Sweet Lorane Community News, August 9, 2018

August 9, 2018Newspaper ColumnsAlix Mosieur, Applegate Regional Theater, Art in the Country, Crow Chicken 'n Pickin, Farmin Creek, Karen Pidgeon, Kevin Stevens, Lorane Centennial, Lorane Community Association, Lorane Community Potluck, Lorane Community-Wide Yard Sale, Lorane Deli, Lorane Family Store, Lorane Growers' Market, Lorane Ice Cream Social, Lorane Mural Project, Oregon Authors, Worship in the Parkpaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
August 9, 2018
By Pat Edwards

Today, as I write this, one very busy weekend has ended and another is getting ready to happen.

Last weekend’s Art in the Country Festival that I helped to organize and promote is in the books as a definite success. It was a fundraiser for the Applegate Regional Theater (ART, Inc.) on the campus of their wonderful theater venue that was formerly the Central Elementary School. It was the first time any of us have taken on such a large undertaking… at least in the past several years. I guess I could claim that our 3-day Lorane Centennial Celebration that I worked on in 1987 was a similar success, but I was in my mid-40s then.

Anyway, we had a good attendance for this first year, especially in the early part of the day. The heat and direct sun on our Oregon Authors’ table got to me in the afternoon and I went home feeling the effects for the next two days, but it was a good feeling too, knowing that all of our hard work was appreciated by a lot of people.

I understand that the other two events that day in the neighborhood went really well, too. The Lorane Community-Wide Breakfast and Sale had a lot of shoppers and the Crow Grange Chicken ‘n Pickin’ BBQ hosted about 140 people. High-fives all around!
I’m looking forward this weekend, to the long-awaited unveiling of the beautiful Lorane mural painted jointly by Lorane artists, Karen Pidgeon and Alix Mosieur at 3:00 p.m. during the Lorane Picnic and Ice Cream Social celebrations. By the time you read this, it will have already been revealed and will be sitting proudly in front of the Lorane Family Store where our grandson, Kevin Stevens, built a structure worthy of the job it has of displaying this wonderful piece of artwork. If you stop by to see it, be sure to get a printed checklist of things—animals, plants, features, etc.—that are in the painting and see how many of them you can find. The lists will be inside the store. Be sure to read the back, too, which will help introduce you to the amazing artists. A table displaying mural souvenirs and other artwork done by Karen and Alix and a few of my books will also be set up.

If you haven’t already put “Worship in the Park” on your calendar, please be sure you do. The Lorane Christian Church is allowing Mother Nature to host its worship service at 10:30 a.m. on August 19, at the Farmin Creek event venue owned by the Martin family. It’s located on Siuslaw River Road, next to Chateau Lorane, about a half mile west of the Lorane Deli. Following the service, a community barbecue will be held at noon. All are invited. The church provides the hamburgers and hotdogs, and side dishes of salads and desserts are welcomed. There’s a pond for swimming and horseshoes for the competitive at Farmin Creek!

I haven’t mentioned the Lorane Growers’ Market at the Lorane Deli recently. There have been some wonderful produce and other items left there in the past couple of weeks, so don’t miss out. And, if you have some extra produce from your own garden you would like to share with others, be sure to drop it off so the proceeds of the sale can go into the coffers of the Lorane Community Association which has sponsored so many community projects in the past few years, including the Lorane mural.

Sweet Lorane Community News, July 12, 2018

July 12, 2018Newspaper ColumnsApplegate Regional Theater, Art in the Country, Bruce Malcolm, Chicken 'n Pickin, Lorane Community Potluck, Lorane Community-Wide Yard Sale, Schurger and Malcolm familiespaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
July 12, 2018
By Pat Edwards

Well, summer has finally made a statement this year. Near-100 degree heat is definitely not my favorite thing.

The summer’s events seemed to be lined up one, right after another this year with some weekends giving us a choice of where to go and what to do. I’ve already discussed the major events coming up in August and won’t go into detail in this week’s column except to say to make sure your calendar is filled on August 4 with the Lorane Community-Wide Yard Sale, the Art in the Country Festival on the campus of the Applegate Regional Theater, and the Crow Grange’s “Chicken ‘n Pickin’ BBQ; and then on August 12, fill up that page with the Lorane Community Potluck Picnic, the Ice Cream Social and, best of all, the unveiling at 3:00 p.m. that day of gorgeous Lorane mural. It’s a must-see!

On a more somber note, our community lost one of its life-long residents in a tragic accident this past week. Bruce Malcolm suffered fatal injuries in an accident while working his land with a cat (tractor). He was somehow thrown off and crushed. According to his wife Sharon, “Our hearts are broken and we are still in shock. Bruce was doing what he loved and died on the land he loved.”

He is survived by Sharon and their two children, James and Ashley.

Bruce’s funeral is scheduled for July 21 at 11:00 a.m. at Lane Memorial Gardens. Then, a Celebration of Life will be held at the Malcolm home on Fire Road with a UO Duck tailgate-themed potluck about 3:30 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to wear green and yellow and be sure to bring your pom-poms and whatever else you’d wear to a tailgater at Autzen.

Sharon knows how much “Bruce would love that.”

A Little Bit of Lorane History
Rodney F. Schurger and Della L. Malcolm moved to the Lorane valley in 1933. According to Della, “We drove through Lorane down the Siuslaw River Road and turned left about a mile or so and came to the end of the road – and there was the farm. We fell in love with it right away. The tall trees and mountains behind it, the orchard in bloom, the river running through and the field was green with vetch and oats. We knew that it was the farm of our dreams.”

…Eventually, Della’s 15-year old brother Everett Malcolm came to live with them… In 1936, Everett Malcolm returned to California for a time to work with his father as a logger in the redwoods. It was there that he met and married Mary Meadows in 1938, and their first daughter Jo Darlene was born in 1939. Rodney Schurger wrote to Everett asking him to return to Oregon so that he could teach him the logging business.

The Malcolm family moved to Lorane and bought an acre of land from the Schurgers and built a house on the site. Their second daughter, Christine Elaine, was born in June, 1949, followed by a son Bruce James in 1950. The Malcolm’s house burned down and another house was built on the site on Fire Road. This house is where Everett and Mary’s son Bruce now lives with his wife Sharon. From Sawdust and Cider to Wine (2006)

Sweet Lorane Community News, June 21, 2018

June 21, 2018Newspaper ColumnsApplegate Regional Theater, Art in the Country, Chicken 'n Pickin, Creswell Grange, Crow Booster Club, Crow Car Show, Crow Grange, Crow-Applegate-Lorane, Lorane Community-Wide Yard Sale, Michael Matchulatpaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
June 21, 2018
By Pat Edwards

We have some really big events coming up soon in both Lorane and Crow, so I want to try and cover several of them this week.

Before I begin, I want to comment on how important it is that no matter where you live, we need to support our own communities and the fundraisers and celebrations that are taking place throughout the year. So many of us have concerns about the current national situation, but we all feel so helpless in trying to make a difference. I believe that change starts small—locally—and tends to grow from there. By participating in our own communities, we are able to discuss our differences and work together to build values and to make positive things happen. It just grows from there. So, let’s do it!

First up on my calendar is the fundraiser for Michael and Amber Matchulat on Saturday, July 7. The Lorane community is spearheading the drive. Michael has been fighting Stage 4 colorectal cancer for 3 years now and it has depleted their resources. A community benefit dinner and dance are being held at King Estate Winery where a silent auction, live auction and raffles are also being held. The 150 available tickets for the dinner have been sold out and there’s a long waiting list for cancellations, but raffle tickets are still for sale. The website link is posted on the Lorane, Oregon Facebook page. Thank you to King Estate and the hard work being done by so many people!

The 15th Annual Crow Car Show, scheduled for Saturday, July 14, is being held at the Crow High School football field this year. The proceeds from this very popular event goes towards academic as well as athletic support of all of our Crow-Applegate-Lorane School District’s students regardless of age. The car show is hosted by the Crow Booster Club that has done so much for our schools through the years. There will be a free pancake breakfast, raffles, auctions, displays and activities for the whole family… and admission is FREE!

Saturday, August 4, is proving to be a real challenge for everyone. There are 3 major local events happening that day, but as I’ve mentioned in previous articles, if you want to make a day of it, you can partake in each one.

yard sale psoter The earliest starting time is the Lorane Community-Wide (Yard) Sale taking place at 9:00 a.m. on August 4. It will run until 3:00 p.m. There will be sales happening at the same time throughout the Lorane area and maps will be provided for those wanting to browse each one. Tables are also being rented at the Lorane Grange and I have made the lawn area around the old Dew Drop Inn, next to the Lorane Family Store, available for anyone wishing to set up tents in which they can display their wares. All rental fees will be donated to the Lorane Grange.

After finding your treasures, you can then head towards Crow were you’ll find some good times, good entertainment and good food and drink for the rest of the day.

The newest event in the area, the Art in the Country Festival, will begin at 10:00 a.m. on the grounds of the Applegate Regional Theater, north of Crow. The site is located on the corner of Central and Fleck Roads and is 2 miles south of West 11th on the grounds of the former Central Elementary School. It runs until 6:00 p.m.

The Art in the Country Festival is described as a “fine art and author” fair and will feature displays and booths with a variety of fine art produced by Oregon artists and with over 20 Oregon authors sharing and reading from their latest books. Members of the theater will offer dramatic readings, as well. It will also have a beer and wine garden, food concessions, live music, 2 entertainment stages and a kids’ fun zone.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Crow Grange’s Chicken ‘n Pickin BBQ taking place from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. that same day. Save room for dinner that includes a half chicken, corn-on-the-cob, baked beans, a roll, lemonade or coffee and ice cream. The cost is $10 per person and they are willing to package it “to go.” They will even entertain you with live music!

I’ll need to tell you all about the August 12 Lorane Ice Cream Social in next week’s column.

Congratulations to the Creswell Grange for their recent Ice Cream Social event! I understand it was a lot of fun and that quite a few of our Lorane Grange members were there to support it. That, to me, is what the growth of “community” entails. Supporting your neighbors, whenever possible, as well as your own.