By Jim Kinghorn
Some inconsiderate dolt made off with a large commercial barbeque from behind the Father Bernard Youth Center in Mount Angel a while back, but the good people at Traeger Grills just don’t let that kind of thing stand… They donated two new replacement grills… Which center director Don Robison promptly chained down.
Mark June 28th on your calendar so you don’t miss the 2014 Mount Angel Abbey Festival of Arts and Wine. The festival features a live auction, wine and beer tasting, live music, art exhibits and sales, hors d’oeuvres and tours… Plus you get to hang out with the monks who, if you’re really nice, just might score you some tastes of the new brews from the Benedictine Brewery. Call 503-845-3064 or click mountangelabbey.org for tickets and info.
Silverton First Christian Church has served more than 100,000 free Wednesday night community dinners since 2008. If that is a little hard to wrap your head around, stop by and see their impressive display of 100,000 M&Ms, each representing one of the all-volunteer served meals…
Speaking of good people and impressive numbers, the Silverton High School Alumni Association recently awarded $57,250 in scholarships to 71 graduating seniors and alumni… Not bad for a group that started in 1996 with a mere $900.
While we’re on the subject of higher education, if you see Gigglebritches the Clown around town, slip her a few bucks to defray the cost of travel and tuition for the “Mooseburger Clown Camp” in Buffalo Minn. Bonnie Jean Brown… Ooops, I mean Gigglebritches, will receive training in caring clowning, face painting and physical acting and storytelling. The Man hears there will also be a mandatory class on running for public office… OK, I made that last part up… But you believed it, didn’t you…
Have you or anyone you know been touched by the scourge of cancer? Of course you have, so sign up now to participate in Silverton’s first Relay For Life being held July 18-19 at the Silverton High School track. The American Cancer Society fundraiser celebrates the lives of people who have battled cancer, remembers loved ones lost, and fights back against the disease. Take it from The Man, participating in Relay is a moving and rewarding experience but it’s also fun as the organizers keep it entertaining with theme hours during the event. There may even be a rumored challenge where a group of local firefighters will don their oxygen packs and see who can go the farthest before their air runs out… (The Man is thinkin it’s good thing they are also paramedics…) Go to relayforlife.org/ silverton for more information
Anybody that knows The Man knows that he just loves to get outdoors and commune with nature. It just seems such a waste to be surrounded by all the beauty of the Northwest and to not go out and enjoy the sights and smells of the mountains, forests and beaches that are all around us. What The Man doesn’t understand is why some people seem to want to go to these beautiful places and then leave their trash so the places aren’t beautiful anymore. I mean, is it that hard to simply pick up after yourself? No, no it’s not. I do it and most of you do it, too. It seems to me that if trashy people want to be around trash, why don’t we build some state parks at the landfills? That way the trashy people can go, enjoy themselves and leave all the trash they want – heck, they could probably even find a nice, sought after spot next to the electronics recycling bins on holiday weekends. Then the rest of us can enjoy the unmolested beauty and tranquility without tripping over their empty Monster Energy Drink cans, cigarette butts and broken glass… Seems like a win – win to me….
See you on the street…..or in the woods
