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 […]
By Melissa Wagoner Kim Merklin has taken her students on a lot of field trips during the 14 years she has taught at Bethany Charter School, but few have been as impactful as those she and her class of 30 seventh and eighth grade students have taken to the Marion Polk Food Share. “I was astonished the first time I […]
By Melissa Wagoner “If you could have any superpower, what superpower would you choose?” That was the question students in Doug Ousterhout’s theater program asked a group of fourth graders in 2010. “One kid said, ‘to find the remote control,’” Ousterhout said, recalling how that answer went on to influence that year’s Children’s Theater Show titled, Captain Remote, which toured […]
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 […]
In the days leading up to my 17th birthday, my grandfather unexpectedly passed away. The days that followed were – unsurprisingly – a blur. But there were moments, mostly having to do with the way the community stepped forward to support us, the grieving family, that have stuck with me through all these years. First, I recall the food – […]
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 […]
By Melissa Wagoner There is magic in the air at Chesterton Academy of the Willamette Valley – a private Catholic school located on South Main Street in Mount Angel – as the students prepare to present the school’s first musical performance, Mary Poppins. “I think most people who love the original Mary Poppins movie or books will find a lot […]
By Melissa Wagoner Award winning neon artist Anne Pinkowski is a fervent believer in the value of art education. When she and her husband, Dave Harris, moved from California to Silverton in 2022, she immediately joined the Silverton Arts Association (SAA), eventually taking on the role of programming director. “I have a degree in Fine Art,” Pinkowski – who also […]
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. […]
Documenting the early days of my children’s lives came easily as, beginning with my very first pregnancy, I journaled in a Belly Book filled with photo prompts and questions designed to track milestones from the first flutters to the initial contractions and everything in between. I was dutiful when it came to those books, just as I was with every […]
By Melissa Wagoner The Oregon Garden recently received a $100,000 grant from Travel Oregon as part of that organization’s $3.6 million Competitive Grants Program focused on improving accessibility and inclusivity through visitor industry improvements across the state. “In my time here, and certainly in the last five years, it’s the largest grant we’ve received,” Delen Kitchen, The Oregon Garden Director […]
By Melissa Wagoner When Christine Smith, general manager of Guerra’s Restaurant in Silverton, discovered the Empowerment and Leadership for Youth and Young Adults (ELY) program – a job skills training program for young adults in Marion County – she knew she wanted to incorporate it into the restaurant’s mission. So, one year ago, with the help of Job Coach Kate […]
By Melissa Wagoner In late September one Silverton father got a call he hoped he would never get. His 16-year-old daughter had just overdosed on fentanyl and was being rushed to the hospital. “I didn’t expect it to be her,” the father – who has asked to remain nameless – said. His daughter, who has since recovered, had been sold the dangerous […]
By Melissa Wagoner What if you could ask Santa Claus one question – what would it be? And what do you think he’d say? An Our Town reporter recently got that chance, sitting down with the man from up north to ask – who really is the man behind the myth? OT: What is your favorite cookie? SC: “Chocolate chip just out […]
By Melissa Wagoner If you want to buy a Christmas tree from a tree lot they’re going to accept only cash or a check. If you don’t have cash and haven’t carried checks since the turn of the century, you will decide to visit a nearby grocery store to buy eggnog (which the kids requested) and then you will get […]
Karen Garst had one goal when she came up with the idea for Santa Cares in 2018 – to make sure everyone has a gift to give on Christmas. “[A]fter working with Sheltering Silverton and SACA I knew there were many in need,” Garst said. Inspired, Garst developed the Santa Cares event during which community members can donate gently used items – toys, children’s books, sports […]
By Melissa Wagoner In the eyes of Marianna Davis, Todd Ferrell is an absolute angel. “One definition of a person who is angelic is someone of exemplary conduct and virtue, someone with outstanding qualities and abilities,” Davis said, adding that, in her opinion, Ferrell fits the bill. Originally from Southern California, Ferrell moved to Silverton with his wife, Ann, in 2007 and […]
By Melissa Wagoner Co-living in the same house for the past ten years, the Pattison and the Neves families have often found themselves joking about what it would be like to be “a TLC reality TV show”. “But we always said we weren’t dramatic enough,” Emily Neves said, referring to the everyday lifestyle the two families share. But when a […]
Ally and Mac Corthell love pizza. “Both of our favorite food is pizza,” Ally confirmed. “We even had pizza at our wedding.” Which is why, when the couple moved to Mount Angel three years ago and discovered there were no local pizza restaurants, they decided they would simply have to open their own – but where? Lucky for the Corthells, […]
By Melissa Wagoner In 2020, massage therapist Shamila Salem wanted to open a new studio and so she approached her dad – real estate developer, Mohsen (Mo) Salem, asking if he knew of an available space. He did, but it was a little more than she bargained for. “He just loves restoring old buildings,” Shamila said, recalling her dad’s suggestion that, rather […]
By Melissa Wagoner Silverton’s Christmas festivities are a tradition that goes back over 100 years, according to the information Silverton Country Historical Society member Chris Schwab found in back issues of The Silverton Appeal. “Some are blurry, some don’t have dates,” Schwab said of the articles, but all depict Christmas in Silverton as the most wonderful time of the year. […]
By Melissa Wagoner She Kills Monsters, by playwright Qui Nguyen. has been “extremely popular in high schools nation-wide” since its debut in 2011, according to Silverton High School theater instructor Doug Ousterhout. The play opens in the SHS auditorium on Nov. 16. “The show is particularly aimed at teenagers but will appeal to adults as well, especially those who remember the […]
By Melissa Wagoner Dr. Olwyn Davies practiced medicine in Silverton for 65 years, delivering an estimated 2,000 babies and becoming the sole primary care doctor for generations. “He was my doctor in 1972,” Nan Fleck – a patient of Davies who later went on to become his office assistant – said. “And my husband was a patient when he was […]
