Category: Newspaper Columns

Newspaper columns that I have written for the Fern Ridge Review in Veneta, Oregon and the Creswell Chronicle in Creswell, Oregon. I began writing them for the Fern Ridge Review on August 4, 2010; on December 6, 2012, the Creswell Chronicle began printing them, as well. I am still the Lorane columnist for both papers.

Sweet Lorane Community News, May 17, 2018

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Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
May 17, 2018
By Pat Edwards

I have a few leftover items from the Lorane Community Association’s recent meeting to tell you about. I wasn’t able to get everything included last week.

Volunteers are being sought to help with the Lorane Senior Lunch Program. Each week, area seniors are invited to enjoy a delicious lunch accompanied by entertainment and social interaction. Linda DeBos has been fixing the meals for quite some time, but she needs some volunteer help to keep it going. If you have some free time on Mondays through the lunch hour, contact Linda. Unfortunately, I don’t have a phone number for her, but a message can be left for her at the Lorane Family Store or Lorane Deli.

For those who have not heard, the Rural Art Center sponsors a monthly rug hooking group. No experience is needed and the members will show you how it’s done. If rug hooking doesn’t interest you, there are other craft projects you can do with the group, as well. Contact Mina Knittel at the Lorane Deli for information on days, times and locations of where they are currently meeting since the venues and times tend to change with the season.

Mike and Joanne Cantrell are active in veterans’ groups in the Lorane area and work to support those who have served our country in the past. They are currently selling tickets for a motorcycle raffle to benefit Lane County veterans! The tickets are $20 and only 2,000 will be sold! Please contact the Cantrells for details. A message can be left for them at the Lorane Family Store.

The Lane County veterans also will be doing their annual ‘Stand Down’ at the fairgrounds on October 3rd. They will be collecting warm winter coats later this fall, so keep them in mind if you clean out your closets between now and then.

A community-wide yard sale is being considered for next month if there seems to be enough interest. Contact an LCA member if you are interested in taking part and/or if you have suggestions or want to help organize it.

On August 4th, the Applegate Regional Theater north of Crow is going to host a new annual event—”Art in the Country”—at the theater property on the corner of Central and Fleck Roads. The property is part of the former Central School and the event will take place on the grounds outside and behind the buildings. Booths and displays proposed include juried professional art, selected amateur and kids’ art as well as visual art of all kinds—fabric, glass, sculpture, photography, writing, etc. There will be live musical entertainment on two stages as well as demonstrations, readings, a wine bar, a beer garden, and a kid’s area, among other things. The ART is hoping that anyone interested in helping to make this a big success, contact Karen Andersen at andersenk76@gmail.com.

The Crow High School graduation this year will be held on Friday, June 8, at 7:00 p.m. in the high school gymnasium. Congratulations, Seniors!

The Crow Middle/High School Booster Club is losing a couple of the senior moms who have been very involved in the good workings of the group for several years. It’s now time for others to step up and fill the huge shoes that they will be leaving. The group needs more members and more organizers to keep it going. Over the past few years, the Booster Club has been extremely successful in fundraising that has resulted in major benefits to classrooms and students of all ages in the Crow-Applegate-Lorane School District.

It’s time to begin keeping an eye on the Lorane Farmer’s Market food stand in front of the Lorane Deli. I understand that there may be some plant starts for your gardens as well as the produce they will eventually produce.

Summer’s coming!

Sweet Lorane Community News, May 10, 2018

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Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
May 10, 2018
By Pat Edwards

There seems to be lots of news to report this week. For these columns it seems to be either a deluge of things I need to tell you about, or I have to dig deep.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find out about the Taco Dinner and Fandango dance event held at the Lorane Grange until it was too late to include in last week’s column. It was sponsored by the Rural Art Center. If you missed the event, they will be performing at the Crow Grange (May 16), Crow High School (May 23), at the Applegate Regional Theater (TBA), and at the Blue Rooster Inn (TBA). This is part of their summer dance series. Check out the poster displayed on the Lorane and Crow Facebook pages and in businesses around the area for more details.

The music is provided by El Taller de Son Jarocho, a Eugene-based community group and everyone is encouraged to join in. They will teach the basic dance step, a simple tap dance style.

The Lorane Grange will be having a work day at the Lorane Grange Cemetery on Monday, May 14. Volunteers are encouraged and welcome to come. Everyone should meet at 10 a.m. and bring garden tools and equipment to use, if possible.

The Celebration of Life for Lloyd Porter will be held at Lorane Christian Church with a potluck following at Lorane Grange. The Grange doors will be open at 11:30 am to receive food. Jeri asks that everyone wear Western or at least casual attire in memory of Lloyd.

Mark your calendars, Crow High School Senior Recognition night, is May 30 at 7:00 p.m. in the CHS gym. This is always a fun time to honor the seniors and their accomplishments.

The Lorane Community Association (LCA) held a recent meeting and Mina Knittel provided very detailed minutes. They held election of officers and the 2018-2019 include President, Pam Kersgaard; Vice President, Marissa McNutt Cooper; Treasurer, Mina Knittel; and Secretary, Heidi Langstraat.

It has been decided to unveil the Lorane Mural at this summer’s Ice Cream Social! Kevin, at the Lorane Family Store, will be building a protective awning and seating area in front of where it will hang. The mural will include an interactive game for people to spot local birds, insects and wildlife within the mural!

For those who haven’t seen the prototype, the mural will be a beautiful scenic and historical landscape of Lorane that includes a map of points of interest in our community! Donations are needed to complete the project. If you have a winery, farm or local business and would like to be included on the map, please contact Pamela Kersgaard.

The Lorane Community Church is collecting cans and bottles for their annual women’s retreat on the Oregon coast on September 5-8. Donations of recyclables can be dropped off at the deli or Heidi Rusten Langstraat can come pick them up! Please contact through the church for details.

We are approaching the Growers Market season! Visit the beautiful produce stand in front of the deli. Anyone can place their fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants, and wares there for donation/sale to the community. Any funds received for these goods goes to LCA projects!

More things from the minutes will be included in next week’s column. I hope that everyone is enjoying our sunshine. One of these days, I’m going to catch up on everything that needs doing!

Sweet Lorane Community News, May 3, 2018

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Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
May 3, 2018
By Pat Edwards

Last week, the Easy Acres Neighborhood Group invited all Lorane residents to attend a Firewise (Wildfire Prevention) program conducted by Alex Rahmlow, a coordinator from the Western Lane Fire division of the Oregon Department of Forestry. We had a really good turnout of approximately 30 people—about half from Easy Acres and half from the greater Lorane area. A lot of interest was shown and questions were asked about what should be considered when we are ready to make our properties less inviting for wildfires. Much of the information is common sense, but it sharpened our focus on how very important it is to try and minimize the dry, brushy undergrowth near our homes, leaving at least a 30′ green parameter around our houses and outbuildings and a much wider band where brush has been cleared around trees and dead limbs and lower branches have been removed.

Caution on following the rules of designated guidelines posted by the fire districts during fire season is vital for each of us. During hot dry summers we need to be careful not to use mowers, chain saws, trimmers or other equipment that can emit sparks usually after 1:00 p.m. each day during the extreme fire danger periods.

The program did not focus so much on the common sense considerations such as campfires in undesignated areas, throwing cigarette butts out the car window, dumping still hot charcoal briquettes into areas that could catch fire, or burning of any kind, but these are things that are still being done occasionally.

During the recent summer when the fire danger was extremely high, I frequently walked our dogs up Easy Acres and was shocked by the number of cigarette butts I found along the road… many that were obviously recent discards. Even though this is normally something that people know not to do during fire season (or any time), I shuddered to think what could happen to Jim and me and our neighbors if one of those had fallen on a dry patch of dead leaves and caught fire.

All of us need to be extra cautious—for our own sakes as well as our neighbors’. John Eckles is putting together an 8-member board for our community group on Easy Acres Drive to monitor and assess the conditions along our road. Other areas in and around Lorane that are particularly wooded or brushy should consider doing the same.

For more information on how to form these groups, contact Alex Rahmlow, the Western Lane planning coordinator at 541-935-2283.

I understand that congratulations are in order for Mrs. Heather Hohnstein, teacher of English, Drama, Health at Crow Middle/High School. She is to receive an award from the U. S. Air Force “in recognition of outstanding support and dedication to the ideals and principles of the USA in her careers class, and in helping students get ready for their futures.” Congratulations!

The Crow Grange will be sponsoring its annual Mother’s Day Breakfast to be held on Sunday, May 13 from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. The menu includes pancakes or biscuits and gravy, sausage, eggs, fruit juice and coffee. They suggest a $5 dollar donation per person.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there!