Just this past summer, I lost a dear friend of mine. His name was Justin. He lived outside, had a very unique sense of style, and often made others uncomfortable by sifting through garbage cans for little treasures. He was a complex figure, as we all are, but his personality was marked by a gleaming naivety, an earnest impulse to […]
By Stephen Floyd The Oregon Garden Foundation has been awarded a $150,000 grant from Marion County to help develop financial sustainability in its operations of The Oregon Garden. The Board of County Commissioners approved the grant during their March 6 regular meeting, with funds coming from the Oregon Lottery. Oregon Garden Director of Operations Delen Kitchen told Our Town the […]
By Melissa Wagoner Kelly Farrah is a self-taught historian who never does anything halfway. As a child growing up in Southern California, he developed an interest in both the American Civil War and the Revolutionary War. But it was the materials used during those time periods – the flags, guns, clothing and everything that was a part of daily life […]
By Sailor Hill Silverton is now home to a creative and ambitious couple of hatmakers in the Historic Wellman Building downtown. Sean and Jessica McClellan are born artists, passionate about fashion, craftsmanship, and above all: hat making. They recently opened their first storefront, Flyin High Hat Co., where they create and customize western-style hats. “We’ve taken an idea of having […]
By James Day The Marion County 4-H ThinkRobots Club, which includes students from the Silverton area, placed three teams in the top 5 at the Feb. 24 elementary and middle school state tournament at Cedar Ridge Middle School in Sandy. A total of 26 middle school teams and 19 elementary school teams competed in the all-day event. One ThinkRobots team […]
The Community Roots School chess team of Silverton finished second at a regional chess tournament on Feb. 24 at Tallmadge Middle School in Independence. The team, in its second year, was led by Grayson Huebsch and Deklan Pozos, who finished second and third, respectively, in the 4th grade and under division. The tournament brought together teams from Marion, Polk and Benton […]
I work in a local nonprofit. It has been a wonderful experience that has allowed me to get to know members of the community who I otherwise wouldn’t have crossed paths with. I am grateful for this opportunity and for the privilege that it is to be able to live in Silverton. I am a transplant, like many of my […]
By Brenna Wiegand A group of local men who came together for a Bible Study are finding ways to reach out to their community. They call themselves the Noble Men of Oregon. They meet weekly at Noble Inn, owned by study leader Gregg Harris and his wife Bonnie. Built by June Drake in 1904, the historic home is now a […]
By Melissa Wagoner In 2011, when Elise Trask decided to get married on the farm where she grew up, she not only gained a husband, she gained a career as well. “That got our wheels turning,” Trask’s sister and business partner, Clarissa Rapacz, said, recalling how that wedding – held amongst a field of flowers – became the first of many, thanks […]
By Melissa Wagoner Growing up, Michael Turner knew that his Hungarian grandmother, Lici, was a Holocaust survivor and that both her parents and sister were killed in Auschwitz. But it wasn’t something Lici talked about – at least not with her grandson. “When I was in high school, some video producers came and interviewed my grandma about her experiences in […]
David and Linda (Esser) Gerlits of Silverton, Oregon will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on March 23, 2024. They were married on March 23, 1974, at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Silverton by the bride’s cousin, Father Michael Sprauer. The bridesmaids wore green polyester dresses, and the groomsmen wore their hair long. Both Dave and Linda are life-long residents of Silverton. […]
By Stephen Floyd For many Silvertonians, The Home Place Restaurant represents a rite of passage. It’s where they got to have their first big birthday party, where numerous teenagers got their first jobs, where generations of athletes gathered for pre- and post-game celebrations. Co-owner Debbie Bennett said the establishment is old enough now that customers bring their own families, talking […]
By Melissa Wagoner It’s been 40 years, nearly to the day, since Laura Wanker became a part of the Silverton community, initially working as an educator and volunteer tutor, mentor and educational advocate for students at Silverton High School before joining the Silverton Area Community Aid’s (SACA) board. “Laura Wanker’s impact on the Silverton community is broad and substantial,” former superintendent […]
By James Day Sometimes your ability to make a difference in your community can be as simple as how often you say ”yes.” That’s been the case in recent years with Oak Street Church and its pastor John Friedrick. Yes to continuing its Monday meal tradition. Yes to using the church building for a warming shelter. Yes to hosting listening […]
By James Day From its arrival in Silverton in 2002 Willamette Valley Bank has lived by the motto that to serve the community you must be involved in the community. “Twenty-two years ago a group of business owners opened Willamette because they believed the community would be better served by a locally headquartered bank, managed by people who understood the […]
By Melissa Wagoner When Alan Mickelson joined forces with Lawrence Stone, Greg Hart, Gregg Sheesley and Ron Nelson to put on the very first Silverton Sidewalk Shindig in 2012, he never could have predicted that 12 years later the event would still be going strong or that the organization would be the recipient of the Silverton Chamber of Commerce’s Service […]
100 months for DUII fatality A Silverton man has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for a DUII collision last year that killed a Keizer teenager. Gustavo Sosa, 27, pleaded guilty Feb. 1 in Marion County Circuit Court to second-degree manslaughter and hit-and-run for the May 23, 2023, death of Victor Andre Cortez-Andrade, 16. He also pleaded […]
By Melissa Wagoner When Jenna Keeton received a phone call from her mother alerting her that her father had died, she wasn’t surprised. “I had been preparing myself for his death for years,” Jenna admitted. “But I was expecting a heart attack or an overdose.” Instead, Jenna learned that her father, Joe Keeton – a man who had struggled with […]
By Melissa Wagoner Growing up, Craig Bazzi’s grandparents – immigrants from Northern Italy – spoke mostly Italian, as did their neighbors. “But it wasn’t spoken in our home,” Bazzi recalled. And so, the language wasn’t something he ever learned. Then, as an adult, he took a trip to Italy with his wife, to reconnect with distant relatives and to see […]
The Silverton Zenith Woman’s Club thanks the community of Silverton for all the help they received for their 2023 Tree of Giving project. Together we were able to make Christmas a little brighter for 216 children in the Silver Falls School District. We wish to particularly thank: Hi-School Pharmacy, St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Silver Creek Fellowship and Wilco for displaying […]
By Melissa Wagoner Since opening its doors in 2015, SoundStream Music – which offers a variety of music and theater instruction to students of all ages in Silverton – has helped fund student scholarships with the ticket sales from an annual performance. “We usually have three to five students throughout the year who end up needing financial help,” owner Corey Christensen said […]
By Melissa Wagoner When Victoria Martusheff – a shift supervisor at Silverton Starbucks on North First Street – came across an advertisement for the Silent Book Club, “a global community of readers and introverts, with more than 500 chapters in 50 countries,” she just had to share it with fellow supervisor, Sofia Perez. “I’m a very big reader,” Perez, who […]
Mark Twain Elementary School’s newest fundraiser will have people dancing “Under the Stars” at the first adult prom taking place on Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at Gallon House Farms. “We wanted Mark Twain to have a solid fundraiser, and this seems like a really fun event,” Parent Teacher Club member Briana Hupp said of the impetus for the event. […]
Somehow it seems that Dodie Brockamp, outgoing executive director of the Silverton Senior Center, will be busier in her “retirement” than she was during her 12 years at the center. A celebration of the Senior Center career of Brockamp is set for noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Senior Center, 115 Westfield St. A light luncheon […]
Yes, it’s only January, but the Mid-Willamette Conference hoops season already is churning out masterpieces. Silverton took down two unbeaten teams from South Albany in a doubleheader sweep on Jan. 8, and as of presstime the Foxes were in the thick of both battles for league bragging rights. The girls are 4-0 in league and ranked No. 5. They are […]
