Sweet Lorane Community News, July 27, 2017

July 27, 2017Newspaper ColumnsAdvancedED, Albert Goins, Alesong Brewing and Blending, Applegate Regional Theater, Chicken 'n Pickin, Crow Grange, Crow High School, Dessert and Bingo, Lorane Community Potluck, Lorane Grange, Lorane Growers' Market, Lorane Ice Cream Social, Nunsense, Poodle Creek Pickers, tansy ragwortpaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
July 27, 2017
By Pat Edwards

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Goins family of Lorane. Sadly, Albert Goins passed away on July 19. He came to Lorane in 1957 where he met his wife Lucy and they had two children, Matthew and Vaunie. Lucy died in 1984.

Albert was a kind, gentle man who loved working in his garden and orchard. At one time, he had a plant stand in Creswell called The Plant Place. One of his neighbors, Bridgett Johnson-Elliott wrote that “His spirit will be forever endeared to the beautiful land and in memory by his dear family, and is daughter-in-law, Rebecca, added, “He was always there when we needed a shoulder to cry on and someone to laugh with and share moments from the Bible.”

The Lorane Grange, instead of a dinner, will host a Dessert and Bingo evening on Friday, September 15. Dessert will cost $3.00 and will be served at 6:00 followed by bingo at 6:30 p.m.

Be sure to mark your calendars for the annual Lorane Community Potluck at noon in the Grange kitchen followed by the annual Lorane Fire Department Ice Cream Social from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 13.

Don’t forget to check out the Lorane Growers Market at the Lorane Deli. There should be produce showing up on a regular basis soon. Proceeds go to the Lorane Community Association for their projects.

Alesong Brewery and Tasting Room held their grand opening last weekend and they had a full parking lot. Congratulations to our newest business!

Lil Thompson passed on the information that Crow High School recently received accreditation from AdvancedEd, a non-profit national group of education professionals. The endorsement means that they feel CHS provides quality education and high standards for its students. We can all be proud of the education our school district is providing for our children.

Don’t forget to support the Applegate Regional Theater’s first big musical production called “Nunsense.” Opening night was on Thursday, July 27, but you can still catch either the Friday or Saturday performance (August 4 or 5) at 7:00 p.m. or the final performance on Sunday, August 6, at 2:00 p.m. The theater is located north of Crow on Central Road where it intersects with Fleck Road. It’s the former Central Elementary School, but you won’t recognize the gymnasium. It’s morphed into a real theater with a stage, curtains and tiered theater seating. My friend and Groundwaters colleague, Jennifer Chambers is one of the “singing nuns.”

Another reminder for the Crow Grange’s Chicken ‘n Pickin’ to be held on August 5 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. There will be great food in honor of the late Joe Canaday and lively music provided by the Poodle Creek Pickers. And, this year, they have added a vintage car show in the parking lot. This is another event that you don’t want to miss.
Everyone… Be sure to check the local fire restrictions. As of this writing, fire danger is high. “Residents are required to stop the personal use of gas powered or spark-emitting equipment between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. each day,” according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.

And then there’s the on-going battle with Tansy Ragwort which seems to be popping up all over the place. It’s poisonous to cattle and horses, so please pull up any of those yellow-flowered weeds that appear on your property even if you don’t have livestock.

Sweet Lorane Community News, July 20, 2017

July 20, 2017Newspaper Columns4-H, Applegate Regional Theater, Chicken 'n Pickin, Crow Grange, Hannah Edwards, Lane County 4-H Fair, Lorane Growers' Market, Nunsensepaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
July 20, 2017
By Pat Edwards

Congratulations to all of the kids who participated in last week’s Lane County 4-H Fair. They can all be proud of their accomplishments.

I spent a couple of days there, watching our granddaughter, Hannah Edwards, showing her sheep and hanging out with family members in our motorhome that they are staying in while at the fair.

It brought back a whole lot of memories. Of course, in the 1970s, when we first got involved with the 4-H program, there were no motorhomes parked at the fairgrounds… at least not in our family. We got up at the crack of dawn each morning and headed into town so the kids could feed and water their animals, bath and groom them and get them – and themselves – ready for the day’s classes. Then, we’d drag home at night after the chores had been done and the animals were bedded down for the night.

Jim was involved as a leader and I was the Lorane 4-H Coordinator for over 10 years while our kids participated in several livestock projects as well as cooking and horse clubs. Later, our grandkids also became involved when they were old enough, so it’s been a long-held tradition for our family.

Hannah is our last grandchild to compete in 4-H and she came away with a Senior Grand Champion Sheep Showman ribbon this year. Congratulations, Our Miss Hannah!

Be sure to mark your calendars for the upcoming 9th annual Crow Grange “Chicken ‘n Pickin” to be held on August 5 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. You can enjoy a delicious “Joe’s BBQ,” named after Joe Canaday who was a big part of the event each year before his recent passing. There will also be foot-stomping music by the Poodle Creek Pickers to entertain you. The cost is $10 per meal. They’ve added a new feature this year. Because the annual Crow Car Show ‘n Shine is not being held this summer, a “mini” Classic Car Show will take place in the front parking lot next to the Grange. You can contact Connie Suing at 541-556-2609 or csuing@hotmail.com if you have any questions.

I haven’t heard how the Lorane Growers’ Market it doing so far this summer, but if everyone’s planter boxes and/or gardens are growing like my few tomato and cucumber plants are, then there should be plenty of produce to offer. My one little apple tree is loaded again with apples again this year, too. Be sure to check out the produce table the next time you are in the vicinity of the Lorane Deli.

I’d like to take this opportunity to alert you to a project that I’ve been interested in for quite some time, even though it’s not located in Lorane. I’ve watched and occasionally helped as the members of the Applegate Regional Theater in Veneta have struggled to get a foothold on their goal to establish a first-rate theater in the West Lane area. Their first potential home on Broadway didn’t work out, but they didn’t give up. A few years later, they had the opportunity to purchase the former Central Elementary School on the corner of Central and Fleck Roads north of Crow. After long hours of hard work and much help from their loyal volunteers, the theater is set up and ready to go with their first big production of “Nunsense” about “five nuns who are putting on a talent show to raise money to bury some of their sisters, who met untimely deaths.”

It will be offered for 6 nights, July 27-29 and August 4-6 at 7:00 p.m. (Sunday, August 6 will be a 2:00 p.m. matinee). Be sure to catch one of performances. It’s a feel-good and funny show that will leave you laughing, according to Vicki Sourdry. The play is directed by Marti Stevens Byers.

Please plan to come out and support community theater. The tickets are $10 each; or $5 for seniors, $20 for a whole family, and from what I hear, the play and the talent are well worth it.

Sweet Lorane Community News, July 13, 2017

July 13, 2017Newspaper ColumnsAlesong Brewing and Blending, Cinnabar moth, Farmin Creek, Janet Martin, Lorane Christian Church, Lorane Christina Church bake sale, Lorane Family Store, Montana, tansy ragwortpaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
July 13, 2017
By Pat Edwards

I’m lovin’ these bearable summer days this year. The mid-to-high 70s and low 80s are perfect as far as I’m concerned… especially if there is a light breeze, which there has been.

On our trip to Montana before the 4th, the weather there was in the 70s and quite comfortable, but I received a note from our friends who we visited in Helena and they said that right after we left, the temps soared to “the high 90s and low 100s!” According to Connie, “it’s been 15 to 20 degrees above normal each day and looks like the rest of the month is going to follow suit. We had a 5.8 earthquake last week and aftershocks continue. It was definitely not one we could sleep through and was the biggest one in 18 years for Montana. The topping on the cake is the severe thunderstorms rolling thru each afternoon and lightning starting immediate fires. July is never fun but this year tops them all.”

The poor Montanans experienced not only a harsh winter this year, but now their summer sucks. I think I’ll stick in Oregon. I’m figuring that we must have brought the good weather back with us!

I reported most of the upcoming Lorane events last week, but here’s another item to put on your calendar…

The Lorane Christian Church is sponsoring its annual “Worship in the Park” at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 27, this year. It will once again be held at the Martin family’s, Farmin’ Creek event center on Siuslaw River Road. A potluck lunch will follow the church service, as well as horseshoes and swimming in the pond. This is something you don’t want to miss.

Matt Van Wyk and the owners of Alesong Brewery in Lorane just announced on the Lorane Facebook page that their doors are now open for business. “I just wanted everyone to know we are finally open! Regular hours are 12:00 to 8:00 p.m., Friday through Sunday. We’re planning a Grand Opening celebration on Saturday, July 22, with a food cart and a couple of live musicians. Stop by and say hello!”

Many residents in our area are working hard to rid their properties of Tansy Ragwort which seems to be enjoying a resurgence throughout Lane County. The bright yellow weed that is springing up in fields and pastures right now is poisonous to livestock, especially horses and cattle. It’s vital that whenever you see a plant, even in your yard, that you pull it out by the roots if at all possible (or at least cut it), and put the plants into a black garbage bag where they will be contained. One suggestion is to leave the bag full of tansy out in the sun for a few days to let them “cook”… ensuring that they can no longer germinate. If they are left lying on the ground, they will continue to fully seed.
If the tansy plants you encounter, however, have a number of yellow and black caterpillars on them, don’t disturb them. These caterpillars are the larvae of the Cinnabar moth which eat tansy exclusively and kill the plant they are working on before it goes to seed.

Cinnabar moth and larvae

Let’s all be good neighbors and bring this unwanted plant under control since it spreads quickly once it goes to seed.

I realized that I failed to give the date of this year’s Lorane Ice Cream Social in last week’s column. It is always held on the 2nd Sunday in August. This year it will be on August 13 and it usually begins at 1:00 p.m. Marissa McNutt Cooper is soliciting volunteers to help with the new booths and events that are being planned to celebrate the Lorane Fire Department’s 40th anniversary. Call her at 541-517-6608 for more information or to volunteer.

Don’t forget! The Lorane Christian Church is planning a bake sale in the parking lot of the Lorane Family Store on July 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. I know only too well, from personal experience, what great things they have to offer.