By Don Murtha
What do you like to do? Golf? Run? Hike? Drink tea? Listen to Jazz? Chances are there’s more than one special event to put on your schedule for May.
Silverton Chamber Golf Tournament
This year for the first time the Silverton Chamber of Commerce Classic Golf Tournament will give away a car. Well, maybe they’ll giveaway a car.
Anyone shooting a hole-in-one at the seventh hole will become the proud owner of a new Toyota Camry from Capital Motors. If no one shoots a hole-in-one the car will not awarded.
During the tournament Citizens Bank will serve up a barbeque on the course.
The May 6 event includes a dinner-auction and runs noon until 9 p.m. It begins at Evergreen Golf Course in Mount Angel with 18 teams of four players. The cost is $65 per person.
Prizes will be awarded for first and second place, last place, and longest drive, closest to the pin, putting and line drive.
Then at 6 p.m. the dinner-auction-awards will be held at Seven Brides Brewery. Even non-golfers are welcome to this portion, open to the public at $25 a person. Tickets are available at the Chamber office at 421 South Water St., Silverton.
The golf tournament is one of the chamber’s major fund raising events.
Silverton Hospital Fun Run
Faster and younger runners will get a “special break” this year at the Silverton Hospital Fun Run on Saturday, May 7 beginning at Silverton Hospital.
Realizing it’s been tricky getting all the runners started together and hoping to prevent “jam-ups,” this year runners will line up by “pacing,” said Judy Schmidt, director of volunteer services for the Silverton Hospital Network and organizer of the Fun Run for the past 14 years.
Pacing means runners will be divided on how fast they can run one mile. For example, runners cruising at a 5-minute mile will be at the front of the line and those jogging at a 10-minute mile near the end.
“The young ones, those under 10, have always struggled to keep up. So this year we will have a one-mile event for them starting an hour earlier at 8 a.m.,” Schmidt said. “They will go to Coolidge Park instead of the longer 5-kilometer run.”
The event begins Silverton Hospital’s parking lot where Silverton Fitness will organize a warm-up for runners and walkers. There will be refreshments of granola bars and juice.
Regardless if you walk, run or jog, everyone is welcome. Register at www.silvertonhospital.org/funrun or in person at Silverton Hospital Community Services Center, 342 Fairview St.
Gordon House Mother’s Day Tea
The Gordon House, located adjacent to the Oregon Garden, will have a slate of events in May, beginning with the Mothers’ Day Tea May 7, noon to 2 p.m.
The Mothers’ Day event will include a tour of the Gordon House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was moved to the Oregon Garden from its original location in Wilsonville.
The tea will include a light lunch and dessert.
On May 14, the Gordon House, in cooperation with the Audubon Society will hold a bird counting beginning at 8 a.m. Also on May 14, the Gordon House will pay tribute to its volunteers with a Volunteer Appreciation Brunch starting at 10 a.m. The brunch will be open to those interested in becoming volunteers at the Gordon House as well as current volunteers.
To make reservations for any event call the Gordon House, 503-874-6006, or
e-mail [email protected].
Birding and Wildflower Festival
Silver Falls State Park and Convention Center will offer a full weekend of events Saturday and Sunday, May 7 and May 8.
The Mothers’ Day Birding and Wildflower Festival will be held at the South Falls Lodge. The event is an opportunity to learn about native plants and wildflowers and birds that make Silver Falls their home. Families may participate in hands-on activities, birding, plant walks, hikes and formal presentations.
The event is co-sponsored by the Friends of Silver Falls and the Silver Falls State Park. There is a $5 fee per vehicle.
The Mothers’ Day Buffet at the Silver Falls Conference Center will offer a full array of main dishes, salads and desserts. Adults 13 to 60 are $15.95; seniors, $14.95; children 4 to 12 $1 per year and children 1 to 3, free.
For reservations and to ask about overnight accommodations, call 503-873-8875.
Silverton Wine and Jazz Festival
The Silverton Wine and Jazz Festival features 12 wineries and more than 30 jazz groups performing Saturday, May 14 in downtown Silverton.
Jose Del La Rosa, chairman of this year’s festival committee, said the musicians’ style varies from Bluegrass, New Orleans jazz, Chicago stomp, bebop and Harlem traditional swing.
The festival dates back to September, 2006 when at a Silverton Chamber of Commerce meeting John Burke asked if there would be any volunteers to help with the proposal.
“I raised my hand and said I’ll help,” De La Rosa said. “I would help for one reason and that was to keep the festival in downtown Silverton.”
Tickets for the festival are $25, which includes a commemorative wine glass and entry to all venues. There will be parking at Roth’s and Seven Brides Brewery with shuttle service to downtown.
Silverton Pet Parade
Pets of all kinds, large and small, will gather Saturday, May 21, 9 a.m. at Coolidge and Main Streets for the annual Silverton Pet Parade.
The animals will line up by categories and will step off at 10 a.m. to parade up Main Street to First Street and finish the parade at Eugene Field School.
The parade is sponsored by the Silverton Kiwanis Club, with Randal Thomas as chairman.
At 9.a.m in the Town Square there will be a Bobbie look-alike contest to choose the dog that will lead the parade.
The Pet Parade is reputed to be the longest running event of its kind west of the Mississippi River. It was started at the height of the Depression in 1932 as a means of cheering the community and entertaining the children of Silverton. Thomas said in addition to prizes for first, second, and honorable mention, the Pet Parade will have a new category for costumes children wear this year.
“They used to have prizes for costumes, but somehow it was forgotten. We have revived that now,” he said.
