Sweet Lorane Community News, October 3, 2019

October 3, 2019Newspaper ColumnsCrow High School, Elmira High School, Oregon High School Equestrian Team, Rocket, Rural Art Center Movie Nightpaedwards 2 Comments

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
October 3, 2019
By Pat Edwards

The Rural Arts Center has announced its 2019-2020 lineup of movies for the Lorane Movie Night series. Just one thing, though… Their new licensing agreement won’t let them advertise the movies to be shown by name. This presents a quandry… how can you get people to come if you can’t tell them what’s playing? The answer is to “keep them guessing.”

The first movie is scheduled for Saturday, October 12. The title, “Bbea” is scrambled, but most of you will be able to figure it out. The description is listed as “Coming to you on little hooves from Australia, this family film follows the growing bond between a pig and his farmer… featuring talking animals, singing mice and James Cromwell.”

The once-a-month event is held on the second Saturday between October and March and each is sponsored by a non-profit group in the area who benefit from the suggested donations paid for admission and dinner. These suggested donations are listed as $7 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Season tickets can be bought for $35. The October host organization is the Lorane Community Association which has asked that the donations to be waived that night.

A homemade soup and bread dinner accompanies the social hour beginning at 6:00 p.m. The group sponsor also provides a dessert. Antics and games, including the famous doorprize giveaway, will be held at 6:45 p.m. and the movie begins at about 7:30 p.m.

Just to give you a headstart on figuring out the upcoming movies, here are their scrambled titles: November – “Het Dogs Stum eb Zarcy” (PG, 1980); December – “Kynbloor” (PG13, 2015); January – “Vyereginth si Demaintulli” (PG13, 2005); February – “Clothaloc” (PG13, 2000); March – “Vincisut” (PG13, 2009).

Come out and enjoy the fun-filled evening.

I just heard that Crow High School is joining with Elmira High School in sponsoring an Oregon High School Equestrian Team. Interested 8th graders may join as groomers.

This is a first, that I know of, for Crow High School, and I hope it will attract a large group of young horse-lovers. How I would have loved to participate in something like that when I was at Lebanon Union High School where I graduated in 1960. My horse Rocket and I were best friends during that time and I spent almost all of my free time during summers and on weekends on his back. I always rode bareback and remember galloping full-throttle along the trails we rode. In those days, none of us thought to use helmets and it’s a wonder I lived through my teen years, although in those days, I could stick like a burr to Rocket’s back and only remember falling off one time. Fortunately, I landed on a spot much less sensitive than my head.

Rocket and me overlooking the Santiam slough that ran through our bean and berry farm outside of Lebanon

I do remember one time when my sister and I rode Rocket and Rocky the several miles to town from our bean and berry ranch. A rodeo was in town and we heard they were going to have a horse-mounted serpentine as part of the opener and anyone could join in. We got in line outside the arena with dozens of others. The plan was to lope in line and follow the leader through the pattern that the “leader” designed before exiting the arena.

I should mention… and it should have occurred to us… that neither of our horses were used to crowds of people or other horses. We barely got started when both horse shied out of line and messed up the whole works before we were able—shame-faced—to take them out so the others could perform the serpentine as it was intended. That was the closest I ever got to being on an equestrian team, but I’ve loved horses all my life.

Go Falcon/Cougar Equestrian team! Have fun and make memories!

My pal Tommy and me in later years

Sweet Lorane Community News, September 26, 2019

September 26, 2019Newspaper ColumnsBingo, Creswell High School, Crow Harvest Festival and Carnival, Crow High School, Glide High School, Lorane Carnival, Lorane Trunk or Treat, Michele Kau, Natalie Edwards, Stephanie Furlongpaedwards 2 Comments

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
September 26, 2019
By Pat Edwards

This past week was the beginning of fall, and it certainly feels as though it’s earlier than usual, weather-wise. I’ve always enjoyed the cooler, sunny days of fall that we usually have through September and into October, but Mother Nature is keeping us guessing on what each of our tomorrows is to bring this year.

With fall comes the beginning of football, volleyball and cross-country seasons at the area schools. How I miss having a son, daughter or grandchildren in high school or middle school who participate in athletics. I’ve packed away Jim’s and my red and white Crow High School jackets with the names and uniform numbers of our grandkids on the sleeves. We cheered on so many of their games, both at home and away and I miss that. Our daughter, Michele Kau, and her daughter—our granddaughter—Stephanie Furlong, have gone on to coach volleyball. Michele stepped down as the head coach at Crow last year, but Stephanie has taken on the head coaching job for Glide High School east of Roseburg. We still try to make it to at least one of their games each season, although those bleachers are getting harder to sit on as well as climb. At least our one granddaughter, Natalie, who attends Creswell High School, participates in music and drama events that we can attend and so enjoy.

Along with school sports, fall brings harvest festivals and Halloween events. Trick or treating has morphed into the much safer “trunk or treating” where parent and community members park their cars In the Lorane Church parking lot and decorate their cars’ trunks with orange and black and provide treats for the ghosts and goblins who come to fill their jack-o-lanterns. The adults and children are also treated to hot chocolate, spiced cider, coffee and other goodies while standing around outdoor heaters (and under canopies, if it rains) while visiting.

How I remember when the Lorane Elementary School hosted its annual carnival in the gymnasium. It was so popular and usually filled to capacity while young and old alike would gather to watch the children run to the various booths to fish for prizes and do the ring toss and bean bag throw. Some tried shooting basketball free throws for tickets; others had their faces painted with unicorns and rainbows. And then there was the annual lollipop tree which sported hundreds of Dum-Dum suckers. One of the biggest events was the cake walk. Cakes and cupcakes of all flavors and sizes were won if you were on the magic number when the music stopped. Bingo, too, was a popular event for the adults, especially.

While the Lorane Carnival is no more, Crow’s Applegate Elementary is planning a Harvest Festival on October 25 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. this year. They are advertising it as a fun evening of carnival games (some are from Lorane’s carnival), trick-or-treating, costume contests and a haunted house.

And did I mention bingo? Yes, our three local granges—Lorane, Crow and Creswell—will be offering cash prizes and lots of fun for all ages this fall as they sponsor dinners and bingo games as fundraisers.

The Lorane Grange will have their Spaghetti Dinner and Bingo nights beginning October 18—a Friday night—with dinner beginning at 5:30 and bingo at 6:30 p.m. They charge $5 for a “2-on” pack or $10 for a “4-on” pack plus $1 or $2 a sheet for the blackout game. The jackpot was won last spring, so it will be starting again with $100-plus for the featured blackout game.

The Crow Grange starts again with dinner and bingo on Saturday, October 5. They serve a delicious dinner, usually provided by Dan and Connie Suing or Ruth Teafatiller, beginning at 6:00 p.m. and bingo starts at 7:00. The cost is $17 for a buy-in. Their jackpot was not won last spring, so it has built to over $500.

The Creswell Grange sponsors a bingo night every third Wednesday of each month. The doors open at 6:00 p.m. and games start at 7:00. The cost is $15 for 14 regular games and a blackout game. Their blackout pot is up to $300. They don’t have dinner, but they provide free coffee, tea and popcorn.

Good times are ahead! So, let’s support our schools, granges and other community organizations in any way we can to maintain our strong communities.

Sweet Lorane Community News, September 19, 2019

September 19, 2019Newspaper ColumnsTerritorial Roadpaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
September 19, 2019
By Pat Edwards

Last night, around 7:00 p.m., our dogs began barking and whining to get outside. They’ll do the same when they know it’s time to race the school bus or garbage truck up the hill (inside our fenceline), but not usually that late in the day. I walked out on our porch and looked below on Territorial Road where emergency lights were flashing and a long line of cars were creeping their way south in front of our house. I could see cars lined up behind the emergency vehicle stopping traffic north of us and figured that they would be sitting there for awhile.

With a quick check of the Lorane Facebook page, I learned that a head-on collision had taken place near Jackson-Marlow Road, just south of us. Within minutes, our granddaughter, Linsey, called to check to make sure that her grandpa and I were ok. Before she hung up, our daughter, Gloria’s call was lighting up the phone. Our family, when they hear sirens in the area always checks to make sure that all within our fold are at home or at least safe.

This type of thing happens too often these days. Territorial Road between Gillespie Corners and Lorane is especially treacherous with sharp curves, fog lines on the edge of steep drop-offs, no-guard rails, uneven pavement, and lots of log trucks and bicycle riders to be watchful for. The restructuring of Territorial by Lane County can’t come soon enough for us. The first phase is scheduled to begin on Stony Point in 2020, but in the meantime, we all fear for our lives when driving that stretch, especially.

These conditions are bad enough, but the frequent reports of drivers taking curves on or over the center line are the biggest problem for all of us. This is a scenario that other areas besides Lorane are experiencing, as well, but right now, we are even more vulnerable because of the road conditions.

Speed and texting while driving have been problems for several years, but this almost daily fear of rounding a curve and meeting a car, or sometimes a log truck, on the center line is causing a lot of concern and, as it was last night, accidents. Fortunately, I understand that there were no major injuries in last night’s wreck, but the flagman was still down below our house last night until well after 9:00 p.m. as the wreck was being cleaned up. Some people even reported they were stopped at Gillespie Corners while going southbound and had to turn around to go back through Creswell to get home to Lorane.

All of us need to be especially cautious about not riding the center line—any time, any where—but especially right now, in our area.

When learning to drive, I was always taught to keep my eyes to the right—on the fog line of the road—when passing on-coming traffic or rounding a blind curve. Many, I believe, are keeping their eyes to the left, watching the center line. We tend to steer the car we are driving in the direction of where we are looking, so those who are focusing on the center line will hug that line, or even go a bit over it. Those of us who focus on the fog line will tend to stay closer to it. I’ve tested out this theory several times and that’s what happens for me.

We drivers need to take extra measures to ensure that we do not drift over or on that center line at any time, because if we don’t, we’re very liable to meet another driver who is doing the same thing, and head-on collisions are the result. Many will not be as lucky as last night’s drivers were.

We must all be more conscious of our driving practices and correct anything that needs improvement. Our lives and those of others literally depend on it.