On the wing – Birding gets hobbysts out in all weather

December 2021 Posted in Other, Outdoor Life | Comments Off on On the wing – Birding gets hobbysts out in all weather

By Melissa Wagoner When Richard Niemeyer bought his wife, Debbie, a pair of binoculars in 2011 he never could have imagined the impact the gift would have on both of their lives.  “It wasn’t a particularly expensive pair,” Debbie said of the ...

A letter to Stu – Former mayor led the way

December 2021 Posted in Other | Comments Off on A letter to Stu – Former mayor led the way

Dear Stu, Well, you did it! Congratulations! You lived your life start to finish, front to back, side to side the way you saw fit. You were way ahead of your time. You knew it from day one. Your overall general ...

Datebook: December 2021

December 2021 Posted in Arts, Culture & History, Community, Other, Outdoor Life | Comments Off on Datebook: December 2021

Frequent Addresses Mt. Angel Public Library, 290 Charles St. Silverton High, 1456 Pine St., Silverton. Silverton Senior Center, 115 Westfield, 503-873-3093. Age 50 and older. Silver Creek Fellowship, 822 NE Industrial Way, Silverton. Weekly Events Monday SACA Food Pantry, 9 a.m. - noon, SACA, 421 S Water St., ...

Stu Rasmussen: Sept. 9, 1948 – Nov. 17, 2021

December 2021 Posted in Other | Comments Off on Stu Rasmussen: Sept. 9, 1948 – Nov. 17, 2021

Stewart Alan “Stu” Rasmussen died Nov. 17 2021 at the age of 73. Stu, the indefatigable engineer who became America’s first openly transgender mayor, was born in Silverton, Oregon on Sept. 9, 1948 as an only child to Albert and ...

Project delayed – Silverton Road bridge won’t re-open ‘til late January

November 2021 Posted in Briefs, Other | Comments Off on Project delayed – Silverton Road bridge won’t re-open ‘til late January

By James Day Silverton-area residents who have gotten used to detours around the Silverton Road bridge project are going to have to hang in there for another two months. Marion County officials originally hoped to open the bridge over the Little Pudding ...

Subdivision OK’d – Council overrules earlier denial of Eureka Avenue project

November 2021 Posted in Community, News, Other | Comments Off on Subdivision OK’d – Council overrules earlier denial of Eureka Avenue project

[caption id="attachment_10632" align="alignright" width="300"] A look at the property on Eureka Avenue in Silverton that a developer wants to subdivide into 22 lots. Absent appeals to the state, the project will go forward.[/caption] By James Day A planned 22-lot subdivision near the Oregon ...

Taking care of a Wright – Grant boosts needed Gordon House upkeep

November 2021 Posted in Arts, Culture & History, News, Other | Comments Off on Taking care of a Wright – Grant boosts needed Gordon House upkeep

[caption id="attachment_10624" align="alignright" width="300"] The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Gordon House was successfully moved to Silverton in 2001.[/caption] By Brenna Wiegand Last month the Oregon Cultural Trust awarded the Gordon House Conservancy a grant of $13,325 toward ongoing preservation of the Frank Lloyd ...

Investing in community – Congressman visits Habitat site in Silverton

November 2021 Posted in Community, Other | Comments Off on Investing in community – Congressman visits Habitat site in Silverton

[caption id="attachment_10610" align="alignright" width="339"] Congressman Kurt Schrader visits with the future homeowners of a house in the new North Willamette Habitat for Humanity development in Silverton.[/caption] Congressman Kurt Schrader made a trip to Silverton recently to tour the site of North ...

Prayers for the dead – All Souls Day begins a month of remembrance

November 2021 Posted in Arts, Culture & History, Community, Other | Comments Off on Prayers for the dead – All Souls Day begins a month of remembrance

For the Benedictine Sisters of Mount Angel, November is the prayer month for remembering the deceased.  Starting with All Souls Day, Nov. 2, through the First Sunday of Advent, Nov. 28, the Sisters will include in their prayers a remembrance of ...

A Grin at the End: Algorithm monster – Pushing us to the edge on purpose

November 2021 Posted in Other | Comments Off on A Grin at the End: Algorithm monster – Pushing us to the edge on purpose

For six hours last month we were all safe. Safe from misinformation, safe from ads targeted at us. Safe from posts that were only there because someone paid for them. Facebook and Instagram were offline. How this happened is anyone’s guess. Facebook ...

Looking to rebuild – Community regroups after destructive downtown fire

October 2021 Posted in Community, News, Other | Comments Off on Looking to rebuild – Community regroups after destructive downtown fire

By James Day Mount Angel is in recovery mode this week as the community reels from a devastating weekend fire that destroyed historic structures and four businesses. The fire, which was called in just before 1 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, wiped out ...

Witnessing an act of bravery

October 2021 Posted in Community, Other | Comments Off on Witnessing an act of bravery

We all have a different image of what it means to be a hero. For some, it is a flying, caped super-human; for others, an inspiring ancestor whose legacy has shaped the lives of their family. In recent months, our ...

Unintended consequences – Vaccine mandate ends some careers

October 2021 Posted in Community, Other, Your Health | Comments Off on Unintended consequences – Vaccine mandate ends some careers

By Melissa Wagoner When Robin Hyslop left her shoes on the sidewalk in front of Legacy Silverton on Sept. 30, she left behind a lot more than a pair of worn-out sneakers – she left behind a 33-year career as a ...

A Slice of the Pie: Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters or a plumber?

October 2021 Posted in Other | Comments Off on A Slice of the Pie: Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters or a plumber?

I recently learned something rather astounding – if you ask for ghost stories, prepare for an onslaught. Houses, storefronts, restaurants, nursing homes – and apparently nearly every school in area – all come with a ghost story or two attached. ...

The Noble Fox – Location mixes with vision to serve up a new dining experience

October 2021 Posted in Other | Comments Off on The Noble Fox – Location mixes with vision to serve up a new dining experience

By Melissa Wagoner When Jeramie Mykisen and his step-father Jeffrey Tinkham learned that the Silverton Wine Bar was for sale they instantly jumped at the chance to make it their own. [caption id="attachment_10543" align="alignright" width="300"] Jeramie Mykisen and Jeffrey Tinkham flank Chef, ...

Water dilemmas – Mitigating Oregon’s continuing drought

October 2021 Posted in Community, Other | Comments Off on Water dilemmas – Mitigating Oregon’s continuing drought

By Melissa Wagoner It can be difficult to remember, as the fall rains roll into the Willamette Valley, that the area is still experiencing a severe and widespread drought. “This is the second year of an extensive drought so it’s double bad,” ...

Development appeal – Council to consider subdivision on Eureka Avenue

October 2021 Posted in Community, News, Other | Comments Off on Development appeal – Council to consider subdivision on Eureka Avenue

By James Day The Silverton City Council will hold a public hearing on an appeal of a proposal for a 22-lot subdivision on Eureka Avenue near the Oregon Garden. The city Planning Commission denied the proposal at its July 13 meeting, but ...

New chapter – Sheltering Silverton regroups following founder’s accident

September 2021 Posted in Community, News, Other | Comments Off on New chapter – Sheltering Silverton regroups following founder’s accident

By Melissa Wagoner [caption id="attachment_10467" align="alignright" width="300"] Rob and Trish Ambrose, along with newly hired, Hannah Paysinger, make up Sheltering Silverton's new case management team[/caption] When Sarah White created, and later became the director of, Sheltering Silverton – a resource center advocating ...

What ‘purly’ teeth – Knitters Raised by Wolves give back to community

September 2021 Posted in Arts, Culture & History, Community, Other | Comments Off on What ‘purly’ teeth – Knitters Raised by Wolves give back to community

By Melissa Wagoner [caption id="attachment_10464" align="alignright" width="300"] Knitters Raised by Wolves[/caption] When Celia Stapleton named her knitting group Knitters Raised by Wolves, she had one thing in mind.  “The point is, children that were raised by wolves are feral – and we’re not ...

Giving thanks: Oregon Ag Prayer Breakfast takes root

September 2021 Posted in Community, Other, Outdoor Life | Comments Off on Giving thanks: Oregon Ag Prayer Breakfast takes root

By Melissa Wagoner  Say the word, “thanksgiving” and many images come to mind – turkey, football and pumpkin pie among them. But look the word up in the dictionary and you’ll find less about food, sports or history and more about ...

Datebook: September 2021

August 2021 Posted in Community, Other, Outdoor Life | Comments Off on Datebook: September 2021

Datebook Submission Information Get your events and fundraisers published in Our Town. Send your releases to [email protected]. Or drop them off at 401 Oak St., Silverton. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Frequent Addresses Mount Angel Public Library, 290 Charles St., 503-845-6401 Silver Creek Fellowship Church, 822 NE Industrial Way, Silverton Silverton Senior ...

Dialing in: Silverton’s Wind Phone provides place to release grief, trauma

August 2021 Posted in Community, Other | Comments Off on Dialing in: Silverton’s Wind Phone provides place to release grief, trauma

By Melissa Wagoner [caption id="attachment_10400" align="alignright" width="225"] Mike Ashland with the current incarnation of the Wind Phone booth[/caption] Mike Ashland has witnessed a lot of grief during his career as a pastor and the founder of the Church of the Moment, a ...

Water woes – Silverton restricts residential use, adds enforcement

August 2021 Posted in Community, Other, Outdoor Life | Comments Off on Water woes – Silverton restricts residential use, adds enforcement

By James Day The City of Silverton has responded to this year’s drought by advancing its restrictions on residential water use, a decision that has inflamed social media and led the mayor to take to Facebook to respond to the criticism. The ...

Recreating repose – Storm-damaged trees removed at Providence

August 2021 Posted in News, Other | Comments Off on Recreating repose – Storm-damaged trees removed at Providence

By Brenna Wiegand The feeling of serenity on the campus of Providence Mt. Angel Skilled Nursing Center is – was – owed largely to the stands of mature oaks and other trees that seem to stretch out their arms to shelter ...

Silverton Flywheels: Auto club fundraises for scholarship

July 2021 Posted in Community, Other | Comments Off on Silverton Flywheels: Auto club fundraises for scholarship

By Melissa Wagoner [caption id="attachment_10259" align="alignright" width="288"] Silverton Flywheels 2018[/caption] [caption id="attachment_10258" align="alignright" width="300"] Silverton Flywheels 1962[/caption] From the outside the Silverton Flywheels might appear to be just your average car club, with muscle cars and hot rods shined up and displayed in ...