Stayton Police have recently added a four-footed member to their team.

The department has ordered a drug detection canine from Pacific Coast K-9 in Custer, Wash., and the next step is to start training the dog this month.

“Having a drug detection canine will be a valuable resource for our community,” said Officer Paul Eves, who will be handling the dog. “The canine will help reduce the cost to taxpayers by locating drugs within minutes that can take several officers up to an hour or more to find, if at all.”

By preventing drugs in the community, police have a better chance of being able to prevent further crimes, such as thefts, fraud, robberies, burglaries and more, Eves said.

“Our goal as an agency is to minimize the presence of drugs, making Stayton a better place to live, work and play,” he said. “With the partnership of businesses, schools and the community, we can help strengthen our fight against drugs.”

Officer Eves and the new K9 will take an 80-hour training course May 13-24. Once completed, the dog will live with Eves.

“Once I have gone through the training, I’ll need to get the dog certified through the Oregon Police Canine Association in the detection of drugs,” Eves said. “Once all the training is complete and the dog is certified, then the dog will be used on search warrants, traffic stops, at the schools and for special events.”

The department is still seeking donations to add to the approximately $18,000 already raised to purchase a trained K9 and cover costs related to handler training, supplies, equipment and vehicle.

The Silverton Elks donated $2,500 to this cause recently, and donations also came in from local businesses and community members, Eve said.

“We will still continue to fundraise and except donations to keep the program running,” Eves said. “The money we raise will only be used for this program. Maintaining fiscal responsibility is a top priority.”

For information, call Officer Eves at 503-769-3421.

When mail carriers stop at mailboxes on Saturday, May 11, they are hoping to find more than outgoing letters and bills.

They hope they will be a bag of nonperishable canned food, box and other items placed by the mailbox.

Bags of food collected in and around Stayton on May 11 for the 21st annual National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive will boost donations to the Stayton Food Bank and Marion-Polk Food Share.

“People look forward to it, and so do we,” said Edna Rickman, food bank director. “It’s just an extra help at time we start to run out of help from the holiday drive. Last year, we got more than 3,000 pounds of food from the mail carriers. That was really good!”

Although the number of families using the food bank is leveling off, Rickman said, “There are still a lot of people out there who need food. I hope people understand if their kids get subsidized school lunches or they get food stamps, they automatically qualify to get food from us.”

The Stayton Food Bank is currently serving about 250 families a month. To qualify, a person’s gross income must be less than $1,771 a month, and $620 for each additional household member.

“Right now we have a good supply of Jewish food from Passover,” Rickman said. “We have lots of canned green beans and corn, and we just bought some peanut butter. We have one refrigerator plumb full of eggs.”

Food donations to the NALC drive should include tuna, canned meat, chili, side dishes, condensed soups and beans, she added.

NALC letter carriers hope to double last year’s total due to increased need to help feed families in their communities. The drive is the largest one-day food drive in the country.

“My goal is to raise approximately 50 percent more food than we were able to raise last year,” said Nick Boston, food drive coordinator for local Branch 347. “The letter carriers chose this time of the year for the food drive because it is traditionally the low point of the food bank’s inventory.”

Boston said all the food collected in smaller communities such as Monmouth, Dallas and Stayton will stay in those communities for distribution. Food from the larger communities will go to the Marion-Polk Food Share, some of which comes back to the smaller communities, he added.

“It is such a huge help to us and is also our largest one-day food drive,” Lindsay Adamson with Marion-Polk Food Share said. “Because of the drive, we are able to distribute more food and able to help even more families through our agencies. We are so thankful for the sacrifice of time and energy that our letter carriers give. We know it adds a lot of extra work to their day, and we couldn’t be more grateful. We are so excited to have their support again this year.”

Last year, a total of 105,445 pounds of food was donated in Marion and Polk counties, which included the 3,100 pounds in Stayton. This year, Marion-Polk Food Share estimates it will distribute 9 million pounds of non-perishable food through nearly 100 direct service charities, helping families in the two counties.

More than 110,000 emergency food boxes and more than 710,000 community meals well be provided, helping to feed some 14,000 children each month, according to the MPFS website.

“We are serving an average of 9,437 families a month, which is up from last year’s 9,020 families a month,” Adamson said. “More than 16,000 children are eating from a food box every month.”

Boston said as a letter carrier, opportunities to help others is limited during the day, but this provides a way to help those in need.

“My two favorite times of the year have always been Christmas and the Food Drive,” Boston said. “People at those times of the year are very happy to give and to receive.”

Marion-Polk Food Share receives 59 percent of its food from local donations, and Boston said the drive makes it “unusually easy for the general public to donate simply because we deliver to everyone. All one has to do is place their bag of food by their mailbox.”

Protein items such as peanut butter and canned tuna are most needed, Adamson said.

“Shelf-stable dairy, canned soups, canned fruit and vegetables, canned tomato products, cereal and flour are all wonderful items we can use,” she added.

“We would like to encourage everyone to leave what they can. We will accept all types of food items except those in glass containers,” Boston added.

Freres serves on the Board of Directors for Family Building Blocks and also volunteers with The Boys and Girls Aid Society of Oregon. Hardage, a project manager for the State of Oregon, was the principal organizer of April’s Santiam Canyon Father/Daughter Ball, a fundraiser for the foundation. Seegmiller is a personal banker for Key Bank in Stayton, and will serve on the foundation’s marketing committee.

“This is a remarkably talented and committed group of new board members. Their interest in making Stayton a great place to live is inspiring, and they know how important our library is to our community,” Tass Morrison, SPLF board president said.

Officers include: Eric Nichols, vice president; Marlee Hoffman, PhD, secretary; Robin Nichols, treasurer; Dave Karr, past president. Board members include Judy Brown, Alex Enriquez, Hazel Glover, Colleen Graff, Stephanie Jorgensen, Tyler Lulay and Carol Tabor. Chelo Icovino is foundation administrator. The  mission is to raise funds to improve library facilities, provide an endowment to support library operations and support special programs and services.

NORPAC’s corporate headquarters are moving from Stayton to Salem to consolidate existing corporate functions in Salem with its sales and marketing functions, now in Lake Oswego.

“We anticipate that having all of the corporate staff in one location will improve communications and expedite decision-making, along with synchronizing functions such as order entry and inventory, which currently take place at separate locations,” said Chuck Palmquist, vice-president of sales and services for NORPAC Foods, Inc., a cooperative owned by 240 family farmers in the Willamette Valley.

Originally established as Stayton Canning Company in 1924, NORPAC now has processing and packaging facilities in Stayton, Salem, Brooks and Hermiston as well as Quincy, Wash.

NORPAC has reached an agreement with Henningsen Cold Storage Co., one of the largest public refrigerated warehousing companies in the nation, to construct a 260,000-square-foot frozen food storage and distribution facility adjacent to NORPAC’s Salem packaging facility.

“For many years NORPAC’s central distribution point has been in North Salem,” Palmquist said. “As a result, we would transfer approximately 25 truckloads per day of finished products from our packaging facility to the distribution center. Construction of the new distribution center adjacent to the packaging facility will result in a more efficient operation and elimination of local hauling of finished goods.”

CEO George Smith expects considerable energy and cost savings from the new center, to be built by Henningsen’s contractor and owned by NORPAC. Henningsen will have a long-term operating contract with NORPAC, he added.

The new distribution center will offer state-of-the-art features such as a chilled dock loading area and a more efficient racked storage area than what is currently available, Palmquist said.

Regarding the corporate headquarters move, he added, “Our repack facility has been a focal point and featured location for customers and other visitors for a long time, and locating all corporate personnel on that property facilitates our ability to showcase what we do.”

About 65 employees from Stayton and 50 from Lake Oswego will move to the Salem facility once it is completed, Palmquist said.

“The impact of 65 people moving from a town the size of Stayton may be noticeable, but the impact on the Stayton plant itself will be minimal,” he added. “No changes are planned in regard to production or staffing at the plant level. NORPAC has always been supportive of the Stayton community and local events. We expect local support to be ongoing.”

Although corporate employees are relocating, some corporate functions with unique space requirements will not be moving, Palmquist said.

“We are still considering options for the balance of the space.”

The new center will be about 40,000 square feet, of which NORPAC will occupy 75 percent with Henningsen using the remaining square footage.

“Construction costs have not been finalized yet,” Palmquist said. “We are currently in the permitting process with the city of Salem and hope to be breaking ground by late June or early July, with occupancy taking place approximately one year from now.”

Palmquist said the city of Salem is considering infrastructure upgrades to the street and to its intersection at 25th Street.

“No changes are anticipated for Plant 7, including the Country Store,” Palmquist said. “We are still considering options for our transportation office, which is in leased space adjacent to the Plant 7 property.”

The company worked with SEDCOR and Salem Mayor Anna Peterson, who formed a task force to encourage food processing and agricultural development in Salem.

Jean and Bill Deeter of Lyons

By Mary Owen

Bill Deeter often jokes that he makes a lot of sawdust and tries to sell what’s left over.

“Growing up, I was always building something,” said the Lyons man, who has been a cabinetmaker since moving to Oregon in early 1973. “In high school and college, I worked in a machine shop that did both metal and woodworking.”

After college, Deeter held several jobs, including head instructor at Jack LaLanne’s Health Club in Torrance, Calif.

“One of my tasks was to keep Chuck Norris from recruiting for his martial arts gym down the street,” Deeter said.

Shortly thereafter, Deeter and his wife, Jean, decided to follow his sister and father to Oregon and started looking for a business.

“We settled on a cabinet shop owned by Harold Massey, which sort of brings things full circle,” he said. “I served a six-week apprenticeship, and essentially jumped in with both feet.” May marks 40 years in Deeter’s Cabinents, the Lyons business that he now operates with his son, Jon.

“Jon started working in the shop pretty much full-time in the summers around the age of 13,” Deeter said. “Shortly after finishing at Oregon State, the place he worked went out of business, and he returned to help between jobs in early 2000 at a very busy time. It was supposed to be temporary, but turned out not to be. He has been running the bulk of the day-to-day operations for seven or eight years now.”

The father and son work “especially well when the old bull and the young bull work different shifts,” Deeter said jokingly.

“We actually do pretty well, all things considered,” he said. “I’m proud that we have survived what probably amounts to four recessions and two near-depressions in the early ’80s and the past three years or so. We are so grateful for the people in the area and outside that have supported our family business through good times and bad. We have been very blessed.”

Deeter believes custom cabinetry offers a better value than “stock” or modular cabinets.

“There’s the obvious benefit of not being limited by anything but your imagination and space you have to work with, but there’s also the benefit of close, personal service,” Deeter said. “If someone is looking to do things as cheaply as humanly possible, there’s certainly a place for that in the market, but the stereotype that custom cabinets have to be extremely expensive is a fallacy. I think more people are surprised when someone like us is compared apples-to-apples with the large companies you see at the big-box stores. Supporting small businesses like us, or at least doing some comparison shopping with your local cabinetmaker, won’t ever hurt the local economy.”

Some of his favorite projects include building rustic Brookwood pine cabinets for an Oregon City development.

“I’ve always loved the look of any Old English/Tudor-style cabinets we’ve done, and I always love doing cabinets for children and grandchildren of people whose cabinets I built decades ago,” he said.

Deeter loves when people bring him a challenging job, often not clearly described.

“I take a lot of satisfaction from making something that fills their desire and exceeds expectations,” he said. “It’s great fun to take things from ideas to fulfillment, working with the customer the entire way. The evolutions in every job are unique, and it’s one of the things that keeps us engaged and excited about lugging around heavy things.”

Deeter has come a long way from his California roots. Born in Los Angeles, he was a track and field athlete at Fresno Pacific College, and continues to be involved in the sport through the Master’s program.  Forty-three years ago, he met his wife, Jean, who has worked at NORPAC since they moved to Oregon and keeps the books for their business. Jon lives in Silverton with his wife, Amanda. The couple’s other son, David, also lives in Silverton.

The Deeters have been very active at Canyon Bible Fellowship since moving to Lyons.

“Over the years, we’ve tried to be good representatives of the community by supporting charities that spend their money wisely,” Deeter said.

And since everyone like factoids, he said, he shared a few: favorite movies, Man for All Seasons and Chariots of Fire; sports heroes, John Wooden, Bill Bowerman and Al Oerter; favorite Bible characters, Daniel and Job; and he’s been a Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams fan since 1955.

“Best thing I ever did?” he added. “Marry Jean.”

Deeter’s code for raising his sons: “Think before you speak, think before you act, honor the Lord, and always tell the truth.”

May 10 will be a big day for the Regis High School track and field program. The Rams will host an 18-team invitational meet starting at 3:30 p.m. while debuting their new $300,000 track and field upgrade.

The project received support from countless sources, according to veteran coach Mike Bauer, who cited area businesses, students at Regis and St. Mary Grade School and proceeds from the annual Regis auction.

“The uniqueness of this venture is the broad-based support the project received from so many elements of our community,” Bauer said. “It is a testimony to the generosity of people and their interest in providing a resource that can be used by all.”

The upgraded facility, which includes a resurfaced track, new areas for field events, additional bleachers and improved drainage, will be used by Regis and St. Mary athletes as well as physical education programs at both schools. Stayton Christian School, Willamette Christian School, and Peak Performance Track Club use the facility for practices.  In addition, the track is made available to the Stayton community for events such as Relay for Life, Special Olympics and YMCA and Scouts activities.

There will be a special dedication ceremony at 6 p.m. during the May 10 meet.

Bauer’s team figures to make a strong showing at the meet, particularly in the field events. Ryan Mumey of the Rams is tied for second in Class 2A in the pole vault (11-10) and tied for third in the long jump (20-7). Regis has four girls in the top three in field events: Monica Webb (tied for second, high jump, 5-1), Kimberly Webb (third, discus, 107-10), Liz Ayers (third, javelin, 111-4) and Erica Stuckart (third, long jump, 16-0).

Regis’ baseball team, meanwhile, moved into a tie for first place in Special District 2 on April 24 with a 7-3 win vs. defending Class 2A-1A champion Kennedy. The Rams and Trojans both are 7-1 in district play, one game ahead of Country Christian. Regis, which is ranked 10th by the OSAA, visits Kennedy on May 16 to close the regular season.

The Regis softball team, meanwhile, is 4-2 in Special District 3 play, tied with Western Mennonite for second behind 5-1 Perrydale.

Also shining on the track is Cascade’s boys team, led by Nathan Martin. The Cougars’ senior is No. 1 in Class 4A in the 100 (11.12), No. 3 in the 200 (22.53), No. 3 in the 110 hurdles (15.22) and he has run legs on Cascade top-ranked 4×100 team (43.78) and No. 4 4×400 team (3:30.43). Adding depth for the Cougars is Patrick Bladorn (No. 2, high jump, 6-4) and John Schifferer (No. 2, 300 hurdles, 40.04).

“We are having a great season and enjoying success on many levels,” summed up Cascade coach Dan Petersen.

Stayton’s Curtis Deetz, meanwhile, ranks No. 1 in the 4A triple jump (43-1/2).

Former Stayton boys basketball coach Tal Wold has taken over the girls program at Silverton. Wold, who still lives in Stayton, coached the Eagles to the OSAA Class 4A state semifinals in his first season, 2008, and never missed the state playoffs during his four-year tenure.

If you have a sports tip to share, contact me at jamesday590@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter @jameshday

The next meeting is May 8.
There are no meetings in July and August.
New members are always welcome.

For information, contact Sandy Lyness 503-551-2645;
Dan Lemke 503-897-3014 or Joe Uffelman 503-897-2324.

When it comes to giving back to their community, Mill City Lions Club members have taken it to a whole new level.

Some of the 14 members and their families will be spend a few hours on May 8 cleaning up Highway 22 between Gates and Mill City. In groups of two, they’ll put on their safety vests and team up with the highway department in the name of community beautification.

“It’s like a family gathering along the roadside,” treasurer Sandy Lyness said. “It’s really amazing how our members will bring their families to help.”

The clean-up efforts happen rain or shine, Lyness said, which may explain why this decade long tradition led the group to officially adopt the “Boener Award.”

No, it’s not a real bone – it’s a bone replica, attached to a wood plaque that’s awarded to the person who tops the year with the goofiest blunder.

The bone plaque was created by member Dan Lemke and was originally awarded to Harold Boener, who tumbled off the side of the road and through some blackberries during one of the early highway clean-up efforts.

Most recently, the award went to Marlee Clark for a minor ticket slip up. Last year, member Kathy Kindred held the title.

Recipients of the “Boener Award” are recognized at the club’s annual Sweetheart’s Dinner, said Lyness, a tradition with widespread respect for raising money for local causes. In reality, that’s what the Lions Club is all about, Lyness said.

“We really to want to keep everything we do in our community,” she said.

The Sweetheart’s Dinner last February raised more than $4,000 for student scholarships. The group has already committed another $500 to Santiam Elementary School’s new playground.

They work with national Lions Club groups to bring services to the Santiam Canyon. One of the programs brings the health screening van, which travels to communities  to help low-income people get free vision and hearing tests. Vision health plays a big part in the history of  the Lions Club.

“The vision program was inspired by Helen Keller, and we used to do these ‘eye runs,’”   which is where members of the group pass a viable eye transplant – Pony Express-style – between volunteer Lions Club members in Bend, to the recipient in Portland.

At the time, it was the fastest way for them to help. Now, the funds they raise in the local club are added to the national group’s and these “eye runs” have been updated to a organization van with a dedicated goal of moving transplant organs.

“Every penny we raise from the public must go back to the public, according to rules of the organization,” said Dan Lemke, the program chair. They maintain zero overhead costs.

The group holds three annual fundraisers: 4th of July Breakfast, Sweetheart’s Dinner and the community calendars. More important even than the fundraisers are the people behind the scenes that keep the group strong. For 66 years, club volunteers have supported the community.

Community members, 18 and older, are invited to join the Mill City Lions Club to help support its mission. Their goal is to create and foster the spirit of understanding among all people for humanitarian needs by providing voluntary services through community involvement and international cooperation.

Detroit Lake

By Mary Owen

“Fish on!” is the cry to be heard at Detroit Lake’s 31st annual Fishing Derby, held May 17-19 at the popular North Santiam Canyon lake.

“We expect a record turn out this year,” said Dean O’Donnell, president of the Detroit Lake Recreation Area Business Association, event host. “We’ve ordered nice weather, but we can’t guarantee it.”

The event will take place 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18, and 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, May 19. Sign-ups are at the Detroit City Hall. DLRABA’s Fishing Derby draws thousands of participants each year.

“We have around 800 to 1,000 Fishing Derby entries, but when you count spouses, children and their friends, we average about 3,000 people,” said Bob Franz, DLRABA spokesman. “The Fishing Derby is and always will be a family-friendly event.”

Registration will buy three full days of fishing as well as a chance to win prizes. Boys and girls can fish to win a bicycle, while adults vie for a 14-foot Smoker Craft fishing boat donated by Riverview Community Bank, a boat trailer donated by EZ Loader Boat Trailer Co., and a tongue jack donated by Steven’s Marine. Some lucky winners will walk away with a fish net filled with prizes, donated by local businesses.

“The highlight every year is seeing the kids win all sorts of prizes as well as a ton of gifts that are just thrown out to the crowd,” Franz said. “I think making the kids so happy is the biggest highlight for me.”

Grand prizes are awarded from a drawing of tickets given to people when they sign up,  Franz said.

“There (are) some very nice prizes,” he said. “You can buy tickets any time on Friday or Saturday until the registration booth is closed. You can even enter as often as you want, but you have to be present to win.”

If entrants put in $5 for tickets they receive a jar of Pautzke bait, O’Donnell added.

“The bait is worth the $5, so it’s like getting it free,” he said.

The first 400 entrants will also get a free “Fishing Derby” hat, Franz said. DLRABA charges adults $15 and children 13 and younger $7 to participate in the fishing derby. Cash prizes are given for all caught tagged fish brought to the registration table. The awards ceremony takes place at 3 p.m. on Sunday at the Detroit City Center.

Pautzke Fire Bait, EZ Loader, Steven’s Marine and Riverview Community Bank are the event sponsors, O’Donnell said, adding business sponsorships are still welcomed.

The Fishing Derby kicks off the summer season at Detroit Lake, a popular recreation spot along Highway 22.

The event is the Detroit/Idanha fundraiser for the city’s annual Fireworks Over the Lake celebration to be held this year on Saturday, July 6.

Two projects are in the works to benefit the Detroit area: a scenic bikeway and a new nonprofit organization.

“The Detroit Lake Foundation will be a nonprofit that will benefit the greater Detroit/Idanha community,” said Bob Franz, with the Detroit Lake Recreation Area Business Association.

“The foundation will be able to accept charitable donations as well as grants. By working through the foundation, the hope is that it will attract enough funds to enable us to go forward with lots of much-needed community improvements and be beneficial to future plans and growth of our community,” he said.

Spokeswoman Yvonne Messmer said the Detroit Lake Foundation will be the 501(c)(3) arm of the Detroit Lake Recreation Area Business Association (DLRABA). A committee is working through bylaws, goals, potential projects and other details.

“Our main purpose is economic development through tourism in the Detroit area,” Messmer said. “If we can get the 501(c)(3), we’ll be able to go after various funding sources that are available specifically to 501(c)(3)s, and probably do bigger projects.”

Messmer said DLF will be a natural fit and easy for people to understand, and will look at “sticks and bricks” projects, such as helping the city of Detroit create a city park.

“We could do a covered area for event space,” she said. “Currently, DLRABA can take donations, but with the foundation, these donations will be tax-deductible. That’s another plus.”

DLRABA is an all-volunteer group that promotes several events during the year, hosts an area website and Facebook page, and provides Detroit with port-a-potties and flower baskets as well as some cleanup assistance. The business organization is spearheading a 72-mile Scenic Bikeway application to the state of Oregon, a collaborative effort with the communities of Detroit and Estacada.

“We call it the Two Rivers Pedal, because it follows the Breitenbush and Clackamas rivers,” Messmer said. Highway 46 that connects the two cities. “It passes by three hot springs, two developed and one undeveloped, and beautiful mountain vistas going each way.”

The application has received preliminary approval and is in its final stages. Once the designation is established, the state will assist with road signage and advertising the Two Rivers Pedal on RideOregonRide.com and Travel Oregon, sites that promote bicycle tourism in Oregon, Messmer said.

Oregon has the only Scenic Bikeways program in the nation, with world-class, single-track mountain bike trails that wind through deep forest and along wild rivers, as well as nine bikeways and the number is growing. Messmer hopes the Detroit-Estacada Bikeway will be number 10.

“We’re on year two for our application,” she said. “We’re in the final stretch. We’re pretty excited about that.”

Messmer heads the Bikeway Committee that is working with the Mt. Hood and Willamette Forest services as well as with Marion and Clackamas counties for support of the project. Additionally, the towns of Estacada and Detroit will support the Two Rivers Pedal Bikeway by working with businesses that cyclists may want to utilize, she said.

“Traffic volume for that area is very minimal,” Messmer said. “The road isn’t open all year long, but during summer, it’s a favorite for cyclists, whether motorized or not. It’s paved and does have a shoulder.”

Once the bikeway is officially established, Messmer expects the cities to host a cycle event or be part of a multi-day cycling event.

“There will be lots of opportunities once this is established,” she said. “We’re looking forward to getting this going.”

For information about the Foundation, call Dean O’Donnell , 503-931-1885. For more on the Bikeway, call 

Yvonne Messmer, 503-931-8308.

The Santiam Canyon Chorus presented a December holiday concert.

The songs will vary from a Hawaiian chant to a Kenyan folk song to classics and familiar pieces like It’s a Small World and What a Wonderful World but they’ll all share a common theme – peace, and people throughout the world getting along.

On Saturday, May 11, 7 p.m. the 22-member Santiam Canyon Community Chorus and the 20-member Santiam High School Chorus, both directed by Jo Ann Hebing, will present a joint concert, Peace and Harmony.  The event at Santiam High School, 265 SW Evergreen St., Mill City, is free and open to the public.

Members in the Santiam Canyon Community Chorus are from Stayton to “as far as east of Gates,” Hebing said, adding the chorus is sponsored by Santiam Hearts to Arts.

“We feel this is such a timely theme and would like to share it with all our community friends,” she said.

“Santiam Hearts to Arts is the organization in the canyon that is supporting the arts in our schools – where there is no music or art in the curricula,” Hebing said.

“The guitar teacher is supported in this way and I am a volunteer chorus director as well as a volunteer director of the Santiam Canyon Community Chorus, where everyone is welcome. There are no dues paid to sing in the chorus.

“It’s truly a close family with the common interest of singing, which is good for the soul,” she said.

For information contact Hebing at 503-859-3426.