This was an ad for Heidelberg Beer back in 1969-1970. I recall the big billboard was on North Water, right around where Photo Express sits today, and across from the turkey plant. Yes, the turkey plant, where the gobblers hung on hooks on a conveyor built and grossed us out as we walked toward school. The sign simply said, “Heidelberg […]
Imagine this. 97 degrees in Silverton, scorching, more humidity than you are accustomed to. You are playing with your little guy, age 13 months. Cute as a bug. Suddenly, it dawns on you that there is a cool reservoir barely two miles out of town, just waiting for you. Excited. You get there, ready to hit the water and cool […]
To the graduates of 2021, my sincere congratulations for your wonderful accomplishments. It could not have been harder, right? You weathered COVID-19, quarantines, wildfires, ice storms, and an entirely new but hopefully temporary “normal.” You learned online in your pajamas, caught sneak peeks of your friends on weekends or when the Zoom teacher was looking the other way, missed out […]
I remember meeting Arland Anderson as a lowly freshman in high school in 1966. He was a junior and one imposing figure – larger than life. Standing about 6’4″ and not “diminutive”, he had a booming voice, and huge and infectious smile, and seemed to get along with everyone. We both played basketball and got to scrimmage a bit together. […]
By Dixon Bledsoe Imagine a young adult, just finishing high school and heading out into the world for college, work or travel. A challenging time for an 18-year-old, right? Both exciting and scary. Now imagine an 18-year-old with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She had a support system in high school, from counselors to aides, from teachers to friends with similar […]
By Dixon Bledsoe Awesome grades? No-brainer. Mad skills in everything from public speaking to leadership? Certainly. Lots of awards for speech and debate, academic excellence, and benevolent, community-centric volunteer? You bet. Zahra DeShaw is a young woman who not only has taken loads of Advance Placement classes in Psychology, Anatomy, Physiology, Language and Composition, as well as Environmental Science, she […]
By Dixon Bledsoe In many ways, Frank Wuliger’s career as a Hollywood agent is like an onion, with layers upon layers revealing complexities that can be so deep they become frighteningly simple. In some ways, he is a throwback. Who in Hollywood conducts deals with a handshake as the basis of doing business? Wuliger, a partner in The Gersh Agency […]
One of the fun parts of social media is people posing good questions to their sphere regarding favorite things, heroes, who they would like to meet, and who they most admire. As for the latter, names like Martin Luther King, Jimmy Carter, The Dali Llama, Jesus Christ, Ronald Reagan, Harriet Tubman, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are often cited. A good […]
A few years ago, a man named Larry Platt auditioned for American Idol with an original hit (that later sold millions), “Pants on the Ground”, which made fun of young men and boys who wore their pants halfway down their bottoms with their underwear exposed. Many of us have done the same, shaking our heads. Jason Franz likely said, “My […]
By the time this column is published, the Oktoberfest will be winding down on Sunday. So many memories, such good times, and the intake of about 4.2 billion calories. But fall is upon us, and soon the holidays, with events every weekend. We all have our “Bavarian” rituals, from German Sausage on a bun with ‘kraut to that spectacular apple […]
Writing a column can be difficult at best, especially when one’s mind is following a single track and seldom strays from that. It would be easy to talk about politics every month since there is so much material to work with. A good friend (Let’s call her “Cindy Jones”, in case she was seeking anonymity, lol) asked me recently, “How […]
My wife, Lisa, and I went out to eat recently and talked with a nice couple. Turns out we had met before – their son knows my wife from her years in education, and I coached the little tyke in T-ball and basketball. He’s 24 now. I love the pictures proud parents post on social media, showing their progeny at […]
Memorial Day is upon us, and as most of you know by now, I love veterans. In this day and age where most people think about barbecues, beer, and three-days off, many of us give time to say thanks to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in serving our country, fighting for freedom, and protecting the American Dream. And […]
The World is back at it again. Brexit is a “Mess-ix.” Iran is in the head-lines for nefarious purposes as President Trump declares the “Revolutionary Guard” a terrorist organization (he is correct), and two popular Hollywood families are skewered in the press for helping their progeny get into prestigious schools by cheating. I have been meaning to work this into […]
“It is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced.” – Tom Brokaw, author, The Greatest Generation Mr. Brokaw, meet Captain Art Gregg. Really. You need to meet him. He turns 100 on Feb. 16. You will like him. You could write a book about him. Like so many members of the “Greatest Generation,” he is quiet, does […]
Traditional column. New year. New goals. New resolutions. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cut down on sweets. Uh, huh. That’s history with the five pieces of Moonstruck Chocolate I sucked down last night like a hungry Dyson vacuum cleaner. Lose 30 pounds? Toast – see previous chocolate malady. Quit engaging others on politics? Oh, my. That went out the door Jan. 1, […]
I saw a wonderful post on Facebook last week, paraphrased, “Don’t criticize someone’s choices if you don’t know what their other choices were.” It made me think a lot, especially as Christmas is approaching. It seems we are on a roll, but not in a good way. Instead of saying quietly in our cars, “I was at the intersection first. […]
A traditionalist by nature, I am not one to treat Thanksgiving like a quick bus stop in a sleepy, one-horse town enroute to the Big City green and red lights. Don’t get me wrong. I love Christmas and look forward to watching my first Christmas movie with my daughter, Briana, on Black Friday – a tradition for probably 20 years. […]
It’s time to focus on the positive things going on in the area, after the ugliness of last week’s uber partisan politics at the national level and the plethora of attack ads here in Oregon. Brent Jacobsen and Sarah White are doers. They walk the walk, walk the talk, deliver the goods, and look to the next area of need. […]
There is an element wanting to raise Eugene Field School from its soon to be rubble, since the building is scheduled to be demolished soon. Waxing nostalgic is not going to remove the asbestos. Saying “We haven’t had any input” is intellectually dishonest and not going to remove the mold. Advocating for a “Don’t tear it down until you know […]
It is more enjoyable to write about people in a positive way, laughing with them at the funny things they do, touching family events, and the moments in their lives that pull at the heartstrings of others. But when we lose them, it hurts at first, until we have the time to reflect on their lives, learn about them through […]
A few years ago, the Bothum boys were in elk camp, and Rex brought this gorgeous red sorrel mare. Everyone in camp wanted that horse. It was a big horse, probably nearly 17 hands, and it was one of the most beautiful horses I had ever seen. I didn’t have a pasture, barn, or stall, or an extra $2,500, but […]
By Dixon Bledsoe This one hurts. Losing someone you adore is just plain painful. Beth Davisson had that affect on people. I liked her the first time we met in 1964 when she joined our 7th grade class at Mark Twain. She was new, but she was sweet, kind, smart and just as goofy as the rest of us 12 […]
Many years ago, a young man was singing the Bee Gees hit, To Love Somebody to his classmates at the old Silverton High School. The crooner, not used to large audiences outside of the cat listening outside his shower, forgot a line from a song he had learned just a day before. The singer turned away from his 300-student audience, […]
I must hand it to Kyle Palmer, Silverton’s venerable mayor. He has the patience of Job and can hold his tongue with the best of them, even in the face of naiveté, ignorance, vitriol, and, on occasion, just plain stupidity. As someone once said, “You can’t fix stupid.” Palmer must routinely “suffer the slings and arrows” of outrageous comments, often […]
