Seniors meet goal: Community contributions go over and above

September 2009 Posted in Community | Comments Off

By Linda Whitmore Thirty thousand dollars in 30 days – the community did it, and Ray Hunter, president of the Silverton Area Senior Center is ecstatic. In August, organizers of the new center for seniors were told they had until Sept. 15 ...

JFK team raises funds for Peruvian family

September 2009 Posted in News | Comments Off

The Kennedy High School football team and its supporters recently completed a series of fundraising projects to help fund a home for a family living in the outskirts of Lima, Peru. Together they raised $10,000 to assist a family currently ...

Deede picks Gonzaga

September 2009 Posted in Sports | Comments Off

By Cambria Roth Silverton High School senior Hannah Deede began to be recruited for volleyball by Gonzaga University during her junior year. “They would come watch me play at tournaments during volleyball club season and the coaches and I would email back ...

Daily challenges: Amy Yount likes handling emergencies

September 2009 Posted in People | Comments Off

By Kathy Cook Hunter Twenty-three-year old Amy Yount’s planner is color-coded to help her keep track of her different activities. “My schedule is never the same and I have to be organized,” she said. A 2004 graduate of Silverton High School, Yount ...

History of beer: Three ingredient law dates back to 1516 in Germany

September 2009 Posted in Arts, Culture & History | Comments Off

By Steve Ritchie The Mt. Angel Oktoberfest, like its older and larger namesake in Munich, is all about celebrating the fruits of the harvest, as well as the wonderful Bavarian heritage we claim as ours. On a trip to Germany in August, ...

Contagious enthusiasm: Connie Lauzon is an inspiration to many

September 2009 Posted in People | Comments Off

By Jan Jackson When Connie Beard said “Ich will” in Schwaebisch Gmuend, Germany to then Army Capt. Jerry Lauzon, it came with a rider that once his military service was finished, they would return to God’s Country, her native Oregon. The year ...

The Old Curmudgeon: Mr. Interlocutor

September 2009 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Vern Holmquist While attending Gallatin County High School in  Bozeman, Mont., I participated in the annual Elk’s Minstrel shows.  The cast and workers for the show were the town’s business and professional men.  The show was done primarily in black face, however, ...

Athletic policy changes: With new year comes new regulations for involvement in Silverton High School sports

September 2009 Posted in School, Sports | Comments Off

By Dixon Bledsoe The rules have been changed for students participating on athletic teams at Silverton High School. “These are different times for kids. Times have changed, and there are so many more challenges, distractions and things for kids to do, right ...

Coaching changes announced at Silverton High

September 2009 Posted in School, Sports | Comments Off

Mark Jorgenson has been hired as the new Silverton High School boys soccer coach. Fred George has transferred from head boys soccer coach to head girls soccer coach and Lena Baldwin will be the assistant coach, announced Greg Kaatz, assistant vice ...

Saving a tradition: Silverton High School bench relocated

September 2009 Posted in School | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas There are some people who just don’t like being told they can’t do something. It really doesn’t matter what the task is or how big – they’re bound to tackle it just to show it can be done. Bob ...

Monumental project: Philis Schmidt creates artistic tribute to harvest

September 2009 Posted in Arts, Culture & History, People | Comments Off

By Linda Whitmore Philis Schmidt has made die Früchtsäule for Oktoberfest every year since 2002, but, although she uses a variety of beans and lentils, herbs and spices; she’s not cooking up a dish to be sold in one of the ...

Weavers’ Dance: Mt. Angel children continue 20-year O’fest tradition

September 2009 Posted in Community | Comments Off

By Jan Jackson Sometimes a great idea just comes to the right people at the right time. That’s how Mt. Angel’s Webentanz (weavers’ dance) – also known as the May pole dance – got started. Mt. Angel Oktoberfest Sept. 17, 18, 19 and ...

Renewable fashion: Back-to-school shoppers turn to recycle store

September 2009 Posted in Community | Comments Off

By Kathy Cook Hunter Reasonable prices, designer labels and creative and unusual clothing are a few of the factors causing The Clothes Garden in Silverton to see booming business, especially for back-to-school shopping. Girls and boys from small to large are finding ...

First crush: Alexeli Vineyard celebrates first anniversary

September 2009 Posted in Community | Comments Off

By Jan Jackson A year ago, Phil Kramer was working 16-hour days getting his newly purchased vineyard and winery remodeled and ready to re-open. Now, the new tasting room is done, the existing winery building is back in business after ...

A relaxing enterprise: Yoga studio opens in Silverton hills

September 2009 Posted in People | Comments Off

By Jan Jackson To meet Tsipora Ann Berman, is to learn that yoga is more than an exercise. A master holistic education specialist, movement therapist, yoga instructor and science teacher from Kennebunk, Maine; Berman recently opened a yoga studio in the ...

Town treasure: Pratum Co-op

September 2009 Posted in Community | Comments Off

By Brenna Wiegand Grover Welty remembers when Pratum was quite the going concern. When he lived there in the 1930s and attended the two-room schoolhouse, the town had a post office, a grocery store – even a tennis court. “The storekeeper supplied the ...

Tired teens: Studies show high school students need more sleep

September 2009 Posted in School | Comments Off

By Vince Teresi Americans are in an epidemic of sleep deprivation, according to recent medical studies – and teenagers are certainly included. Professional studies during the past 20 years support the belief that teenagers require more than nine hours of sleep ...

Rufus La Lone: Serving public by posting prognostications

September 2009 Posted in People | Comments Off

By Kathy Cook Hunter Rufus La Lone is famous for his accuracy predicting the unpredictable moods of Mother Nature. The Silverton area resident keeps track of and predicts weather conditions in the Pacific Northwest and reports his findings on his Web ...

New take on old practice: Some Christians find worshiping in homes, rather than church, suits their needs

September 2009 Posted in Community | Comments Off

By Mary Owen Many Christians today are on the move – from church buildings to homes. Area Home Churches Silverton/Mt. Angel Bob and Sherrill Hawley 503-845-6126 Salem Nate and Joanne Krupp 503-585-4054Bob and Cathy Boudreau 503-375-6020 They are leaving the traditional church behind in search of more intimate relationships with fellow ...

A spiritual experience: Space for thoughts about one’s place

September 2009 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Winnie Bolton Our Town is a multi-community newspaper disseminating announcements of local classes, occurrences of events, opinions, business news, celebrations, a refreshing perspective of “just us folks who happen to work, live, play and die here.” But, Our Town is more ...

A Grin at the End: Country livin’ is the life for me

September 2009 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Carl Sampson It may not exactly come as a surprise to you, but I don’t like city living. Oh, I drift up to Portland occasionally for a concert, wedding or other event, but inevitably find myself glad to be home. I’ve ...

It’s a Beaver win: Fans determine outcome

September 2009 Posted in Other | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas  The Oregon State Beavers’ football team may have lost the 2008 Civil War game to the University of Oregon Ducks 65-38, but Beaver fans still have something to cheer about. A first-time fund-raising competition called “A Friendly Rivalry” game ...

Can-do attitude: Senior Center supporters aim to raise $30,000 in 30 days

September 2009 Posted in News | Comments Off

 By Jan Jackson Seemingly undaunted by the need to raise $30,000 in less than 30 days, more than 75 optimistic supporters of the Silverton Area Senior Center showed up for its ground-breaking ceremony Aug. 18.  If the community can raise $30,000 by ...