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.

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.