Sweet Lorane Community News – July 09, 2015

July 9, 2015Newspaper ColumnsBooster Club, Matchulatpaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
July 9, 2015
By Pat Edwards

Before I get into the main part of this week’s column I wanted to make you are aware of a project headed by the Crow-Applegate-Lorane Booster Club. The group is undertaking the job of refurbishing the grandstand at the high school football field/track. This is a huge job and they are needing as many volunteers as possible to accomplish this task. A work party will be getting together on the evening of Friday, July 17 from around 5:00 p.m. until dark, and Saturday, July 18, beginning at 7:30 a.m., and as much help as possible is needed until it’s finished. There’s even a perk!… a BBQ on Saturday at the school for all those who volunteer.

One of Lorane’s own, Michael Matchulat, has recently been diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer. Sadly, this young man, who was born 31 years ago and grew up in Lorane, is facing a long, hard, expensive journey through medical treatments. Even though he is a deputy with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, his expenses will be considerable.

Debbie Davis, another of our special and much-loved community members who now lives in Cottage Grove, tells about her own experience… “As someone who has had Stage 4 Melanoma diagnosed for almost 3 years now, I am wise to the expenses Michael will be facing… some treatments range from $54,000 to $250,000 per infusion. I have been taking $900 worth of pills a day for the last year, and that doesn’t include the 10 head scans and 5 body scans I had last year alone. My husband works so hard, and has the best insurance I have seen, and I worked for PeaceHealth for five years, too, but our coverage is still not enough. The benefits that are given for people like Michael and I (yes, Lorane had one for me, too) are life-saving, especially at reducing the stress you experience over what it’s doing to your family. What I have learned is that if we all give – always… somehow – the world becomes a better place.”

The communities of Lorane and Crow are organizing a series of fundraisers to not only help with Michael’s expenses, but to show our support to the Matchulat family. If you are interested in contributing, here are some ways to do so…

On July 27, Papa’s Pizza on West 11th in Eugene has issued a flyer that will earn 50% of your purchase that day which will go to the Michael Matchulat fund.

On August 1, the Lorane Grange is hosting a Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser for Michael from 7:00 -11:00 a.m. Community members are being asked to volunteer to help out through the morning. I’ve offered my already-wrinkled dishpan hands to the cause, and I hope others will be signing on to set-up, cook, serve, clean-up, and, yes, even help with the washing and drying duties.

Also on August 1, I believe, there is a garage sale being planned, but I don’t have details. Donations of items for the garage sale can be dropped off at his mother, Trish Matchalat’s house on Territorial Road south of Lorane or they can be dropped off at his sister, Melinda McGladrey’s home in west Eugene. Just leave a message on the Lorane Facebook page and they will contact you with instructions.

In addition, there has been an account set up on YouCaring for Michael at http://www.youcaring.com/michael-matchulat-388090#

Each person must decide for themselves how much support, if any, they want to lend to the Matchulat family. I know the people of Lorane have a strong community spirit, so let’s all join together and see what we can accomplish.

Sweet Lorane Community News – July 02, 2015

July 2, 2015Newspaper ColumnsCrow Car Show, Farmin Creek, King Estate, Lorane Celebration, Lorane Christian Church, Lorane Deli, Michael Foster, Rebekahs, Wakanishapaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
July 2, 2015
By Pat Edwards

Whew! I hope that all of you were able to get out of the heat this past week, or at least spend the hottest part of the day in or on the water of our nearby reservoirs, lakes, rivers and streams.

Lorane Deli aka Lorane General Store

While the Lorane Deli is closed, the Lorane Rebekah’s have come up with a plan to provide a space for the very popular “coffee klatch” that has formed over the years at the deli. Every Wednesday from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m., the Rebekahs will provide coffee, pastries and rolls for $1 each for those who want to continue their social gatherings. Sounds like a great way to continue what has become an informal tradition. Be sure to tell your neighbors about it.

The Lorane Christian Church will be holding their “Worship in the Park” again this year on July 12 at Farmin Creek located just north of the entrance to Chateau Lorane on Siuslaw River Road. The church service will be held at 10:30 a.m. and

Lorane Christian Church

immediately following will be a community potluck lunch. The public is invited!

Has anyone noticed the bright purple field of lavender at King Estate recently? I don’t know if the way the light was hitting it the other day when I went by made the colors more vibrant, but it was a beautiful sight up on the hill in front of the winery.

I hope that all of you have marked Saturday, September 12, on your calendars. It’s proving to be a busy one for both Lorane and Crow. The Lorane Celebration will be hosting not only a community-wide yard/garage sale, but also a number of fun activities and events. Being discussed are: lunch, sale booths, arts & crafts and quilt show, and a small farmer’s market at the Grange; a bake sale and outdoor movies after dark at the Rebekahs; a barbecue at the church as well as kids’ games and activities including a dunk tank, bounce house and carnival booths. Another possibility that has not been finalized yet is a neighborhood walk for those who want to get out and socialize while exercising.

The popular 13th Annual Crow Car Show has also been set for Saturday, September 12, in the small athletic field across from the Applegate School in Crow. There are 12 show classes. Plan to get there early for a pancake breakfast from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. There will also be a children’s area, a silent auction and raffle drawings. It’s sponsored by the Crow Booster Club and all proceeds will benefit all of the Crow-Applegate-Lorane schools. It’s open to the public and there’s no admission.

Because of the nature of the work I do, I want to give recognition to our local writers whenever possible. I just discovered that retired teacher and Veneta resident, Michael Foster, published a book last November called Wakanisha: Is Love Enough. It’s the first book in a projected series and is about the Lakota Sioux tribe. The Lakota word “Wakanisha” roughly translates as “children,” but has a far deeper meaning. Wakanisha are their sacred vessels of culture, spirituality and most importantly, love. These first inhabitants of America strove for harmony in all things – with the land of rolling plains they freely roamed, and within their tribes, families and hearts. The book follows three generations of these remarkable people and its description sounds most interesting. The book can be found on Amazon.com and other on-line booksellers. Let’s support our talented local authors! We have a number of them!

Happy summer, all!

Sweet Lorane Community News – June 25, 2015

June 25, 2015Newspaper ColumnsLiam Reardon, Little Bitty Free Library, Lorane Facebook, Lorane Grange, Lorane Growers' Market, RAC, Rural Art Centerpaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
June 25, 2015
By Pat Edwards

Summer is definitely here with the above-90-degree temps. I’ve been doing my watering early – this morning I was out wielding my garden hose at 6:30 a.m. before either the dogs or I had eaten our breakfasts.

I went down to our store yesterday about noon and saw that the Lorane Growers’ Market was all set up and there was even some kale waiting to be taken home. Two of our clerks at the store, Shauna and Marilyn, are very excited about the feature. Despite it being so early in the season, they said that there had been several things left that morning, including snow peas, kale and a couple of tomato plants. It didn’t take long for them to be taken. Unfortunately, we don’t have a cooler set up yet for the things that tend to wilt, so the kale was left behind, but we’ll make sure that is soon rectified. Until one is installed, if you have leafy vegetables that will not stand up in the hot weather, ask to have them put in the store’s walk-in cooler and put a note on the produce table to let people know that they are there. I’ll provide some index cards and a marker so that you can make your signs even when the cooler is in place. There probably won’t be much produce or many plants available until further along in the growing season. For now, be sure to check it out whenever you get the chance… and be sure to leave your donations to the Lorane Community Association’s community fund!

Volunteers are needed to help build the Rural Art Center’s Little Bitty Free Libraries that they will be providing in the Lorane area. They already began the project last Tuesday, but they will be meeting at the barn at the Blue Rooster Inn (82782 Territorial Hwy.) from 1:00-4:00 p.m. the following three Tuesdays (June 30, July 7 and July 14).

Liam Reardon is heading up the work parties as part of his Eagle Scout project. He has chosen a basic design for the structures that can be viewed at http://www.instructables.com/id/Little-Free-Library/. Donations of materials are needed. Call Amy (541-214-3963) or email Lisa (ruralartcenter@gmail.com) with questions about what is still needed.

The next meeting of the Lorane Celebration committee is scheduled for July 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lorane Grange. A community-wide garage sale will be taking place during the September 12th celebration. For more information on renting a table at the Grange or including your home sale on the area map, contact Lil Thompson, 541-942-5701. Many interesting events are being planned throughout the day and volunteer help is welcome. Plan to attend the meeting on July 9th if you are interested.

The Lorane, Oregon Facebook page keeps getting more and more useful as a community resource. We have 555 members as of this writing and we keep getting more each week. Of course, not all of our members currently live in Lorane, but many do and many are our neighbors in Crow and other nearby communities. All feel that they have some interest in our community and provide suggestions, support and comments to the various postings.

A new posting this past week was from a resident who was needing to find a local teen who would be willing to do some yardwork and help in the re-siding her barn. An enterprising young man responded that beginning next week, he would welcome the work. Soon, others were asking him if he’d be available to do some work for them, too. I’m sure that there must be other young people in Lorane and Crow who would like to earn some extra cash. If so, please let us know. Once haying season is over, there are still jobs available for those who seek them out. If you don’t have a Facebook account, please let me know and I’ll try to connect you with potential employers in the area.

Jo-Brew and I will be at the Oregon Authors’ table at the Art & the Vineyard festivities in Alton Baker Park on Sunday, July 5. I’ll have the 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift and Jo will be there from 3 to 7 p.m. Stop by and see us if you have the chance. We’ll have copies of our books, OREGON’S MAIN STREET: U.S. Highway 99 and I’ll also bring copies of some of the recently-published books written by Michael J. “Hoss” Barker and Muriel “Ava” Linder (who was featured in last week’s Fern Ridge Review). My colleague, Veneta author, Jennifer Chambers will be there on Saturday, July 4, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Please come support your local Oregon authors!!