before 330,000 spectators.

Chief Gwen Johns in Berlin. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Negligent Jury finds utility responsible for wildfire

By Stephen Floyd

A jury has awarded $87 million to named plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against PacifiCorp over the 2020 Labor Day wildfires. A series of shorter trials will determine damages to 5,000 additional class members.

The jury in James et al. v. PacifiCorp found the company liable for five out of six claims June 12 in Multnomah County Circuit Court after a seven-week trial.

The company was accused of negligently causing multiple wildfires throughout Oregon on Labor Day 2020 including the Santiam, Obenchain, 242 and Echo Mountain Complex fires. Plaintiffs successfully argued PacifiCorp failed to manage trees in contact with its power lines and refused to de-energize equipment during high heat and wind conditions.

The jury awarded 17 named plaintiffs roughly $4.4 million in economic damages and $64.5 in non-economic damages. Then on June 14, the company was found liable for punitive damages and the jury awarded an additional $17 million, or one quarter of compensatory damages.

PacifiCorp continues to assert its actions before and during the fires were appropriate and in the best interests of ratepayers. The company said in a June 12 news release it plans to appeal the verdict and is “confident we will prevail.”

The recent verdicts brought an end to the first phase of a two-stage trial process.

The first trial determined whether or not the company was liable for the fires, and individual damages to an initial group of 17 plaintiffs. The second phase will determine damages to around 5,000 remaining class members. Plaintiff attorneys hope to have these cases heard soon.

“We carried the ball to the ten-yard-line and we don’t want to stop now,” said plaintiff attorney Jay Edelson, founder and CEO of Edelson PC. “We want to finish this off because we know people are suffering right now.”

Edelson said this second phase will likely involve a series of group trials with around 17 plaintiffs litigating together like the initial trial. These proceedings are expected to last one or two days each rather than several weeks because PacifiCorp has already been found responsible for the fires.

Damages in the second phase will also include the onequarter multiplier for punitive damages set by the jury June 14.

Edelson said class members must reach out directly to plaintiff attorneys to participate in the damages phase, both to join the trials and to work out potential nuances in their claims. The firms include Edelson PC, Stoll Berne and Keller Rohrback LLP. Contact information is available at pacificorpfirelitigation.com.

While this first trial was held in Portland, the damages trials may be more flexible and could take place closer to the regions impacted by the fires. This could happen if the court appoints a special master (often a retired judge) to rule on the cases, though the format of the damages phase is still being finalized in court.

If damages for remaining class members are similar to those awarded June 12 – which were between $3 million and $5.5 million for each plaintiff – the total liability for PacifiCorp could reach more than $25 billion. PacifiCorp has an annual income of $900 million and assets totaling $29 billion. It is owned by multinational conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway with assets worth nearly $1 trillion

PacifiCorp prepares for rate increase after first wildfire verdict

PacifiCorp appears ready to pass on the costs of legal judgments to ratepayers after a recent multi-million-dollar verdict against the company, and the potential for billions more.

On June 15, PacifiCorp filed paperwork with the Oregon Public Utility Commission requesting permission to defer adding the judgments to its books until June of 2024. This would not delay payments to plaintiffs, if any, but would allow the company additional time before it had to account for the losses in the calculations it uses to set rates.

The company said in the filing that it hoped to avoid frequent rate increases as individual cases resolved and would rather wait to know the full extent of losses before considering an increase.

A company spokesperson told Our Town the filing was not a request to raise rates and the company has not committed to an increase. He said the filing was a “backstop” to preserve PacifiCorp’s financial stability if rate increases are to be considered.

The Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board has come out against PacifiCorp’s proposal. It filed filed paperwork to intervene in the matter. Executive Director Bob Jenks told KOIN PacifiCorp should not be allowed to pass on these losses to customers, particularly those still recovering from the wildfires at issue.

Governor in Aumsville

Water treatment project ‘listening’ session

By James Day

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek visited Aumsville on June 22, making a breakfast stop to discuss water treatment plant issues with city officials.

The visit, which was closed to the media and the public, was the first of six stops Kotek, the first-term Democratic governor, made in Marion County. Kotek also conducted “listening sessions” om homelessness and agriculture/natural resources in three Silverton stops, wildfire recovery in Detroit and closed the day with a general media briefing in Woodburn.

Aumsville has been working to raise money to build a new water treatment plant that will meet state Department of Environmental Quality standards that were revised in 2019.

“The area of concern is the ammonia content and the fact that the city’s lagoon treatment facility could not meet the newer standards set by DEQ,” Aumsville City Manager Ron Harding told Our Town in an earlier interview. “Many smaller communities in Oregon are facing the same issues.”

Failing to meet the standards means the city cannot discharge its effluent into the North Santiam River, Harding said.

Aumsville has approved a capital facility plan that includes a new water treatment

plant and now is in the daunting fundraising phase that must come up with $28 million to do the work.

A $1 million grant from Marion County, $1 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, $1.25 secured by thenU.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader and $1.2 million in system development charges for new construction means Aumsville has about $4.5 million toward the new infrastructure, Harding said.

The city continues to seek funds from the legislature, grants, and funding programs offered by the state and federal programs. It is facing a 2028 deadline to meet the new requirements.

Kotek’s Marion County swing was the 16th edition of her Oregon Listening Tour. Media were not allowed at the Detroit stop and one of the Silverton visits. The general public was excluded from all six events.

A Kotek spokesperson said a key goal of the approach was to “make sure the conversations took place in an environment in which the people would feel comfortable.”

The safety of the governor also was a key concern, said the spokesperson.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, center, outside Neufeldt’s restaurant in Aumsville after a breakfast meeting with, from left, Aumsville City Administrator Ron Harding, Beth Wytoski of Kotek’s staff, Councilors Nico Casarez and Della Seney, Mayor Angelica Ceja and Police Chief Damian Flowers. They discussed the challenges of replacing the city’s water treatment plant. SUBMITTED PHOTO

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 Wed., Fri. $3 donation suggested. Ginger, 503-769-7995.

Tuesday

Storytime in the Park – 10:30 a.m., Stayton Community Center Park. Read, write, talk, sing and play. All ages. Free. 503-769-3313

Wednesday

Stayton/Sublimity Chamber Business Network, 8:15 a.m. Network building event for local business, non-profit professionals. 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

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. 503-767-2009

Stayton Farmers Market, 3 - 6 p.m., Third and Florence, downtown Stayton. For information, visit Stayton Farmers Market on Facebook or Instagram.

Thursday

Sublimity Quilters, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., St. Boniface Catholic Church, 375 SE Church St., Sublimity. Make quilts for local community, 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 Eztel, 503-769-2656.

Point Man Ministries, 6 p.m., Canyon Bible Fellowship, 446 Cedar St., Lyons. Veterans support org. 503-859-2627

Friday

Cars & Coffee, 8 a.m., Covered Bridge Cafe, 510 N Third Ave., Stayton. Bring your classic vehicles for coffee, breakfast.

Saturday

Aumsville Saturday Market

9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Porter-Boone Park, 1105 Main St. Applications for booth space at aumsville.us

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

Notices

Free Summer Lunch

Children younger than 18 can get a free lunch Mon.-Fri. beginning July

5. Hot lunch provided at Stayton Middle School, 1021 SE Shaff Road, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Sack lunches at Stayton Community Center Park, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.; Mari-Linn School, 641 Fifth Street, Lyons, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Meals must be eaten on site.

Saturday, July 1

Movies in the Park

Dusk, Porter Boone Park, 1105 Main St., Aumsville. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy a free movie. Today: Strange World. July 8: The Pirate Fairy. July 15: Peter Pan. July 22: Ron Gone Wrong. July 29: Lion King.

Monday, July 3

Santiam Artists Connection

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

Fireworks in the Garden

4 - 11:30 p.m., The Oregon Garden, 879 W Main St. Music, children’s activities, food, beer, wine, fireworks. Garden members and children under 13 free. $5/ages 13 and older. Tickets at gate or oregongarden.org.

Stayton City Council

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

Tuesday, July 4

Independence Day

Pancake Breakfast

8 - 11 a.m., Stayton Community Center. $10/adults. $8 children. Proceeds benefit Stayton High Senior Class of 2024 allnight party.

Stayton Fun Run/Walk

9 a.m., Stayton Community Center. 3K walk/run, 5K & 10K trail runs. $10 advance registration at runsignup.com - search Stayton Fun Run. $15 after July 2 and day of race. Benefits Stayton Scout Troop 50. staytonfunrun.com

Stayton Grand Parade

4 p.m., Stayton.

Celebrate 50 Years of Fireworks with a parade that runs from West Regis Street, to First Avenue, to Washington Street, to Gardener and back to Regis.

Stayton’s Fourth Celebration

5 p.m., Stayton High, 757 W Locust St. Music, games, drawings, concessions. Fireworks begin at 10 p.m. No alcohol, vaping, smoking, weapons, personal fireworks or pets allowed.

Wednesday, July 5

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.

Lego-fy Yourself

2 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Get a demo of casting resin figures and decorate a resin minifigure. Teens/ tweens ages 11 or older. 503-769-3313

Stayton Summer Reading Program

4 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Dig into rocks, fossils, earthquakes, volcanoes through hands-on activities with the Museum of Natural and Cultural History. Family-friendly. Free. 503-769-3313

Thursday, July 6

Sublimity Garage Sales

The city of Sublimity’s city-wide garage sale July 6 - 7. Days and hours vary from house to house. No city permit required. Marion County Fair

10 a.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 NE 17th Ave., Salem. Runs July 6 - 9. For times, admission costs and events, visit marioncountyfair.net.

Friday, July 7

The Lego Challenge

2 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Work with a team and compete in a series of timed Lego building competitions. Intended for kids and teens ages 8 and older. A free-build area will be available for younger ages. Free. 503-769-3313

Saturday, July 8

Bethel Clothing Closet

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

Joseph’s Storehouse of Hope

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

The Great Puzzle Race

11 a.m., Stayton Public Library. Compete against other groups in a timed jigsaw puzzle competition. Free. All ages. 503-769-3313

The Lone Ranger Auditions

2 p.m., Spotlight Theater, 383 N Third Ave., Stayton. Open auditions for Spotlight Theater’s old-time radio recreation of The Lone Ranger. 503-420-9181

Sunday, July 9

Oregon’s Landmark Legislation

1 - 4 p.m., Brown House Event Center, 425 N First Ave., Stayton. Oregon Historical Society’s Travel exhibit, “Landmark Legislation,” highlights groundbreaking legislation that Oregon passed since statehood. Focuses on legislation that focuses on environmental, social and land use issues. Adults $5. Youth under 18 are free. Admission includes the exhibition and a docent guided tour. Repeats July 23 & 29. 503-769-8860, cmbrownhouse.org

Monday, July 10

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. Agenda available. 503-769-5475

Aumsville City Council

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

Lyons Fire District Board

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

Stayton Fire District

7 p.m.,. Stayton Fire Station, 1988 W Ida St. Open to public. 503-769-2601

Tuesday, July 11

Readers Cafe

1 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Visit the Readers Cafe to “taste” some new titles, explore new book options and take home a book to keep. Designed for readers interested in exploring a variety of book formats and titles from picture books to youth chapter books. Free. 503-769-3313

Dementia Care Conversations

3 - 4 p.m. Zoom. Free group for unpaid caregivers providing support to a loved one living with dementia. To request a referral to the group, contact the Aging and Disability Resource Connection at 503-304-3420. Repeats July 26.

D&D Writing Workshop

5 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Learn tools to create your own complex adventures in Dungeons & Dragons: map-making, story progression, world-building. Leave with a customized adventure to play at home. Ages 12 and older. Free. 503-769-3313

Stayton Parks and Rec Board

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

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, July 12

Stayton Summer Reading Program

11 a.m., Stayton Community Center Park. Ventriloquist Vikki Gasko Green entertains with drama, magic, education and audience participation. All ages. Free. 503-769-3313

Santiam Heritage Foundation Board

6 p.m., Brown House Event Center, 425 N First Ave., Stayton. 503-768-8860

Thursday, July 13

Doris’s Place Playgroups

10 - 11:30 a.m., Stayton Community Center Park. Free opportunity to spend time with your children, socialize with families, build support in the community. No registration. 503-769-1120

Linn County Fair

11 a.m., Linn County Fairgrounds, 3700 Knox Butte Road, Albany. Runs July 13-15. For times, admission costs and events, visit linncountyfair.com.

Mama’s Community Market

Noon - 4 p.m., 10153 Mill Creek Road, Aumsville. Food pantry. Repeats July 27.

Hero Kids Questing

3 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Learn to play the fantasy RPG Hero Kids. For children ages 4 - 10. Free. 503-769-3313

Lyons Summer Reading Program

3:30 p.m., Lyons City Hall, 449 Fifth St.

Today: magician Alex Zerbe. July 20: slow jam and musical instruments crafts. July 27: comedian/ukulele Angel Ocasio. Free. 503-859-2366

Mixed Media Collage

5:30 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Create a mixed media collage to represent your inner voice. Teens/adults ages 11 and older. Sign-ups suggested. 503-769-3313

Friday, July 14

Teen Party Games

2 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Party games Werewolf, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and Telestrations. Teens/tweens ages 11 and older. Free. 503-769-3313

Saturday, July 15

Flea Market

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

Quilt and Garden Tour

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. $10 per person; includes entrance to four homes and quilt display. Garden addresses are 12022 & 11971 Ashley Lane, Sublimity; 555 Berry St., Sublimity; 1387 Ida St., Stayton. Tickets are available at Yarnell’s Growers Outlet in Stayton, Godfrey Nursery in Aumsville or at each garden the day of the event. In case of inclement weather, the tour will take place July 22. Scholarship fundraiser for Chapter EU of PEO.

Monday, July 17

Stayton Lions Club

Noon, Covered Bridge Cafe, 510 N Third Ave., Stayton. Club and new members are welcome. staytonlionsclub.org

Red Cross Blood Drive

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

Stayton City Council

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

Tuesday, July 18

Process Art

3 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Explore a selection of art techniques. Designed for artists of all ages. Process art is messy; dress accordingly. Free. 503-769-3313

North Santiam Watershed Council

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

Wednesday, July 19

Red Cross Blood Drive

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

RDS Board Meeting

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

Stayton Library Board

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

Thursday, July 20

Stayton Summer Reading Program

4 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Experience a comedic onslaught of absurd ideas and odd skills with Alex Zerbe All ages. Free. 503-769-3313

Teen Bad Art Night

5:30 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Create a masterpiece or disasterpiece. Tweens/ teens ages 11 and older. 503-769-3313

Aumsville Fire District

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

Friday, July 21

Huge Garage Sale

9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Stayton United Methodist Church, 1450 Fern Ridge Road. Benefits Santiam Teen Center. Repeats July 22. 503-779-7029

Santiam Canyon Stampede

7 p.m., Sublimity Harvest Festival Grounds, 11880 SE Sublimity Road. NPRA rodeo. Runs July 21-22. Tickets, prices and event information at scsrodeo.com.

Saturday, July 22

Canterbury Renaissance Faire

10 a.m. - 6 p.m., 6569 Valley View Road, Silverton. Adults $22/day. Age 6 - 12 and seniors 60 and older $18/day. Age 5 and under are free. Repeats July 23, 29-30. canterburyfaire.com.

Pulled Pork Dinner

5 - 7 p.m., Santiam Valley Grange, 1140 Fifth St., Lyons. Pulled pork, coleslaw, baked beans, dessert, coffee/punch. $10 per person. 503-859-2161

Movie in the Park

8 p.m., Sublimity Church Park, 375 E Main St. Bring blankets and chairs to enjoy Minions: The Rise of Gru. Free.

Monday, July 24

Doris’s Place Playgroups

2 - 3:30 p.m., Wildwood Splash Park, 700 N Fifth St., Aumsville. Free opportunity to spend time with your children, socialize with families, build support in the community. No registration. 503-769-1120

Keepers of the Kingdom

6:15 - 8:15 p.m., Bethel Baptist Church, 645 Cleveland St., Aumsville. Vacation Bible School. Runs through July 28. 503749-2128, bethelaumsville.org

Ready, Set, Move!

6 - 8:30 p.m., Foothills Church, 975 Fern Ridge Road, Stayton. Vacation Bible School. Ages 4 - 12. $20/one child, $35/two children, $50/three or more children. Runs through July 27. Register at foothillsstayton.org/children.

503-769-2731

Aumsville City Council

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

Tuesday, July 25

Pixicade Workshop

3:30 - 4:30 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Drop in to explore a tool to design your own video games. Share, play the created game. Repeats July 26 - 28. Free. 503-769-3313

NSSD Board

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

Lyons City Council

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

Wednesday, July 26

Reader’s Theatre

11 a.m., Stayton Public Library. Homegrown presentation of Richard Morris’ book, Bear Came Along, presented by library staff and volunteers. Help make the story into an art display. All ages. Free. 503-769-3313

Pocket Magnetic Poetry

2 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Make a magnetic poetry kit that fits in your pocket. Teens. Free. 503-769-3313

Book Discussion for Adults

4 p.m., Stayton Public Library. Discuss The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner. Tea and treats provided. Free. 503-769-3313

Thursday, July 27

Doris’s Place Playgroups

10 - 11:30 a.m., Santiam Chapel, 440 Fifth St., Lyons. Free opportunity to spend time with your children, socialize with families, build support in the community. No registration required. 503-769-1120

Saturday, July 29

Santiam SummerFest

10 a.m. - 4 p.m., downtown Stayton. Exhibits, street fair, Fun Zone. Food, beer garden, live music 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. More information at facebook.com/ santiamsummerfest.

Monday, July 31

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

Is That Really True?

Did you hear the one about the three conspiracy theorists who walked into a bar? Tell me that’s just a coincidence!

We live in a time of great skepticism toward just about every source of information. News has become a “narrative.” Fact checkers are found to be part of the program to push that narrative. Even artificial intelligence programs like ChatGPT have been caught lying, creating fake authors, making-up and citing legal cases that never even existed!

Who can you trust in a world where everyone is gaming you, where everyone wants to influence you to buy into their way of seeing things— their view of life, or product, or morality or politics—a world where “loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” Only now it is a wonderful plan for your money, your mind, your body, and your vote.

Tell Me That’s Just a Coincidence!

The truth is, there is a conspiracy going on, and it’s been going on ever since the Garden of Eden. Satan lied to Eve. He told her, “You will not surely die” if you eat the forbidden fruit. “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:4).

So, Eve doubted the goodness and love of God enough to go ahead and take a bite. She gave a bite to her husband as well. Then their eyes were opened and they felt ashamed of their own bodies and became afraid of God and of what would happen to them when God finally confronted them.

They weren’t “like God” in the way they had intended. Satan lied to them. They were still finite human beings, but now they bore the obligation to always do what is good, which they had already blown by disobeying God in the first place. Justice demanded justice.

God could have destroyed them both right then and be done with it. But if God did that He would be destroying all of their future posterity. You and I would have been canceled before we were even born.

So God chose instead to punish them on the spot and then start the clock ticking for when they would both eventually die physically, but not until they had time to have their children. In this way, all of us who were created “in Adam and Eve,” and made “in the image of God” have our moment to be conceived and then, hopefully, to be born into a life full of opportunity to know and enjoy the Creator God as our Heavenly Father.

(By the way, speaking of being born, did you know that, statistically speaking, one of the most dangerous places on earth is the womb

of an American woman? That’s right (worldometers.info/ abortions/). And one of the safest places on earth today, statistically speaking, is to be on Death Row in an American prison! (npr.org/2022/05/12 / 109718 4110/death-rowinmates-execution-time).

But God is patiently enduring all the sinfulness of rebellious human beings in order to give those of us who will turn to Him and love Him the opportunity to do so. That is why God allows evil people to live and have kids because some of those kids and grandkids may be saved. Only God knows. But someone will have to pay for all those sins. No one gets away with anything. The question is, “Who will pay — the sinner, or the Savior?” Someone must pay.

The same liar who told Eve she and her husband would be like God is now keeping the lie going with other lies, all of which lead people away from the truth and keep them distracted. Every time some poor soul thinks, “This is stupid. Why am I doing this? I’m not happy. There must be more to life than this,” Satan, as in C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters, whispers another lie to push that idea out of his or her mind again. “Maybe later.”

Now you may be thinking, “Satan? Really?” I know it sounds crazy in our sophisticated, scientific culture. But we happily believe in aliens, astrology, paganism, imps, fairies, unicorns, food ingredient labels, and even Sasquatch, but Satan? Demons? The God of the Bible? Jesus? No way!

And yet, have you noticed that when you really want to talk nasty, the name you use as profanity is never Buddha. Nor Thor, nor

By Gregg Harris Free Ice Cream Social Sunday, July 23rd

Odin. Not Zeus. Not even the Prophet of Islam. No, when you cuss you normally use the name of the God of the Bible or of His Son, Jesus Christ. Satan must laugh hysterically as you use the Name of the One True God in ways that thrust you farther away from the only One who can save you. Now is just a coincidence.

You Shall Know the Truth and the Truth Shall Set You Free!

Jesus talked a lot about the truth and about Satan’s lies. He said that He Himself is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. That His teaching is the only Rock upon which to build your life as opposed to the shifting sands of this world. He said “No one can come to the Heavenly Father but by Me,” and announced that God has loved the world in this way, by giving His only Son (Jesus), so that “whoever

The God who chose not to snuff out Adam and Eve in the Garden did so for many good reasons. One reason was because He wanted to meet you. He looked forward to giving you this opportunity to come back to the reason He created you in the first place. He wanted to include you in the display of Who He is and what He is like. That is what is called God’s “glory.” We are all intended to do everything we do for His glory. That’s why He made us “in His own image.” It is so that we, like Him, can be good, wise, and loving, as faithful children of our Heavenly Father. Isn’t it amazing? Adam and Eve fell into sin by doubting the goodness of God enough to actually disobey Him. Now, through faith in Jesus Christ, we can be restored by believing in the goodness of God enough to actually obey Him. It is our believing that saves us, not our obeying. But when we believe as we should, we obey Him as we should with eagerness and joy. That is the truth.

Meet the Noble Men of Noble Inn

believes on Him shall not perish, but instead have everlasting life.” Was Jesus a liar? Was He just a lunatic? Or is He Lord and Savior? You can find out for yourself right now simply by turning to Him by faith and asking Him to save you. He has already died for the sins of the whole world. That part is done. After three days in the grave He rose from the dead as proof that His payment was accepted. So, we know it worked! The way is open for us to get right with God. All we get to do is respond.

Spiritual Castaways

When we refuse to believe the truth, we start to believe anything. We cast ourselves off like someone in a rowboat out in the middle of the ocean. We have no idea which way to row. We are tossed around by every wave of news and opinion. We get tangled in the seaweed of superstition and false, man-made religions. In our confusion we may begin to doubt the obvious, doubting that we even exist or, if we do exist, believing wrongly that we can recreate ourselves in any way we choose, over and over again, spiraling out into levels of delusion that can only make sense to someone who has lost touch with reality. Reality is true whether anyone believes it or not because truth is not something we get to decide. It’s not “my truth” or “your truth.” It is God’s truth and God’s truth never changes.

There is a group of 8 men from various churches in the Silverton area who gather in my home (i.e. the Noble Inn, the bed & breakfast I own) every Thursday morning from 5:30 to 7 AM. We pray together. We read a passage from the Bible and talk about what it means. My dear wife, Bonnie, prepares a great breakfast for us. Then we challenge one another to do something in the coming week that shows those in our life that we really do love them. If you are a man, you are welcome to RSVP to join our breakfast. We are also putting on a City-Wide, AllChurch, Free Ice Cream Social in Silverton on Sunday, July 23rd (See link below). These “noble men” (and their wives), are also the ones who pay the $2231 it costs to publish these articles each month. (You are welcome to join this financial team as well.) Why do we do this? Because we care about you and where you will spend eternity. Got Feedback? Call or text 503-926-1388. Read all 6 articles at NobleInn.org/articles

Silverton’s City-Wide, All-Church, Free Ice Cream Social 11:30 am to 3:30 pm

Sunday, July 23rd, at Several Churches In & Around Town

Go to NobleInn.org/icecream for a current list of participating churches.

“Isn’t it amazing? Adam and Eve fell into sin by doubting the goodness of God enough to actually disobey Him. Now, through faith in Jesus Christ, we can be restored by believing in the goodness of God enough to actually obey Him.”

Gregg Harris, “Lead Host for the Ice Cream Social”

By Stephen Floyd

Community advocates are celebrating passage of a state bill limiting industrial agriculture, while the owner of a local chicken ranch hopes the new rules do not create a burden for farmers.

Senate Bill 85 was approved in the Oregon Senate and House of Representatives June 20 and 21, respectively, and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Tina Kotek. Approval was along party lines, with Democrats in favor and Republicans against.

The bill tightens restrictions on permits for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), the official term for large livestock farms with artificial flooring such as concrete. They often contain thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of animals.

SB 85 removes stock water exemptions for a period of five years and requires farms using more than 12,000 gallons per day for animals to acquire a water right or lease an existing right. It also

allows counties to require pollution barriers between production areas and neighboring homes such as setbacks, berms or vegetation.

The bill also set additional restrictions for CAFOs near fragile watersheds, and paved the way for future air quality restrictions based on the results of a pending Environmental Protection Agency report.  These new restrictions take effect upon the bill being signed into law and would apply to permits issued for new or expanding CAFOs, while existing CAFO permits would not be impacted.

Farmers Against Foster Farms (FAFF), a Scio-based advocacy group, said they were “extremely grateful” for passage of what they considered a crucial piece of legislation. FAFF has helped lead the charge for CAFO reform since 2021, and on June 21 its members said in a public statement this was a victory for rural residents across the state.

“The Oregon legislature stood by our rural communities in our fight to protect

our water and farms from predatory multinational corporations attempting to take our natural resources, pollute our water and air and ruin our quality of life,” said Scio farmer and FAFF President Christina Eastman.

She thanked legislators who supported the bill and the community members who advocated through FAFF. Eastman also had words for local lawmakers who stood opposed to the bill, including Sen. Fred Girod (R-Stayton) and Rep. Jami Cate (R-Lebanon), and said they turned deaf ears to their own constituents.

“This was a grassroots effort led by local farmers that crossed partly lines, so it was disappointing that two of the StaytonScio area’s most important legislators couldn’t be bothered to show concern about local air quality, water quality and quality of life, especially when it directly threatened local schools and family farms in their district.”

Cate had been a vocal opponent of SB 85 and argued CAFOs have operated

unnoticed for decades and new restrictions would only harm farmers. Cate did not return a request for comment on the passage of SB 85 prior to press time.

One resident also opposed to SB 85 was Eric Simon, owner of J-S Ranch, near Scio, who received a CAFO permit May 26, 2022, to raise 3.5 million broiler chickens annually. Two similar poultry CAFOs have been proposed near the Scio and Stayton areas, though their owners have yet to complete CAFO applications. Simon said he was disappointed the new regulations passed and said he does not believe the people who advocated for SB 85 truly understood how his farm and others like it operate. He did congratulate FAFF on passage of the bill, and said if advocates had visited his farm they may have thought differently about the impacts CAFOs have on local communities.

“It was upsetting to me to see the emotional testimony from people that had been led to believe that our local poultry Continued on page 14

Continued from page 13

producers were going to ruin their lives and communities,” said Simon. “...Our ranches have been good neighbors for 30 years. If those people would have spent a little time driving past existing ranches they would have known the truth for themselves.”

Simon said the removal of the stock water exemption places an undue burden on farmers because acquiring a water right can take years, and this process itself should be addressed by legislators. He also said he hopes county officials understand the important role food procedures play in society and do not enforce new land use restrictions lightly.

For FAFF, passage of SB 85 is not the end. They plan to continue advocating for policies that “modernize” the regulation of industrial agriculture.

“We are committed to continuing the work to protect our environment and the homes of rural people from being sacrificed for corporate profits,” said Scio farmer and FAFF co-organizer Kendra Kimbirauskas.

Fire relief bill dies in committee

By Stephen Floyd

A bill that would have provided property tax relief for fire survivors has died in committee amid concerns over the constitutionality of the proposal.

Senate Bill 1012 would have frozen assessed values to pre-fire levels for qualifying homes rebuilt after the Labor Day fires of 2020.

Under existing laws, assessed values for homes cannot increase more than 3% annually, but this does not apply to new or rebuilt homes, even those rebuilt after disasters. SB 1012 would have circumvented this by allowing county governments to charge property taxes based on assessed values recorded during the 2020-2021 tax year for qualifying homes.

The bill was approved unanimously in the Senate April 12 and then assigned to the House Committee on Revenue. The committee held a hearing May 4 and received overwhelming public support, but did not send the bill back to the floor for a vote prior to the close of the 2023

legislative session on June 26.

Bill co-sponsor Rep. Jami Cate (R-Lebanon) said SB 1012 and similar fire relief proposals came under scrutiny by House members concerned about their constitutionality. She told Our Town there were “unresolved concerns” about how the bills would impact the state’s property tax system and she did not expect they would pass.

Cate said these concerns were a surprise because, when SB 1012 was in the Senate, their analysis raised no concerns about constitutional conflicts.

Cate is not a member of the House Committee on Revenue and said she did not know their specific concerns. Our Town has reached out to committee members for comment, including Chair Rep. Nancy Nathanson (D-Eugene), and did not hear back before deadline.

The fate of SB 1012 was not affected by a recent Republican-led walkout of the Senate as the bill was already approved by the Senate when the walkout began May 3.

Passages

Richard Alan Hunt

Aug. 1, 1932 – May 19, 2023

Richard Hunt, 90, passed away on May 19, 2023 in Lyons. He was born on Aug. 1, 1932 to Clarance and Della Hunt in Salem.

After completing some college Richard joined the United States Army during the Korean war.

Richard married Catharine Curtis in Vancouver, Washington on Oct. 10, 1969. Together they raised three children. Richard worked for Young and Morgan as a planer man until retirement. He enjoyed fishing and the outdoors.

He is preceded in death by his parents. Richard is survived by his wife, Catharine Hunt; children, Rickie Hunt, Laura Hunt, and Michelle (Hunt) Sharrah; his sister, Sharon Roy; brothers, Billy Hunt and Delbert Hunt; six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Serving the family, North Santiam Funeral Service, Stayton.

GENERAL MEMORIAL NOTICE

Honoring Leslie (Radha) Louise Fournier (Aug. 4, 1961 – Jan. 16, 2023). Saturday, July 15, 1:30 p.m.) Friend’s Church, 229 Eureka Ave. Silverton. Please feel free to share an experience or memory about Leslie.

HELP WANTED

PART-TIME OFFICE

ASSISTANT Unger FuneralChapel, 229 Mill Street Silverton, OR 97381. We are looking for a parttime 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

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Landmark legislations Historical exhibit coming to Brown House

By James Day

The Brown House in Stayton will be one of just 12 sites to host an Oregon Historical Society exhibit on lawmaking milestones of the state Legislature.

The Brown House will be open for exhibit touring on July 9, July 23 and July 29. On Sunday, July 9 from noon to 2 p.m. the exhibit will be available for viewing during the house’s regular second Sunday open house.

A special open house to show the exhibit will be held on Sunday, July 23 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Also, the house will be open during the Santiam Summerfest on Saturday, July 29, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We are fortunate to be able to bring this curated exhibition from Portland to Stayton,” said Steve Poisson, vice president of the board of the Santiam Heritage Foundation, which operates the Brown House. “It is rare for the Canyon to

experience such high-quality productions, but it is the type of programming Santiam Heritage Foundation is working to provide.”

The Brown House exhibit consists of 16

panels that describe laws that Oregon has passed since statehood. The panels are arranged chronologically.

“Oregon has repeatedly led the nation in creating, revising, and implementing laws

shaping the quality of life of its citizens,” reads a flier for the exhibit, called “Oregon’s Landmark Legislation.” “While Oregon’s innovations have evoked controversy, they have charted the course for other states and nations. This exhibit highlights groundbreaking legislation that Oregon has passed since statehood and includes legislation that focuses on environmental, social, and land use issues.”

Admission for the Brown House events is $5 per person, with those under 18 admitted free. Private tours also can be scheduled by reserving and paying 14 days in advance of your visit. The minimum fee for private tours is $25.

Admission includes the exhibit and a docent-guided tour of the 1903 Queen Anne style Brown House at 425 N. First Avenue, on the corner of W. High St. in Stayton.

For more information go to www. cmbrownhouse.org, or email cmbrownhouse@gmail.com

One of the exhibit panels for an Oregon Historical Society presentation on state legislative milestones. The exhibit will be available for viewing at the Brown House in Stayton on July 9, July 23 and July 29. OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY

By James Day

High jumping is simple. You set a horizontal bar on some posts and then ask athletes to jump over it. Simple. But when you get into the realms of high-level competition it becomes kind of a surreal exercise.

Take Alison Wood for example. A former state high school champion at Newberg High, and an all-American in college at Western Oregon, she continues to compete in masters events.

And at age 49 she still can leap above her own height, most recently at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Participating in a seven-person field that included men and women, Wood cleared 5-4.25 to win the event in impressive fashion. Runner-up Amy Haddad cleared 4-10.5, while Wood also cleared 4-11, 5-1 and 5-3. Wood had 3 tries at 5-5.25, which would have broken her own American masters record of 5-5.

For the record Alison Wood is 5-3.75 but seems taller. Maybe it is the spring in her step.

“Drake was amazing,” Wood told Our Town. “It felt like the whole town was in attendance and they certainly treated all of the athletes like celebrities. There was a bit of a pause in the action on the track during the high jump so the stands around the high jump were packed.

The fans were super knowledgeable and very supportive.” Wood was given a flag and ran a victory lap around the stadium.

“This was certainly one of the greatest laps in my entire career,” she said. “I was high-fiving everyone and it was absolutely powerful to feel the excitement in that stadium.”

Wood, who lives on a farm in Sublimity with her partner and 40 chickens, six sheep, three cats and “one exceptional dog” works by day as a network engineer for the State of Oregon while also coaching high jumpers at Regis High, a position she has held since 2010.

“I enjoy working with them and seeing their confidence grow every week,” she said. “They inspire me so much to jump well.”

Her three jumpers, Tim Crowell, Josh Blish and Kaila Hayes, all finished in the top 5 at the recent district meet, with Crowell taking second and Blish tying for eighth at the state meet.

Wood set the Newberg school record of 5-7 in 1991. Her all-time best is 5-7.75, set in 2015.

Wood will turn 50 later this year. And because of the way masters track is organized she will enter a new age bracket, 50-54, with possibilities for new records and continuing success.

“The track and field community is my community,” she said. “I volunteer at Hayward Field [at the University of Oregon] as often as I can to support the athletes that are competing (usually that means that I escort them to the bathroom or media tent). I love everything about this sport.”

Alison Wood, second from left, is shown with her Regis high jumpers, from left, Josh Blish, Kaila Hayes and Tim Crowell. Wood holds the flag she won at the Drake Relays in April. JAMES DAY

Sharing the credit Mike Bauer just wants to help get things done

Someone, reportedly Harry Truman, once said, and I’m paraphrasing here, that it is amazing what can get done when no one demands the credit.

That quote is running through my mind as I try to write about Mike Bauer. He’s just kind of always there, whether it’s facilitating Regis High athlete interviews for reporters at the state track and field championships or taking care of cross country runners stung by bees at an invitational at Silver Falls State Park. But he deflects credit like the shields on a Galaxy-class starship.

He often will email me with story ideas. Good ones, too. Once he had info on a fundraiser that used a closest-to-the-pin contest at a backyard pond. The pond had an island and that’s what the golfers shot at. When Scouts, Stayton High and Regis teamed up to improve the cross country course at the middle school, he got in touch with me. Ditto when the Stayton Road Runners figured out a way to keep the juices flowing by doing solo runs during the pandemic and “competing” by logging their times in spread sheet.

And a couple of weeks ago when I visited Regis to shoot photos of Alison Wood, the Rams’ high jump coach (see opposite page), there was Bauer, working with the long jumpers. And he had another good story for me. It’s the story of the Regis Community Twilight Meet, now ten years in. The goal of a group of Regis alumni, parents and board members was

to raise $300,000 for a new track at the high school as well as enough funds to set aside some for the $100K needed every ten years to put a ”top coat” on the surface. The event started as the Regis Twilight Meet, but it morphed into an entity that added “community” to the title because of massive assistance from Stayton-area companies, service clubs and a volunteer base composed in good measure of Regis alums, many of them with Regis ties that almost match the age of the school.  About here Bauer would be telling me to be sure to mention everybody. But we just don’t have access to that many trees. The upshot is that each of the 34 events has a fund-raising sponsor, service clubs annually pitch in to coordinate the various field events and the meet has grown from an original 16 teams to 31 squads and more than 700 athletes.

As Bauer notes, “teams use the meet as a tuneup for their district meets the following week. Each year, the quality of the teams gets better, and the times and distances rank among the best in the state.” And the Stayton-Regis community keeps getting better via the hard work of Mike Bauer and a host of others.

Baseball: Regis placed two players on the Class 2A all-state team. Pitcher Bryson Nygren earned a second-team nod, while infielder Max Eaton was placed on the third team. The Rams finished 17-10 overall and 12-6 in Special District 3, where they finished second to eventual 2A-1A runner-up Blanchet Catholic. Regis, the No. 10 seed in the playoffs, fell to No. 7 Bandon-Pacific 2-0 in the Round of 16.

Softball: Stayton won its first league title in 21 years, fulfilling a key goal of the team and first-year coach Ryan Borde. The No. 3 Eagles were a perfect 15-0 in the Oregon West and advanced to the Class 4A quarterfinals before falling 4-0 to No. 6 Scappoose. The Eagles finished 24-4.

“The last time Stayton won a league title in softball was 21 years ago,” Borde told Our Town after the May 26 game. “That’s what we’re going after we told them way back in February. We’re getting better today was the goal. And they bought into it and bought into our process.”

Track & Field: The Regis High girls track and field squad totaled 35 points and finished seventh in the Class 2A state championships May 25-26 at Hayward Field in Eugene.

The Rams were led by their sprinting corps of Mac Parrish, Daisy Hernandez, Clara Persons and Rachell Koellman. Parrish took second in the long jump and fifth in the 200. Hernandez was fifth in the 100 hurdles and sixth in the

300 hurdles, and Persons took fifth in the 400. Koellman combined with the other three runners to take third in the 4x100 relay and fourth in the 4x400. Also scoring for the Rams was Adelle Otter (seventh in the javelin).

Tim Crowell led the Regis boys by taking first in the pole vault and second in the high jump. The Rams totaled 19.5 points and finished 14th. Also scoring for Regis were Aidan Klascius (89th in the pole vault) and Josh Blish (tied for eighth in the high jump).

The Stayton girls, led by Haley Butenschoen and Hope Bridge, scored 24 points in the Class 4A meet and finished 13th. Butenschoen won the 800 and finished seventh in the 400, while Bridge was second in the 1,500 and eighth in the 300. In addition, Stayton’s Evelyn Welch took 4th in the 300 hurdles.

Travis King was third in the 100 and sixth in the 200 to help the Stayton boys score 15 points. Also scoring was Emmett Riedman, third in discus.

Kalina Seachao took second in the shot put to spark Cascade’s girls in the 4A meet. Lillian Pickett of the Cougars was fourth in the 200 and Rylee Prichard was seventh in the high jump. Ethan Newton took fourth in the 300 hurdles and eighth in the 100 hurdles for the Cascade boys. Participating well in non-scoring paraathlete events were Micah Laws (first in the 1,500) and Zhang Wilson (fourth in the 100).

‘I’m sorry I can’t do that...’

I am sitting here staring at the pinwheel of death. It’s not my death, but the end of my trusty computer’s useful life.

Like me, everything it does these days is slow. Switching applications is a process. In the old days, it would sprint from one task to another, happily keeping up as I bashed my way through our taxes or editing stories.

Now, not so much. It chugs through its chores, spinning pinwheels as it figures out how to load an application.

My computer is 11 years old – a dinosaur in computer years. It’s ready for the boneyard.

Now comes the painful part. The time has come to shop for its replacement. Ugh. Just looking at computer ads makes me tired. They’re all gobbledygook. Here’s a computer with a “12-core CPU, 38-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine.”

What does that even mean? Will it turn on when I hit the button? Will it do

what I want it to do?

Will it run for 11 years before I have to replace it?

These are important questions the ads don’t answer.

I remember the first computer I ever used at work. It was a state-of-the-art pile of junk. Temperamental, noisy –and it required its own air-conditioned room. That’s saying something because this was in Alaska.

And it needed to be “rebooted” several times a day. I don’t know what that involved but I imagine the computer tech stuck his boot up its random access memory.

It still didn’t help me with my jobs. One was compiling the television schedules for the newspaper’s TV magazine. I had to “draw” each line using computer code. To do a week’s worth of schedules took an entire afternoon.

Now I could do it in a few minutes, even on my old computer.

The next few computers weren’t much better. I would put them in the “barely adequate” category. All of them needed a lot of hand-holding.

One day, a plain cardboard box was delivered to my office. It was an Apple Mac SE.

It might as well have been a space ship. It had a tiny black-and-white screen and fit on my desk. All I could do is turn it on. There was no owner’s manual. (It was a hand-me-down from the computer wizards at the home office.)

I paid a friend $25 and he taught me how to it run. Then I spent a day on the copy desk at The Seattle Times learning how they used it to make color maps and other graphics.

Pretty soon, it became a valuable tool, a stark contrast to its predecessors, which were mainly a pain in the rear.

After that, I made my peace with computers. I didn’t play games on them, but they helped me get my job done. I could write stories, draw maps and even design pages with them.

Too cool!

These days, I do some heavy lifting with my computer, working with programs in the “cloud.” I can edit photos, massage spreadsheets and a hundred other things.

But my poor old computer just isn’t up to it anymore. Those pinwheels keep spinning.

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

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.

‘... Dave – I mean – Carl’