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Our most admired: Social media stirs the good in us too

One of the fun parts of social media is people posing good questions to their sphere regarding favorite things, heroes, who they would like to meet, and who they most admire. As for the latter, names like Martin Luther King, Jimmy Carter, The Dali Llama, Jesus Christ, Ronald Reagan, Harriet Tubman, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are often cited.

A good friend suggested that I use that medium to ask a similar question for my column, but more localized. “Who do you most admire in this area.” Great idea, so here we go.  Read more... (631 words, 1 image, estimated 2:31 mins reading time)

Gary Eugene Leonard Sept. 17, 1935 – Aug. 24, 2019

A man of great integrity, faith, and love of life passed away Aug. 24 with heart failure.

Born in Santa Ana, California, Gary Leonard and his family farmed citrus and avocados. After marriage in 1958, he moved to Woodlake, California in 1961, and developed a citrus ranch. The family moved in 1975 to St. Helena, California where he was a supervisor for Christian Bros. Vineyards. Upon retirement in 2006 they moved to Silverton.

Gary had many interests: riding trains in the USA and Canada, restoring vintage cars and he spent many days hiking the Sierra Mountains.  Read more... (135 words, estimated 32 secs reading time)

State champs: Kennedy volleyball ends dream season

Kennedy High’s volleyball team completed a near-perfect season Nov. 9 with a 3-0 victory against Central Linn in the Class 2A state championship match at Ridgeview High in Redmond.

The Trojans, who won with match scores of 25-14, 25-21 and 25-18, captured the first volleyball state title in school history and finished 33-1. The previous top finish for the program was second
in 1991.

The lone loss this season was to Sweet Home, which finished second in the Class 4A tournament. Kennedy finished 16-0 in the Tri-River Conference without losing a set. The Trojans finished the season with an 87-8 advantage in sets won.  Read more... (867 words, 1 image, estimated 3:28 mins reading time)

Transformative experiences: Sr. Tisot on Fr. Bernard Youth Center

By Mary Owen

Sister Jeanine Tisot has been a Sister of Mercy for about 40 years, having entered her community in 1980.

“We are an apostolic, vs. monastic, community dedicated to the poor, sick and uneducated,” said Tisot, who was raised in Michigan and is now serving in Mount Angel. “I have worked in hospitals throughout the Midwest doing social work, pastoral care, ethics, administration and mission services. Then my community asked if I would move to California to work with the women who were becoming members of the community – formation.”  Read more... (614 words, estimated 2:27 mins reading time)

Hitting the trail: Taking running off-road

Amy Ullan and Tanie Hotan. Courtesy Amy Ullan

By Melissa Wagoner

Running can get boring, treadmills, tracks, even sidewalks – it can all start to feel like the same routine day in and day out. But there’s a way to break out of the monotony and reconnect with nature at the same time – trail running.

“Trail running would technically be considered anything off the road,” Amy Ullan, 45, explained. “It can
be in parks, wilderness areas and even some cities have trail systems that are great for running.”

Ullan, a Dermatology Physician Assistant, has been running trails for 10 years.  Read more... (649 words, 1 image, estimated 2:36 mins reading time)

Iconic couture: Former designer fashions a charming life in Silverton

Artist June Hiatt of Silverton with some of her new creations. Nancy Jennings

By Nancy Jennings

With her distinctive British accent, June Hiatt, 84, speaks passionately of her past career as a fashion designer. Having lived in London, New York and Los Angeles, she made outfits for the late musical icon David Bowie, and the glamorous actress Raquel Welch. A random Sunset Magazine article about Silverton attracted her. In 2016 she moved here from Playa Del Rey, California to live with one of her daughters.  Read more... (830 words, 1 image, estimated 3:19 mins reading time)

Checking in…From our European bureau

As time goes on, The Man is constantly reminded that “none of us are getting any younger” and hence, the “Bucket List” comes into play. Ever since high school the Man-ette has whimsically talked of going to France so I figured the top of the list was as good a place to start as anywhere and dove in. Paris and Venice sounded good. For a guy who’s happy as the proverbial clam camping out in the PNW woods or on a mountain side it quickly became clear that an alternative mindset was in order to enjoy time our “across the pond.” Here are a few things I learned:  Read more... (587 words, 1 image, estimated 2:21 mins reading time)

Dandelion dreams: New shop fulfills mother’s long-held wish

Sarah Sampson with husband, Derek, and daughters, Ginger and Piper. Courtesy of Annie Smith photography

By Nancy Jennings

Sarah Sampson, owner of The Wild Dandelion in Silverton, welcomes customers with a sassy “Open” sign on her door saying: “Come in. We’re awesome!” (Her “Closed” sign reads: “Closed. But still awesome!”)

Opened since June this year, Sampson, 38, refers to her merchandise as “Boho modern” home goods and gifts. She affectionately credits her husband, Derek, 37, a manager at Northwest Natural in Portland, with making her business a reality.  Read more... (442 words, 1 image, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)

Year-end bounty: Sourcing holiday meals at Silverton Winter Market

By Melissa Wagoner

Holiday meal planning can be a great time to experiment with locally sourced foods, according to Sarah Brown, owner of Diggin’ Roots Farm in Silverton.

“Eating local around the holidays is a unique opportunity to raise awareness with family and friends about the abundance that we’re fortunate to have access to in the Willamette Valley,” she said, noting that even though the temperature has dropped, she and her husband, Conner Voss, are still offering certified organic mixed produce and pasture-raised meat.  Read more... (1002 words, 1 image, estimated 4:00 mins reading time)

Avery takes helm at Legacy Silverton

Jonathan Avery, MHSA Submitted Photo

Jonathan Avery, MHSA, is now Legacy Health’s president for the Willamette Valley Region. His responsibilities include leadership of medical centers at Legacy Silverton and Legacy Meridian Park in Tualatin.

Legacy’s announcement said the new regional president role combines leadership of the two hospitals to better focus on meeting the health needs of the community and providing an integrated health care experience across its services in the region. 

“Jonathan is a strong leader who has successfully served in a number of leadership roles at Legacy,” said Trent Green, senior vice president and chief operating officer, Legacy Health.  Read more... (282 words, 1 image, estimated 1:08 mins reading time)

Fix high school sound system

Fix high school sound system

A year ago we attended our grandson’s graduation from Silverton High School. He was one of the valedictorian speakers, and of course, we were looking forward to hearing his speech. We knew we’d be seated in the auditorium; it’s common for the overflow attendees not to get to sit where the ceremony actually [takes] place.

Unfortunately, the sound system was so poor in the auditorium that we heard at most every tenth word spoken. We were very disappointed, but we assumed that it was just an unfortunate circumstance; someone didn’t check the equipment.  Read more... (251 words, estimated 1:00 mins reading time)

Allen Ritchey: June 9, 1943 – June 25, 2019

Allen Aubrey Ritchey died June 25, 2019 surrounded by family and friends at the Providence Benedictine Nursing Center in Mount Angel.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Nov. 9, 1 p.m. at the Silverton Elks Lodge.
He was born in Montevista, Colorado on June 9, 1943 and was raised in Hacienda Heights, California, where he lettered in high school baseball. He served four years in the Army Air National Guard.
The family moved to Dallas, Oregon when he was a young man. He worked as an auto body technician at Acme/Holland Collision Service in Silverton from 1986 to his retirement in 2006. He worked 20 years in his shop at his home on South Abiqua.   Read more... (511 words, 1 image, estimated 2:03 mins reading time)

November Briefs

Jazzercise Thanksgiving benefit celebrates 30th year

Silverton Jazzercise will hold its 30th Thanksgiving morning benefit class for Silverton Area Community Aid on Thursday, Nov. 28, at 9 a.m. at the Silverton Community Center, 421 S. Water St., Silverton.

Admission is $5 or three food items; all proceeds going to the SACA food bank.

“This class has become a real community tradition,” said Andi Morgan, Silverton Jazzercise instructor.  “Not many events have stood such a test of time, just like Jazzercise itself. The energy in the Community Center gym is always phenomenal. It’s a great way to do something good for the community while being thankful for healthy bodies.”   Read more... (792 words, estimated 3:10 mins reading time)

The hiker’s quest: Learning what’s important from the Pacific Crest Trail

Anna Koch on the marker at the end of her journey along the Pacific Crest Trail. Submitted Photos

By Melissa Wagoner

“In a heartbeat,” is Anna Koch’s instant reply when
asked if she would once again hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) – the 2,650-mile track from Campo, California, on the United States-Mexico border, to Manning Park, British Columbia.

“I actually didn’t finish and that’s a huge bummer to me,” 20-year-old Koch lamented. “I want to go back.”

Although Koch did not officially finish the trail – skipping an estimated 180 miles due to a sprained ankle, an injured quadricep muscle and several other minor injuries – she came tantalizingly close.  Read more... (908 words, 1 image, estimated 3:38 mins reading time)

The perfect match: Historical piano meets historical house

Tasha Huebner playing the piano from the 1890s that she moved into her home, also built in 1890. Melissa Wagoner

By Melissa Wagoner

Historical objects really speak to Tasha Huebner. So, when she came across a listing for a home that dated all the way back to 1890, she just had to check it out.

“This was the only house I looked at in Silverton,” Huebner – who relocated out of Portland six years ago – recalled. “It had all the original woodwork and then I saw the staircase and that was it.”  Read more... (581 words, 1 image, estimated 2:19 mins reading time)

Violence in America: Discussion centers on guns, but problem runs deeper

By Melissa Wagoner

In a small town in Pennsylvania in 2005, Trish Ambrose’s 18-year-old neighbor, and good friend to her son, fatally shot his parents at point-blank range.

“I was interrupted while dressing that morning by a phone call from [the killer’s sister] telling me that her parents had been shot, and she was hiding in a neighbor’s locked bathroom,” Ambrose recalled. “In time my son and I were allowed past the police cordon and permitted to be in the mobile police unit with our young friend and her little brother, while law enforcement secured the scene.”  Read more... (1401 words, 1 image, estimated 5:36 mins reading time)

Groundhog Day … All over again, and again, and again

“I feel like I’m living in the movie Groundhog Day,”
I recently told my husband in exasperation. “Load the dishwasher. Empty the dishwasher. Wipe the counters. Fold the laundry. Repeat.”

I wasn’t joking. Some days – OK, quite a few days – feel mind-numbingly similar and it is no mystery why. They are. Sometimes I like that. Sometimes I feel a kind of calmness in the orderly schedule of my week. And sometimes I want to throw myself on the floor like a three-year-old and scream.  Read more... (570 words, 1 image, estimated 2:17 mins reading time)

District champs: Kennedy blasts Culver, moves to No. 1 in Class 2A

On a cool autumn Senior Night the Kennedy High football team checked off the final box in an undefeated Special District 2 season.

The defending state champion Trojans dismantled Culver 40-6 on Oct. 25 to improve to 5-0 in league play and advance to No. 1 in the OSAA’s Class 2A rankings.

And because Chemawa shut down their program midseason because of a lack of players Kennedy got a well-deserved bye this week.

“It will be nice to have a week off and let [the] guys recover and get ready for the playoffs,” Kennedy junior quarterback Dylan Kleinschmit told Our Town. Kleinschmit threw three touchdown passes and intercepted a pair of
Culver passes.  Read more... (1079 words, 2 images, estimated 4:19 mins reading time)

We can make a difference

We are asking for your ideas at this upcoming Community Forum on how you already reduce plastics, recycle materials, purchase less toxic products, store foods, save on water, reduce individual use of fossil fuels, and more. Please attend this forum and share short examples, not exceeding two minutes, to ensure time for everyone. Let’s collaborate in this movement towards a safer and healthier environment.

All of us are making changes as we become more conscious regarding this necessity, but think of the things we could do had we more information! The forum’s goals are to collaborate as citizens and help make our environment and community safe and livable for ourselves and our children’s children.  Read more... (358 words, estimated 1:26 mins reading time)

Extra protection: Foundation donates disinfectant wipes to schools

Silver Falls Superintendent Paul Peterson examines the large shipment of antibacterial wipes to be distributed to every classroom in the district. The donation was made possible by a dedicated school nurse and Silverton Health Foundation.

By Brenna Wiegand

A recent donation from Silverton Health Foundation may spell fewer colds and flus for Silverton’s school kids this winter.

“We’ve had a special relationship with the school district for as long as I can remember,” Sarah Brewer, former president of Legacy Silverton Medical Center said. “We employ the school nurses and deploy them into the school district. The district pays for them but we employ them so they can keep up their credentials and all of that.  Read more... (530 words, 1 image, estimated 2:07 mins reading time)

Being the best…That your genes will allow

When he wasn’t chopping down cherry trees, George Washington used to keep a list of things he could do to improve himself. He did it in the form of a self-help booklet, and while some of the tips involved things like not picking fleas off yourself in the company of others and not complaining about the food you just ate, others are still pertinent, especially with all of the political rhetoric these days running so hot and heavy.

My two favorites are “Let your conversation be without malice or envy” and “Be apt not to relate news if you know not the truth thereof.”  Read more... (531 words, 1 image, estimated 2:07 mins reading time)

Champion, advocate, mentor: Remembering Jason Franz

A few years ago, a man named Larry Platt auditioned for American Idol with an original hit (that later sold millions), “Pants on the Ground”, which made fun of young men and boys who wore their pants halfway down their bottoms with their underwear exposed. Many of us have done the same, shaking our heads.

Jason Franz and the High Mascot in Fall Line. Photo by Kristine Thomas.

Jason Franz likely said, “My people.” He liked everyone, but had a special affinity for those on the margins – disenfranchised youth who were scolded for riding their skateboards on the sidewalk or risked weaving in and out of traffic because there was nowhere else to ride.  Read more... (691 words, 2 images, estimated 2:46 mins reading time)

New playmaker: McCarty starring for Foxes at QB

Silverton had a huge hole to fill at quarterback this season. Levi Nielsen had started four years in the position, leading the squad to the playoffs all four seasons.

But as the Foxes, 5-0, headed into a critical Special District 3 game against 4-1 Dallas that took place after Our Town’s presstime the QB slot is in good hands.

Jordan McCarty James Day

Sophomore Jordan McCarty, who split time with junior Aaron Rieskamp in week one, started in week two against South Albany and has caused all sorts of problems for defenses with his speed and his ability to throw on the run.  Read more... (884 words, 2 images, estimated 3:32 mins reading time)

Bridging the Opportunity Gap

At its best, America is a nation where every individual has opportunities to get an education, find work, support oneself and their family, and be a contributing member of this great democratic society.

By many measures, Oregon’s economy is booming. The unemployment rate in Oregon is low, more Oregonians are working, wages are up and so are household incomes.

But these gains are not spread equitably in this growing economy. The neighborhood where a person is born, their family’s economic circumstances, and their race or ethnicity are the most reliable indicators of future success or failure.  Read more... (469 words, estimated 1:53 mins reading time)

Jar of Awesome: An easy way to capture your family’s best memories

“Enjoy this time because it’ll be over before you know it,” is possibly the single most cruel sentence one can utter to a new parent, yet the compulsion to say it is hard to resist.

I’ve said it – many times – and even as it leaves my mouth I wish I could take it back. Because, what could be more unkind than telling someone who is struggling to make it on very little sleep while doing the hardest job with the highest stakes, “I hope you are really taking all that in because those sweet little snuggles you get between bouts crying that never seems to end and diapers that always need to be changed – those snuggles will soon be long gone, replaced by a sulky teenager who wants nothing to do with you – in what feels like five minutes?”  Read more... (640 words, 1 image, estimated 2:34 mins reading time)