Tag: Groundwaters

Sweet Lorane Community News – November 26, 2015

November 26, 2015Newspaper Columns, , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
November 26, 2015
By Pat Edwards

I hope that everyone took some time this past week to contemplate all the things in life that we can be thankful for. Sometimes it’s easy to allow the trials and tribulations to take over the focus of our lives, but there are usually multiple “some things or some ones” that we can add to the blessings’ side of our lists. Thanksgiving is the time to make a point of recognizing them.
Be sure to mark you calendars for the Lorane Grange Christmas dinner on Sunday, December 13 at 1:30 p.m.  Turkey, gravy, ham, and potatoes are furnished by the grange, everything else is potluck. He community is invited.
Thanks to quite a few of our Groundwaters’ Lane County Authors for participating in the West Lane Holiday Bazaar the weekend of the November 21. We were set up at the Applegate Regional Theater on Central Road and we had a successful sale. We really appreciate the support shown by the community, too.
If you are at the Holiday Market at the Lane County Fairgrounds, Joe Blakely, Jo-Brew and I are sharing a booth there to sell our books. So far, we’ve been very successful and Jo’s and my Highway 99 books as well as Joe Blakely’s “Oregon’s Coast Highway” and other books are selling quite well. Stop by our booth (#206) in the southeast corner of the Holiday Market building just to say “Hi” if nothing else. It’s always fun to see people we know.
I don’t have any more community news to report that I didn’t cover in last week’s column, so I’ll include a short piece from one of our Highway 99 books.

An excerpt from OREGON’S MAIN STREET: U.S. Highway 99 “The Folk History”:

“After 1865, the stagecoaches no longer used the steep Territorial Road to cross the Calapooya Mountains, past the Cartwright House/Mountain House Hotel and Lorane on their way to Eugene City. Instead, they were rerouted by way of an old road which wound through Pass Creek Canyon. The road was poor, soft and muddy along the creek bottom and the canyon passage was narrow.
“Robert H. Ward, who lived at the southern end of the new route, built a corduroy road by laying 8-foot cedar logs side by side across the road through the pass. This road became known as Ward’s Toll Road, with Ward collecting a toll from northbound travelers and Ira Hawley collecting the southbound tolls.
“On the stage route, Hawley’s Station was located 10 miles north of Estes Ranch on the Ira B. Hawley Donation Land Claim. It provided a rest stop and a horse-changing station there.
“The passengers found food and overnight accommodations at the house and a big barn sheltered the team of horses on the large 4,000 acre cattle and sheep ranch. There was also a small community school on the property that served the surrounding area.
“Today, U.S. Highway 99, south of Cottage Grove passes the red ranch buildings and barns which belong to the present Hawley Land and Cattle Company on the site of Ira Hawley’s Stage Station.”

Sweet Lorane Community News – November 12, 2015

November 12, 2015Newspaper Columns, , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
November 12, 2015
By Pat Edwards

Winter is truly approaching now. Even though we’ve had some sunshine, the cold dampness seems to be seeping into my bones these days. Even though our thermostat is kept between 70 to 72 degrees, I find I frequently need to wear a sweater to stay warm in our large common areas of the house. The dogs and I still take our almost-daily mile-long walks up the hill, and the exercise helps with my “internal heating” problem. I’d like to go for longer distances, but for Shortie, with his basketball-size abdominal tumor, the mile is his maximum, and I won’t go without him. He loves it so. I really dislike the ellipticals and stationary bicycles, although I will turn to them as the weather gets worse. I miss the wind and even a few sprinkles in my face, but most of all, I miss the scenery of those walks this time of year.

Lorane and Crow are gearing up for the holidays. By the time you read this, the Lorane Thanksgiving dinner will have taken place, but the free Crow community potluck for Thanksgiving is still in sight. It will be held on Thursday, November 19 beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Crow Grange will provide turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. Those attending are asked to bring a side dish and/or dessert. They are also accepting donations of canned foods for the Crow holiday food baskets.

Lorane’s own Michael Matchulat, who is fighting Stage 4 colorectal cancer, is taking an aggressive plan of attack of surgeries and treatments programmed by a special team of surgeons from the Oregon Health Sciences University in order to get on top of his cancer. Michael’s first surgery on Friday, November 20, will involve removing the 4 or 5 malignant tumors from the left lobe of his liver. It will be followed later by the removal of his whole right lobe. Obviously, this young man needs all of the prayers and support we can muster for him. We all admire his openness and grit in dealing with the grueling fight he is waging. For details and more information on what he is facing, check out his postings on his Facebook page in the name of Mychel Matchy.

The West Lane Holiday Bazaar is approaching fast… this coming Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21. Please keep our Lane County Author’s booth in mind that will be set up at the Applegate Regional Theater in the former Central School gymnasium. Books make excellent gifts and we will have several local authors there to sell and autograph their books for you including Michael Foster, Michael J. “Hoss” Barker, Ava (Muriel) Linder, Terah Van Dusen, Joe Blakely and Jennifer Chambers. I will be there on Friday, too.

And, remember… The Farm Store has our Groundwaters 2015: an Anthology on hand for gifts, as well. Your support of local writers and poets will be most appreciated!

Sweet Lorane Community News – November 5, 2015

November 5, 2015Newspaper Columns, , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
November 5, 2015
By Pat Edwards

Hooray for Lorane resident, Marilyn Wenger-Cooper! She spent several days on a respirator in the ICU at RiverBend with kidney failure and under-functioning heart and lungs. But, she is back!… at least she’s off the respirator, awake and in a regular room in the Heart and Vascular Center at RB. She scared the daylights out of our whole community. Marilyn has been a long-time clerk at the Lorane Family Store and is a member of our LFS family. In fact, she’s worked for Jim and me for much of the 38 years we’ve had the store. We’ve been in to see her several times and although she was looking like she had been through a war (she was), her smile and sense of humor are still intact. Welcome back, Marilyn! Jim looks forward to putting you back on the schedule when you are feeling better.

Thanks to a large response to the Rebekahs request for donations of scrap metal as a fundraiser for one of their building projects, the large dumpster is full. Since some of us have been slow in getting our metal brought in, another empty dumpster will replace the full one to, hopefully, be filled again. Let’s make sure that we fill this one, too.

It’s time to mark your calendars for the upcoming annual Thanksgiving Dinner sponsored by the Lorane Christian Church and held at the Lorane Grange. It will be held on Sunday, November 15 at 5:30 p.m. and is free to all local residents. Each family is asked to bring a dessert to share. It’s a wonderful event and a good chance to meet and visit with your neighbors.

The Crow Grange is also planning an annual Thanksgiving potluck on November 19.

Holiday plans are in the works for the local food drives and the annual Angel Tree. For me, the holiday season is not so much about ourselves, but to give thanks and show our care and concern for others. The Lorane Community Association will soon be installing Angel Trees at the Lorane Family Store and probably Crow Middle/High School.

Also, collection boxes will soon be placed all around Lorane to gather non- perishable canned goods and other necessities for the food baskets. It’s a joint effort put on by the Rebekah Lodge and the Lorane Fire Department. If you know of any family who would benefit from a food basket, please contact  Sande Maxwell (541-942-5083 or sandemaxwell@wildblue.net) or Betty Willoughby (541-942-7539), and be sure to be generous in your giving this year. These baskets have been so very important to our local families in the past.

I will provide more information on both the Angel Tree project and the Food Drive in upcoming issues.

I wanted to also alert you to what’s become a huge event for the West Lane area, including Crow, each year. It’s the gigantic Fern Ridge Holiday Bazaar to be held on Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21 between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. each day. Local churches, organizations, businesses and schools will be participating and I’ve heard that this year there are more offerings than ever signing up. I’m not sure if my information is correct, but I was told that at least 20 sites will be participating. Groundwaters is taking part in the Lane County Authors’ table that will be set up at the Applegate Regional Theater site in the former Central School on Central Road north of Crow. We plan to offer books from many local authors, including many from the Veneta, Elmira and yes, even Lorane areas. Many of the authors will be manning the booth both days. The Applegate Regional Theater (ART) will have lots of other offerings of crafts, and mostly handmade, quality merchandise and food. They usually have live musical entertainment and we might even talk some of our Groundwaters’ poets into doing a few readings. It sits right next door to the Central Grange which also has a large selection of booths and tables. Be sure to put us on your list! Maps will be available.

And, authors… if we haven’t contacted you and you want to participate, please email me at edwards@groundwaterspublishing.com or paedwards42@yahoo.com.