Perhaps things just come naturally and easily for Krysta Catto. Graduating from Dallas High School in three years. Majoring in biology, studying to be a marine biologist. Saving the lives of little boys overtaken by giant waves in Kona. Huh? Or maybe it is just instinct. After all, Krysta, 20, was a competitive club swimmer with the Blue Dolphins in […]
These are different times. Depending upon whom we ask, social media is a God-send or the root of all evil. Good news and bad news, and even “fake news” can spread like wild-fire. My preference is “good news.” I can handle bad news and readily identify “fake news” as easily as a 2-mph curve ball coming at me in the […]
There’s just something about Lucy. Maybe it’s the smile, or the pterodactyl laugh that comes deep from her cute little belly out of the blue. Maybe it’s the absolute joy on her little face whenever she hears the “Happy Birthday” song. “Alexa, play Happy Birthday!”. Beaming smile, knowing she is the only one who has ever had, is having, or […]
I love Christmas in Silverton. The new lights decorating the downtown trees are beautiful, the tree lighting on First Friday was wonderful as were the smiles on a few thousand celebrants, and there is a crispness in the air that suggests winter and the holidays are here. It is too easy to speak ill or dejectedly of what is happening in […]
It is so easy to talk about the multitude of things going awry in the world, and then have to suffer the “slings and arrows of outrageous” barbs for offering a viewpoint counter to those who lie in wait for the attack, like a cheetah stalking the herd’s wounded or youngest gazelle. That being said, I told my daughter that […]
If we let them, current day events could be quite depressing. Everywhere we look, there are fires, hurricanes, the battle for turf between blue and red, and tiny little foreign dictators with a big hat and few cattle. Congress is about as effective as a PayDay candy bar solving world hunger. I remarked to a young man watching a football […]
Miss Becky is leaving the building. Mic drop. After 12 years of hugging, loving, and teaching three and four year old little darlings, Becky Detherage is hanging up her pre-school hat. Becky started James Street Christian Preschool at the Assembly of God Church, where husband Rich was the pastor. It was an instant success because this woman was made for […]
By Dixon Bledsoe Melanie Dressel would have been so proud. “Columbia Bank’s Chief Executive Officer, Melanie Dressel, is the reason why our culture is personable and is built to put people first”, said Kristi Brackinreed, Mount Angel Branch Manager of Columbia Bank which was recently selected 2016 Business of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce. Sadly, Dressel – the dynamic […]
This is a hard column to write because it represents things I care deeply about. Some people will agree with me, some won’t. Let me politely say, “I don’t care.” God bless Vic Gilliam and his family. Red or blue, conservative or liberal, passionate or stoic, rural or urban. He is a good person who represented his House district and […]
It does my heart good to see anybody but especially young people step out of their comfort zone to help others, selflessly, compassionately and without the need for accolades. Ismael Caudle, Mateo Miller and Rieve Randall are three Silverton Cub Scout Troup 113 Webelo 2 pack boys who saw a need to help kids less fortunate through a wonderful program […]
In Acts 20:35, Paul quoted Jesus in saying “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This is the season of giving, although in the true sense of Christ’s words, giving knows no season and gifts don’t always include pretty paper, ribbons and a gift receipt. There are so many ways to give. The ultimate gift in Christianity, God giving […]
This is a year for which we have so many things to be thankful. Individually, we have to determine if our glass is half full or half empty. That is a personal philosophy dictated by individual circumstances, personalities and choice. Mine has always been a choice of having the glass half-full and being appreciative of having a glass from which […]
We Are One. What a concept in this tumultuous year filled with bad news, hatred, worldwide conflicts, partisan politics and unified efforts with the sole purpose of winning arguments at someone else’s expense and exposing differences as a means of ridiculing. Who’s your friend? What could you possibly have in common? How can we expect to get along when we aren’t […]
By Dixon Bledsoe The Rio Olympics are finally here. It was exciting to see Katie Ledecky beat her own world record in the 400 meter free-style for the gold by nearly two seconds, Michael Phelps win his incredible 19th gold medal, and the U.S. women’s gymnastics team leaving every country in the world behind in just the prelims by an […]
By Dixon Bledsoe It is painful to lose someone you love even when you expect it. Tougher still is to lose them when you don’t. Silverton lost a sweet lady this month when Ardis (Ardie) Hatteberg passed away soon after a fall in her garden. She was 86. Ardie and her husband, Leonard, use to walk in our neighborhood. He […]
By Dixon Bledsoe With Father’s Day around the corner, that means family gatherings, soaking up rays (hopefully not the 100 degree kind), my mouth salivating over a smoked brisket on the Traeger and reflecting on fatherhood and children. Being a father has been an incredible journey. There are several friends and family members becoming parents for the first time this […]
By Dixon Bledsoe Congratulations to Brent Satern, a Silverton native and newer member of Silverton Rotary Club. He had an idea, he ran with it and it worked out well. The first ever Daddy-Daughter Dance in this area was held May 7 at Silverton High School and it was a smash. More than 260 fathers and daughters attended this inaugural […]
By Dixon Bledsoe “Silver wings. Shining in the sunlight. Roaring engines, headed somewhere in flight. They’re taking you away and leaving me lonely. Silver wings, slowly fading out of sight.” Merle Haggard, 1969 Sometimes, simple is better. Silver Wings was so uncomplicated it just resonated with me. A Rolling Stone reviewer wrote “Haggard sang so intimately that you wondered if […]
By Dixon Bledsoe How many people are around who have been with the same company for 49 years? How many companies keep people for 49 years without layoffs or downsizing? Easy answer – Carroll Ashenfelter and NAPA. Ashenfelter started with NAPA in 1967 in Condon, Ore., where his father owned the local NAPA store, the General Motors Dealership, the appliance […]
By Dixon Bledsoe Brent Satern knows how special the bond is between fathers and daughters. He and his wife Kelly have daughter Avery, nearly 3, as well as 8-month-old Jack. Satern, who owns Satern Insurance and Financial Services and is a Silverton Rotary member, had the idea to have the Silverton Rotary Club host the area’s first “Daddy-Daughter Dance.” The […]
By Dixon Bledsoe When a mural is painted in your honor and your nickname is “Silverton’s Sweetheart,” you are officially a an honored and respected citizen. Norma Jean Branstetter was all that and more. The “flower lady” passed away Feb. 3 and a town mourns. Norma owned and operated Silverton Flower Shop on Water Street for 55 years. Norma Jean […]
By Dixon Bledsoe What a run for Wilco. For the fourth consecutive year, the Mount Angel-headquartered business was voted a Top Workplace in Oregon and southwest Washington. The farm and community centered business also was awarded a plaque from Oregon’s Department of Agriculture for its great work bringing diverse groups together through collaboration. And now, drum roll, Wilco is the […]
By Dixon Bledsoe Depending on whom you ask, Valentine’s Day is wonderful, terrible, just another day, romantic, pathetic or loving. I asked a lot of people the worst thing their significant other did on Valentine’s Day and what makes the day special for them. Molly and Alex Newman are expecting their fourth child (first boy) in March. Molly had some […]
By Dixon Bledsoe And so it begins. 2016. New Year, presidential election, standoff in Burns, North Korea trying to flex its muscles, Adele saying Hello and Star Wars – The Force Awakens saying “goodbye” to box office records. A few thoughts regarding our new year. The allure of Donald Trump is both shocking and predictable. Shocking that so many people […]
By Dixon Bledsoe An acquaintance of mine once waxed eloquent on whether terminally ill people should be able to determine the time of their deaths. He was opposed to it and I assumed his objection was based on religious grounds. But he articulated one of the most poignant explanations as to the value of encouraging someone whose time on Earth […]
