By Melissa Wagoner Strawberries have grown wild in Oregon for millennia and were picked in abundance by Indigenous peoples. But even cultivated strawberries have a long history, having been carefully transported, via the Oregon Trail, by Quaker nurseryman Henderson Luelling in 1846. “Silverton has a long history as an agricultural center and strawberries, while not as prolific now as in the […]
By Melissa Wagoner Right now, outdoor dining is at its most desirable. And it doesn’t get any more outdoor than eating in a field of alpacas. “Last year we had the tables scattered throughout the field,” Jennifer Cameron recalled. She is the owner of Alpacas at Marquam Hill, the venue of an annual Field and Vine farm dinner. “It’s a […]
By Melissa Wagoner There’s never been a better time to go to the theater – at least according to Rachelle Gonterman – manager of the Silverton Palace Theater. “COVID has everybody tired of being cooped up at home,” she said. “But a lot of people don’t know we’re open.” Taking over the theater in October 2020, Rachelle and her husband, […]
By Melissa Wagoner For those who have missed their favorite Oktoberfest treats during the past 16 months, now is your chance to indulge, as the Benedictine Brewery in Mount Angel hosts a line-up of iconic Oktoberfest food carts this summer. “Part of our mission is helping the community,” brewery manager Nicole McCall said of the impetus to invite the booths. […]
By Melissa Wagoner Holiday meal planning can be a great time to experiment with locally sourced foods, according to Sarah Brown, owner of Diggin’ Roots Farm in Silverton. “Eating local around the holidays is a unique opportunity to raise awareness with family and friends about the abundance that we’re fortunate to have access to in the Willamette Valley,” she said, […]
It’s not just what’s inside the bottle that makes this wine special. Hanson Vineyards has commissioned a poem for its inaugural edition of Poets’ Lament, an orange wine made from Pinot Blanc. Award-winning Oregon playwright E.M. Lewis was commissioned to write a poem for the 2018 vintage, and each new vintage of this wine will have a new poem written […]
By Melissa Wagoner Dan Miletta can’t wait to get back to doing what he loves, brewing beer, a pastime he has mostly put aside for the last six months while he and business partner William Mary refurbished the space that previously housed Seven Brides Brewing. “We’re slowly getting back to where we can just focus on brewing,” Miletta said, looking […]
By Melissa Wagoner The Silver Grille in Silverton closed its doors after 23 years of service on Sept. 1. “There [were] a ton of reasons,” Chef and owner Jeff Nizlek said when asked why he and his wife and business partner, Naomi, decided to put the restaurant on the market. “[I]t is a big commitment and we are getting older.” […]
By Nancy Jennings April Sattler has found herself doing what she’d done as a 16-year-old – working in a frozen yogurt shop. Except this time around, Sattler, 50, and her husband, Mitch, 47, are the owners of Silverton’s Heavenly Yogurt, which officially opened on May 18. “We wanted to get involved in this lovely community. I prayed to God to […]
By Nancy Jennings Michelle White wants everybody to feel like a kid in a candy store inside of Candy Babel. Her Silverton candy store – officially opened in February – offers a wide variety of domestic and international bulk candies to “pick and mix.” Countries represented include: Indonesia, Spain, Russia, Germany, Japan, China, Korea, Thailand, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Venezuela, Mexico, […]
By Melissa Wagoner Spring has definitely sprung at Olde Moon Farm on the outskirts of Silverton. Where, just over a year ago, there was only green lawn, now nearly an acre of garden plots is scattered over the hillsides. What was once the lawn and small garden of Megan and Roger Garrett is now the productive farm of Jordan and […]
By Nancy Jennings Effective April 1, Silverton Area Community Aid (SACA) began offering weekly food pantry visits rather than monthly ones – and added evening hours Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. According to SACA Communications/Events Coordinator Paul Scoville, “We went from a system where a person or family could come in for food once a month to now […]
By Melissa Wagoner The smell of sweet honey is undeniably in the air in The Honey Haus, a unique Mount Angel shop that offers over eight different varieties of honey on tap. “This was my husband’s idea,” Jennifer Anderson-Rumely said, indicating the wall of wooden boxes, fitted with taps behind her. “In the Middle East and Europe they have honey […]
By Melissa Wagoner When a student throws away a partially-full milk carton, what has the biggest environmental impact? Surprisingly it isn’t the carton but rather the milk itself. “From a climate change perspective, the DEQ has estimated that approximately five percent of a carton of milk’s impact is due to the carton itself,” Bailey Payne, a Waste Reduction Coordinator at […]
By Daniele Keating Mt. Angel Chamber of Commerce Past President Pete Wall selected Oktoberfest to receive the 2018 President’s Award for its tremendous community accomplishments and charitable contributions. Inaugurated in 2014, the President’s Award recognizes those who do a great service to the community or the Chamber. This year is the first time an organization has been selected for the […]
By Brenna Wiegand Mount Angel Chamber of Commerce will honor Mount Angel Abbey with its 2018 Distinguished Service award at this year’s First Citizens Banquet. The Abbey has been entrenched in its surrounding community since 1882, co-settlers with the townspeople. “It’s a beautiful idea; we are all very touched by it,” Abbot Jeremy Driscoll said. “It’s a lovely honor because […]
By Brenna Wiegand Raul Santana first found work in the berry fields after migrating to the U.S. in 2000. The 16-year-old, brought by an uncle, taught himself English and completed his GED in pursuit of The American Dream. It was his love of learning that got him there. “The rest of my family is still in Mexico City and I […]
By Melissa Wagoner Volksfest – or a festival of the people in German – is an apt name for the annual wintertime sausage-themed extravaganza that takes place in Mount Angel. “There’s a plethora of entertainment and food,” Jim Hoke – owner of Mt. Angel Sausage Company, a festival sponsor – said. “Every little kid and every grandparent feels comfortable in […]
Shelaswau Bushnell Crier will give the keynote address following a community potluck in celebration of Dr, Martin Luther King Day at the Silverton Grange on Monday, Jan. 21. Co-sponsored by Silverton People For Peace and the Silverton Grange, the event is open to all. Doors open 5:30 p.m., potluck at 6, S201 S. Division, off of S. Water. Lawyer, former […]
A piece of Christmas past is coming home to downtown Silverton in the form of a six-foot, four-inch plywood Santa Claus cut-out mural. Painted in the mid-1950s, the Santa originally adorned the top of the Legard and Son 76 Station – now Stamen and Pistil – and was painted by Silvertonian Chuck Leonard. “Chuck painted similar Christmas displays for himself, […]
Grab your passport inside this edition of Our Town and get ready to Shop Hop for a chance to win more than $1,000 in gift certificates. The Silverton and Mt. Angel chambers of commerce are banding together, expanding this year’s Shop Hop, to 42 prizes, including the grand prize. Visit participating stores in Silverton and Mt. Angel between Nov. 23 […]
Silverton Jazzercise will hold its 29th Thanksgiving benefit for Silverton Area Community Aid this year. Thursday, Nov. 22, 9 a.m. all fitness levels are invited to join in an hour-long aerobic and muscle toning session at the Silverton Community Center, 421 S. Water St. Admission is $5 or three food items. Proceeds go to the SACA food bank. “This class […]
By Melissa Wagoner “Sometimes ‘feeding your neighbors’ is a metaphorical concept, and sometimes it’s literally the best thing you can do,” Hilary Dumitrescu said when asked about the new partnership between the Silverton Friends Church’s and the new Winter Market. Dumitrescu went on to explain that two of the basic Quaker testimonies, which her church follows, are community and stewardship […]
By Melissa Wagoner Nine strangers were recently asked to find two things they all shared. Gathered at a Make America Dinner Again (MADA) event held at St. Edward’s Episcopal Church in Silverton, the group suggested one item after another – all were rejected. “We all have children,” someone sang out. “No.” “We all have pets.” “No.” “Surely, we all have […]
By Melissa Wagoner After seven years, Mount Angel’s annual Hazelnut Festival was hanging in limbo due to the recent passing of its co-founder Maureen Ernst. “There was some talk about, ‘I don’t know if this is going to happen this year,’” Executive Director of the Silverton Chamber of Commerce Stacy Palmer said. “But Maureen’s family really wanted it to continue,” […]
