By Melissa Wagoner Norman English didn’t set out to become a writer. But when he retired from a career as a Field Officer working for Workman’s Comp of Oregon 13 years ago, writing found him. “I’ve always liked the process of writing,” English said. Recalling, “The first thing I printed was – we had a family reunion 20 years ago […]
By Melissa Wagoner When quarantine boredom came knocking during the spring of 2020, Adeline Schmitz and Jeff Marshall did something they never imagined they would do – they picked up paintbrushes and began to paint – barn quilts. Typically seen on barns, sheds, garages and even chicken coops – these large, wooden boards painted with brightly colored, often geometric designs […]
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 the deceased: community members, loved ones, friends, alumni and oblates. They also welcome requests to pray for the deceased […]
By Melissa Wagoner When the COVID-19 pandemic began, in the spring of 2020, the students at Silverton Ballet and Performing Arts Company were weeks away from the annual spring recital. The culmination of months – if not years – of practice and hard work, it was never really an option to cancel the show. Instead, studio owner Paula Magee got […]
By Melissa Wagoner What says Halloween more than a flash-mob of zombies jerkily dancing to Michael Jackson’s classic song from 1982, Thriller? “It’s so cool,” Marta Hazekamp – owner of Revolutionary Dance and Movement Company in Silverton – said of the annual performance which will be making a comeback this Halloween. “So many people were so excited to see it […]
By Melissa Wagoner 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 nice ladies,” Stapleton laughed. Noting that the group isn’t a quiet bunch – at least not entirely. They knit, they crochet, they tat, they embroider […]
By Melissa Wagoner There have been a lot of sleepless nights for Oktoberfest board members since the COVID numbers began climbing in mid-July because, by then, planning for Mount Angel’s annual festival was well underway and organizers – having spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars in planning – were loath to pull the plug. “We thought long and […]
By Melissa Wagoner “The Mount Angel Oktoberfest has always been a family-friendly, multi-generational festival,” Tecie Zollner Astorga said. And she should know, a member of the popular Oktoberfest band, Z Musikmakers, she has performed on stage alongside her family since she was a small child. “I’ve been a part of Z Musikmakers since I could walk,” Astorga confirmed, “singing on […]
By Brenna Wiegand Silverton Arts Association is featuring the work of local artist Jim Bornzin, whose show, “Amazing Scissorcuts,” runs Sept. 10-26 at the Borland Gallery. Bornzin became fascinated with the German art form of scissor cutting in high school after observing his cousin’s grandfather, Hans Bittner of Chicago, cutting an intricate design on paper using a small pair of […]
Lunaria Main Floor Gallery presents the show, Artful Elegance, by featured artists Rebecca Cozart and Linda Jacobson Sept. 29 – Oct. 31. Rebecca Cozart captures eclectic, colorful images ranging from still-life photos to florals to food. Linda Jacobson creates intricate fabric wall pieces. Together they created beautiful silk and velvet scarves. Rebecca printed 12 of her images on luxurious silk […]
By Melissa Wagoner When Holly Perez and her 16-year-old son, Sam, decided to get away for a couple of nights over Labor Day in 2020, they planned to do some swimming and enjoy the end of summer sun before school started up once again. What they didn’t anticipate was how their trip would end. “I had no idea there was […]
By Melissa Wagoner Mike Ashland has always been a writer. “I was a freelance reporter for the Marin Independent Journal and reporter for the Coastal Post in Bolinas,” Ashland recalled. “Some of my poetry and short stories showed up in quite a few national mags.” Then in 1992, he fell in love with publishing. “Using my experience and connections, I […]
By Melissa Wagoner Affectionately known as “Homer Days,” the Homer Davenport Community Festival – held the first Friday through Sunday in August (the sixth through eighth this year) – is absolutely unique. An offshoot of the Silverton Arts Association’s, Family Festival of the Arts, held for the first timåe in 1980, the Homer Days festival is the only celebration in […]
By James Day Efforts to repair and restore the historic blacksmith shop in Mount Angel have received a shot in the arm. Oregon Heritage, a division of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, awarded the project a “Preserving Oregon” grant of $2,149. The money will be used as part of an $8,000 effort to do repairs and work to preserve […]
Lunaria Gallery presents a new show, “Return to Beauty, Jewels and Blooms,” by two Lunaria artists, jeweler Chelsea Goin and painter Diane Trevett. Goin is showing her jewelry in fun summer colors. Diane Trevett is showing oil paintings of flower portraits. Flowers will be nestled within a color field of expressive brushwork. Her approach to painting reveals an emotional and […]
By Melissa Wagoner The comic books Jonathan Case creates are not run-of-the-mill comics. “It’s less about what other people have done in the past and more about what can I do with it to reach people in the world,” Case said of the inspiration that led him to create a host of graphic novels including Dear Creature, his first published […]
Roger Greenfield, who grew up in Silverton, is a retired Salem Police Officer and grandson of Constable Hansford Greenfield. On Oct. 28, 2019, Roger contacted Silverton Police regarding his grandfather’s line of duty death he found while researching his family tree. A historical investigation ensued, working with Roger Greenfield’s family records, the City of Silverton records, the Silverton Historical Society […]
By Melissa Wagoner Susan Murray hasn’t always been an artist. In fact, she spent the majority of her life working in higher education, first as an instructor and later as Executive Dean of Academic Advancement at Chemeketa Community College. But, upon her retirement from academia six years ago, Murray needed a hobby. “I really didn’t know what in […]
By Melissa Wagoner “I’m an artist and not particularly tied down,” Peace said of the journey that inspired him to work as the sole artist-in-residence at Silver Falls State Park for the first time in 2015. Coming off a pilgrimage for peace, in which the artist attempted to run across the United States, Peace felt he needed a change of […]
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 The Pacific Northwest is a land of movers and shakers – when it comes to geology that is. “The PNW is known as an active margin,” geologist Leslie Moclock described. “That means it’s a place where different tectonic plates interact with one another, pushing and pulling the Earth’s crust and driving exciting, fundamental geologic processes. It’s why […]
By Melissa Wagoner The mission of the Silverton Arts Association has long been to further the arts through education, promotion and exhibition. “But we’re struggling,” board member Harold Wood admitted. “Everyone is underground in their basement.” In short, 2020 was a tough year for artists. “With the pandemic, we lost our stage,” Wood said. “There’s no show-and-tell anymore. I think […]
By Brenna Wiegand Jim Kosel was going through memorabilia at Mount Angel American Legion Post #89 when he came across four documents related to Civil War veteran Theobald Kirsch. These original documents record Kirsch’s entry and discharge from the Ohio Infantry during the Civil War, making him one of the oldest veterans in either of the two St. Mary’s cemeteries in […]
Lunaria Gallery presents Neo Geo, a show by Lunaria painter Jane Castelan Buccola and jeweler Dawn Hemstreet. Buccola’s painting involves exploration, personal expression, play, experimentation with color as well as texture. She likes to bring mystery and an abiguousness to her work in order to allow the viewer to form their own interpretation. Hemstreet is drawn to Scandinavian modernist jewelry […]
By Melissa Wagoner On Jan. 1, 2021 Matt-Alex Raney released his first album, If We’re Being Honest – 13 tracks inspired by classic country and written by Raney himself. “I’ve never been much for talking and communicating,” 17-year-old Raney confessed, “Music really helps me put all those ideas and feelings into words and music. I can express everything I think […]
