First Citizen: Mount Angel’s Bill Predeek eager to assist where needed

February 2012 Posted in Community, People | 1 Comment »

By Don Murtha Bill Predeek is a humble man. He will tell you that although he is president of the Mount Angel Historical Society and one of its founders, many others have made it what it is and he could not have ...

Volunteer of the Year: Don Wada fulfills a promise

February 2012 Posted in Community, People | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas Mount Angel resident Don Wada has a good excuse to stay in his apartment and just watch television or relax. In 2005, he had a second back surgery that never healed properly leaving him in constant pain. “I got a ...

Mount Angel Junior First Citizen: Kaylee Aman credits hard work, positive attitude, as keys to reaching her goals

February 2012 Posted in People | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas Kennedy High School senior Kaylee Aman encourages high school students to step outside their comfort zone and to try something new. She’s glad she did because it has made a tremendous difference in her life. When Aman was 13 years ...

Changing the model: Montessori lets student choose the focus

February 2012 Posted in School | Comments Off

Second in a two-part series. Read part one here. By Brenna Wiegand Sunlight pours gently through the windows, buttering with a mellow glow the child-size hardwood furniture that populates the school. Brighter still, moving among and lighting upon tables, easels, benches and ...

Man About Town: Bacon, bacon. . . lt’s Baccoonn!

February 2012 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Jim Kinghorn Like the swallows of Capistrano, those plumage professionals at Bangs and Burns have continued on their journey southward. Starting out in a shop on North First Street, then on Main Street, off South Water Street and now on ...

Going solar: District joins in green vanguard

February 2012 Posted in School | Comments Off

By Vince Teresi The Mount Angel School District has implemented a cost-saving project for the operation of its schools, and the venture is likely to attract attention across the nation. The district is utilizing the natural benefits of solar-energy to fuel school ...

From Foxes to Wolves: Silverton students receive athletic scholarships

February 2012 Posted in School, Sports | Comments Off

In the fall, Julian Canda and Torrey Rogness will be trading in their orange and black uniforms for red and white uniforms and going from being Foxes to Wolves. Silverton High School seniors Canda and Rogness recently signed letters of intent ...

People Out Loud: Don’t even try arguing…

February 2012 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Dixon Bledsoe There are things I simply know to be true. Not to be arrogant about it but they are inarguable. Here are my indisputable truths, subject to your own interpretations and beliefs. Although on these I am totally and ...

The Old Curmudgeon: Campaigning to move the undecided to the best of the wurst

February 2012 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Vern Holmquist This article is for the undecided. No, not undecided about the Republican candidate for president but for those of you who are undecided about attending Wurstfest on Feb. 17 and 18 in Mount Angel. After attending for the last ...

Volunteering a tradition: Beth Davisson, Silverton First Citizen

February 2012 Posted in People | Comments Off

By Brenna M. Wiegand Beth Davisson enjoys pulling a student’s leg by saying Silverton High School named its baseball field after her.  Davisson Field was named in honor of Beth’s husband Bill, who was the varsity baseball coach and a teacher ...

Ambassador for Silverton: Flywheels co-founder Wes Oster receives Lifetime Achievement Award

February 2012 Posted in People | Comments Off

By Brenna Wiegand Wes Oster believes cars and trucks are made to be driven and he has the miles on his mint condition ’56 Ford pick-up to prove it. For sharing his love of cars and community for more than 50 years, ...

Community first: Business of the Year goes to Dr. Michael Kim

February 2012 Posted in Business, People | Comments Off

By Dixon Bledsoe Dr. Michael Kim said he didn’t want to be recognized as the “guy with a title or a guy living in a fancy home or having a fancy car,” in an April 2009 article for Our Town. “I just ...

A leader by example: Julian Canda chosen as Future First Citizen

February 2012 Posted in People | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas Gathered in a huddle with his teammates before the start of the third quarter of the basketball game against Lebanon High School on Jan. 17, Silverton High School senior Julian Canda had no idea what he should do ...

Mardi Gras: Celebrating the wurst with a Bavarian twist and mustard

February 2012 Posted in Community | Comments Off

By Don Murtha Sausage, strudel, pretzel, beverages, dancing, non-stop music and a lot of fun will make Mount Angel’s fourth annual Wurstfest come alive. “In keeping with Mount Angel’s German tradition our pre-Lenten festival is an Old World-style event with something for ...

Stepping up for a cause: Rick Williams to climb Empire State building

February 2012 Posted in People | Comments Off

By Dixon Bledsoe If you truly want to understand a person, just look at his play list. Rick Williams finds peace in the music of Mark Harris’ The Line Between the Two. As he climbs more steps, some 25,000 stories to date ...

Desk-to-bed solution: Help for space-challenged environments

February 2012 Posted in Business | Comments Off

By Don Murtha A guest is coming and you have no space in your home – only a small room with a desk. Hiddenbed of Oregon, a business started by the Cobb family of Mount Angel, has the  solution to that and ...

Celebrating 65 years: Father opened the practice in 1947

February 2012 Posted in Business, People | Comments Off

By Steve Ritchie   In 2011, Dr. John Schmidt, DC, marked his 40th year of practicing chiropractic care in Silverton, and in 2012 will celebrate the 65th anniversary of Schmidt Chiropractic’s establishment. John Schmidt joined his father, Dr. Ralph Schmidt, DC, in ...

Kid zone: Montessori teaching

February 2012 Posted in School | Comments Off

By Brenna Wiegand “Montessori may not fit into everybody’s lives, but every single family can start a baby off with the kind of environment that is respectful to the child, is pleasing to look at and builds his ability to be ...

Finding a way to succeed in Hollywood: Carrie Finklea has learned to think like an entrepreneur

February 2012 Posted in People | Comments Off

By Steve Ritchie Talking with Kennedy High graduate Carrie Finklea about her seven years in Hollywood working in movies and television is like getting a crash course in The Business of Acting 101. Finklea, 26, left Mount Angel for Hollywood two weeks ...

Something for the Soul: When spreading gossip backfired – And resulted in eating crow

February 2012 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Winnie Bolton I’d like to share a story with you of an embarrassingly humorous story of what life was like at the Bolton household when we lived in Park Ridge, Illinois with our five children many years ago. A neighbor, ...

A Grin at the End: A Muppet to be…

February 2012 Posted in Columnists & Opinion | Comments Off

By Carl Sampson When I grow up I want to be — drum roll, please —  a Muppet! That’s right, I want to be a fuzzy-faced, freaky-looking, fun-loving force of unnature. I have seen hundreds of Muppets on television and in the movies, ...

Business of the Year: Old-fashion customer service applauded

February 2012 Posted in Business, Community, People | Comments Off

By Brenna Wiegand In the span of filling one gas tank, Greg Schmidt probably waves to half a dozen people who hail him with hellos or honks while traveling by Schmidt 76 in Mount Angel. Mount Angel Chamber of Commerce named the ...

Shared belief: Community Dinners, Distinguished Service

February 2012 Posted in People | Comments Off

By Kristine Thomas Maybe, it is because the women preparing the meals have reputations as top-notch cooks the lines grew from 40 to more than 400 people. Maybe, it’s because people know regardless of their circumstances in life,they are welcome. Or maybe it’s ...