By Melissa Wagoner A blue Mason jar becomes a button holder or a candle holder. The paper from old books transforms into paper wreaths. Clothing once out of style is in again. What’s old is new as shoppers seek to reuse old things. Discovering treasures at antique and thrift shops is a way of recycling. Blackbird Granary, Antiques & Collectibles, […]
By Melissa Wagoner Katie Rablin has known what she wanted to do for her career since a science class at Silverton High School when she gave a presentation on acupuncture. “I’ve always been interested in Chinese medicine,” Rablin said. Although her interests have never wavered, her path has encompassed more than she originally imagined. Starting out by attending massage school […]
By Melissa Wagoner One of the most common misconceptions about artist Josh Kinsey’s creations is their origin. His sculptures, which can be classified as steampunk, a genre commonly featuring steam powered machinery, are a wonder of intricacy and delicate moving parts. “People think they’re found objects,” Kinsey said. In fact Kinsey’s lamps, which recently showcased at Lunaria Gallery in Silverton, […]
By Melissa Wagoner Getting kids to eat their fruits and vegetables is important to Jacquie Curtis, co-manager of the Silverton Farmer’s Market. To help children acquire a taste for apricots to zucchini, Curtis is implementing a program to do just that. It’s called the Power of Produce Club, the POP Club for short. “It was something started by the market […]
By Melissa Wagoner Silverton resident Heather Desmarteau-Fast is passionate about gardening. “Gardening is my life. It’s part of my past and my present. It’s therapeutic,” Desmarteau-Fast said. She’s bringing that passion to life for others with the advent of her new venture Stamen and Pistil Urban Garden Center. “I’ve always had a desire to have my own place but I […]
By Melissa Wagoner When Jim and Martha Kosel moved to Mount Angel from Oregon City seven years ago, they made a pact to attend every town function and not leave until they met at least one other couple. They also agreed that they wouldn’t join anything. It was an agreement that didn’t last. Jim is a member of the city’s […]
By Melissa Wagoner Jerri Halter couldn’t have been more surprised to find out she was named 2014 Volunteer of the Year by the Mount Angel Chamber of Commerce. “I didn’t believe it. I was surprised. Thoroughly shocked,” she said. But when asked if it felt good to be recognized, she gave a resounding, “Yes.” Halter, who was born in Saint […]
By Melissa Wagoner Marty Limbird is fascinated by the story behind the story. “My passion is people,” he said. Limbird and his wife, Liz, moved to Silverton from Portland four years ago. As a professor in physical education and the men’s soccer coach at Chemeketa Community College for the past 12 years, Limbird was familiar with the Silverton area. “I […]
By Melissa Wagoner Ten years ago, Jennifer Cameron saw a photo of an alpaca in a newspaper that would alter the course of her life. “She thought they were cute,” her husband Bill Cameron said. “There was something about them I wanted to explore,” Jennifer added. The Camerons embarked on a year long research project into the viability of investing […]
By Melissa Wagoner Nicole Dennis is offering an old method to help keep people healthy during cold and flu season. Dennis, who was born in Boston, said she grew up “totally not taking natural remedies” and that she “didn’t know there was another way” but several years ago she began exploring natural remedies and came upon elderberry syrup. “Elderberries have […]
By Melissa Wagoner GeerCrest Farm and Historical Society is bringing farming to life for hundreds of children every year through its Farm Life Experience Programs. “We’re not trying to make farmers, we’re trying to make informed engaged individuals,” Adam McKinley, the manager of GeerCrest Farm and Historical Society, said. McKinley, with the help of farm owners Erika and Jim Toler, […]
By Melissa Wagoner There’s something special about purchasing a gift from someone you know or someone who lives in the same town. There are many artists within our communities who make things that delight. And shopping locally saves gas, time and supports the local economy. “You get better customer service at local small businesses. It’s a sense of community,” Tracy […]
By Melissa Wagoner Matt Middlestetter is giving new meaning to the term “creative space.” The owner and information and technology specialist of Compex Two, Middlestetter has moved his company across Silverton to a 4,000 square foot building that formerly housed an automotive repair shop on Second Street. The building is being renovated to contain many creative spaces including a living […]
By Melissa Wagoner Lawrence Stone is inviting folks to “come early, stay late and spend the whole day bathing in music” at the third annual Sidewalk Shindig in downtown Silverton. Stone is chairman of a small committee of retired gentlemen, all of whom value the Silverton community and wish to bring a focus to the small businesses that make up […]
By Brenna Wiegand A small food fair at the Silverton Grange put together by Elyse McGowan 18 months ago is fast becoming a multifaceted grassroots movement aimed at connecting local growers with people who want to make fresh, locally grown food a bigger part of their diet. Young mothers Melissa Wagoner and Heather Desmarteau-Fast have taken up McGowan’s “Rooted in […]
By Melissa Wagoner “If there’s a zombie apocalypse, my friends know whose house to run to,” Tasha Huebner said of her “jam cellar of terror.” As with most old-time cellars, Huebner’s resides in the unfinished basement of her 1890’s farmhouse where the walls are lined with last year’s bounty. The cellar became part of a running joke last year when […]
By Melissa Wagoner New Silverton YMCA aquatics director Chad Brookman has big plans for the summer programs and not all of them involve swimming. Brookman hails from San Diego, where he worked for the Y as the aquatics coordinator for a large pool, a beach lifeguard and summer camp counselor. He moved to the Silverton area in the midst of the […]
Kristy Kemper Hodge is researching the interests of families in Silverton. She has been the youth services librarian for Silver Falls Public Library for just over a year. “Part of our role is meeting community needs,” Kemper Hodge said. This summer, the library has scheduled a full array of family activities to do just that. The annual summer reading program […]
By Melissa Wagoner Visit the Silverton Farmer’s Market and you’ll find more than farms, you’ll find bees, jams and jellies, and most importantly, community. The market opened in 2002. Many of its original vendors are still minding stalls today. “The market clientele are consistent and loyal shoppers and I’ve tried my best to be a consistent vendor over the years,” […]
An OurTownLive.com Web Exclusive By Melissa Wagoner At the age of nine, John Pattison already knew he was a writer. When his mother gave him purchasing power at the local store, he often chose a new notebook and a pen. “I loved the smell of the paper,” Pattison said. A Silverton resident, Pattison has had a successful career as a […]
By Melissa Wagoner If you own a cat or a dog, this may have happened to you. You convince your dog to get in the car. You drive to your vet’s office – who is extremely nice and has a great staff – and you try to get your pet out of the car. Except Bowser won’t budge. Trips to […]
By Melissa Wagoner Acres of tiny trees wrapped in a white protective shield are just one sign of the change of crops grown in the East Willamette Valley. Where there were once row crops are now blueberry fields and hazelnut orchards. Towering poles strung with wire await the climbing hops. Blueberries, hops, vineyard grapes and hazelnuts are some of the […]
By Melissa Wagoner Walking a labyrinth is a personal experience. “The journey to the center is the journey to the center of the person’s soul,” said Sister Jeanine Tisot, the director of the Shalom Prayer Center in Mount Angel. People who walk the labyrinth often find peace because it is a spiritual tool for focusing one’s energy, to be silent, […]
By Melissa Wagoner Amber Holt is seeking recommendations from her friends on where to send her 2-year-old son Lucas to preschool. “We are interested in the teacher we hear good things about,” Holt said. “We want it to be an open environment where he can come to his own conclusions and all kind of thoughts are welcome.” Janie Lowrie doesn’t […]
