Tag: Lorane Family Store

Sweet Lorane Community News – December 10, 2015

December 10, 2015Newspaper Columns, , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

xciting news!! The Lorane Rebekah grant writing committee, consisting of Amy Struthers, John Wigle, Effie Hughes, with the assistance of Rural Art Center grant writer Lisa Livelybrooks, has received $2,500 from the Lane County Cultural Coaltion and $2,500 from Lane County Historical Society to help fix the roof of the Lorane Rebekah Lodge. The Rebekahs hope to raise another $5,000 this spring so the roofing can take place this summer. You can help by passing along your returnable bottles and cans to Sande Maxwell, recycling your metal in the bin outside the lodge, buying coffee and treats at their early Wednesday coffees, or with cash donations. Let’s make “Raising the Roof” a community project to benefit an organization which has provided so much to our community over several generations. Congratulations, Rebekahs!

The Crow High School drama class is presenting a winter program that includes two fantastic short plays and holiday carols on Wednesday, December 16, in the Crow Middle/High School cafeteria. The plays, “What, No Santa?” and “A Cowboy Christmas,” will be performed from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. that day, and again on Thursday, December 17, when all Crow Middle High School students will get to see the plays from 1:30 to 3:15 p.m. The program is open to the public both days and is free to all students. Donations from the public will gladly be accepted for the drama program, but otherwise, there is no charge.

Jim says that the Angel Tree at the Lorane Family Store has been very busy. Tags have all been removed from the tree on several occasions and the gifts are coming in. They are picked up on a regular basis and the tags are replenished each day. Please make sure we keep both of the trees (at the store and at Crow High School) stripped of the tags so that every child in our district can be remembered this holiday season. Good job, Lorane!!

I have no doubt that the Lorane food pantry organizers will soon be putting an official box in the Lorane Family Store, but until that happens, please feel free to drop off non-perishable food donations at the store. Jim will put them into a temporary box until they are collected by the organizers. We have proven each year that we live in a generous, caring and giving community.

I want to share a special gift that those of us who know and love Jo-Brew, my co-author for our OREGON’S MAIN STREET: U.S. Highway 99 books and former correspondent for the , were given this week. Jo had major surgery last Wednesday on what we all feared would be a life-threatening condition. Jo came through the surgery fine; a tumor was removed and she is expected to make a full recovery. Our prayers have been answered and we are so relieved to welcome this very strong, enterprising woman back to the road to good health. Let the healing begin!

Our Holiday Market booth at the Lane County Fairgrounds that Joe Blakely, Jo-Brew and I have rented to sell our books is doing a gangbuster business. Of course, Jo-Brew is not able to be there, although she was really looking forward to meeting her readers and signing books. To help with the work shifts, my colleague, Jen Chambers, has agreed to help fill in on some of the days at the booth when I can’t be there. She will be bringing her newly published book, “Remarkable Oregon Women; Revolutionaries and Visionaries” with her. So, if you plan to come by our corner booth at the southeast side of the exhibit building, we’ll have another wonderful Oregon history book to offer. Welcome Jen! and thank you.

Holiday Market booth

Jen Chambers and Joe Blakely at our Holiday Market booth at the Lane County Fairgrounds

Sweet Lorane Community News – December 03, 2015

December 3, 2015Newspaper Columns, , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
December 03, 2015
By Pat Edwards

Now that we are looking through the rearview mirror at Thanksgiving 2015, our community is gearing up for Christmas 2015.

The members of Theta Rho will once again be hosting a Parents’ Night Out on Friday, December 11 from 5:00 pm to 10:00 p.m. at the Lorane I.O.O.F. Lodge Hall. The girls are providing free child care for children ages 2 to 12 years of age. There will be crafts, games, snacks and fun for all the children who will be closely supervised by Theta Rho girls and adult advisors. Contact Tara Wigle 541-935-5245 or Mary Houle’ 541-942-9341 with questions or for more information.

As a reminder, too, plan on attending the Lorane Grange Christmas dinner on Sunday, December 13 at 1:30 p.m.  The traditional dinner of turkey, gravy, ham and potatoes are furnished by the grange; everything else is potluck and those who are attending are asked to bring a salad, side dish or dessert. The whole Lorane community is invited.

The Lorane Angel Tree has now been installed at the Lorane Family Store and I believe there is now one at the Crow Middle/High School. The store’s tree is located by the little library at the back of the first aisle. I hope that everyone is generous and takes one or more names off the tree for whom they can buy gifts. Jim and I began participating in this several years ago, selecting two – one for a boy and one for a girl. Jim has taken great delight in buying the gift for the boy all on his own (we don’t have too many boys in the family!) and I select the girl’s gift. It means so much to us to imagine the children’s excitement when opening them. I highly recommend it for everyone. If you have any questions or if you would like to add children’s names to the tree, please call Marissa McNutt-Cooper at 541-517-6608 (Lorane) or the coordinator at Applegate Elementary at 541-686-5140 (Crow).

The Applegate Winter Program, held at the Applegate Elementary School is scheduled for Tuesday, December 15. It will include dinner at 5:30 p.m. and school performances by the bands and choir at 7:00 p.m.  Everyone is asked to bring canned or non-perishable foods to be used in the food boxes that will be made available to C-A-L families in need.

While participating in the West Lane Holiday Bazaar a few weeks ago, I was approached by someone who asked why Lorane and Crow were not coordinating their food and gift baskets and trees through the very successful Mid-Lane S.A.N.T.A. Project headquartered in Veneta. Their advertising includes Lorane, Crow and other local communities and they welcome and invite us to join them in coordinating and planning the activities and events associated with S.A.N.T.A. I wanted to pass her invitation on to our local organizers. More information on the project can be found at http://www.midlanecares.org/holiday-programs/.

The Rural Art Center is sponsoring its next half-day of art on Friday, December 11. It’s open to elementary kids in the C-A-L School District. Middle and high school students are also welcome as volunteers. Adults may also volunteer, but they need to pass a background check before being accepted.  Alyssa Shepherd will guide the students through the annual holiday ornament and candlemaking.  Classes are $10, but scholarships are available.  Contact Alyssa at 541-556-8151 or malyssa2@yahoo.

The R.A.C. Lorane Movie Night will also be holding its next movie… the 1925 oldie-but-goodie “The Gold Rush” featuring Charlie Chaplin on Saturday, December 12. “This classic silent comedy includes two of Chaplin’s most famous skits (he eats a most creative meal). Capturing the optimism of the gold-seekers and the hardships and romance they found, this is the film Chaplin most wished to be remembered for. “ (95 minutes). There will also be short entertainment provided by the Ukulele Club and the on-screen version of Tiny Tim singing “Tiptoe Through the Tulips.” The non-profit beneficiary of the evening will be the RAC Ukulele Club.

There are lots of activities to participate in locally, so be sure to plan some of your holiday entertainment within the community, if at all possible.

Sweet Lorane Community News – November 19, 2015

November 19, 2015Newspaper Columns, , , , , , , Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
November 19, 2015
By Pat Edwards

Here’s an update on Marilyn Wenger-Cooper who has had a long stint in the hospital. She was temporarily moved to the Valley West Health Care Center on Bailey Hill Road and is now home. Welcome home, Marilyn! We’re so glad that you’re back, Wonder Woman!

Last Monday, November 16, a “Master Planning Session” sponsored by the Crow-Applegate-Lorane School District #66 was held at the Lorane Grange. The purpose of the meeting was to inform the Lorane end of the district about proposed upgrades and safety measures for the district schools. The architect in charge of the project discussed the plans, answered questions for interested parents and residents and encouraged their input. A second meeting was held at Crow last Thursday, November 19. I apologize for not providing more information sooner, but we were not informed until after last week’s deadline. If you weren’t able to attend either meeting and have any questions about the school district plans, please call the District Office (541-935-2100) or check their website at http://www.cal.k12.or.us/.

Jim and I attended the Lorane Community Thanksgiving Dinner put on by the Lorane Christian Church at the Grange last week. Even though this event has been offered free to the residents of Lorane for quite a few years, this is the first one we’ve attended. We really enjoyed ourselves and not only enjoyed the great food, but we were able to visit with friends and neighbors that we have not seen for quite some time. I really encourage others, like us, who keep saying that they will attend, but just never have, to plan on it next year. It was a fun evening!

Collection boxes are being placed at the Lorane Family Store and other organizations in the community for donations of canned and non-perishable food to be used for Christmas baskets for those within the Lorane and Crow area. If you know of anyone who could use a food basket, please call Sande Maxwell (541-942-5083; sandemaxwell@wildblue.net) or Betty Willoughby (541-942-7539) in Lorane or the Crow-Applegate-Lorane District Office for Crow (541-935-2100).

This year, a week or so after Thanksgiving, the Angel Trees will be placed in the Lorane Family Store and the Crow Middle/High School gymnasium. Before they can do that, however, community members of both Lorane and Crow are asked to nominate, right away, families with children ages birth to 18 years who could use an angel this year. Children do not have to attend the area schools, but they just must live within our school district.

Nomination forms were sent out through the schools this past week. If you or someone you know is in need of assistance this year, please return the form to the school office or contact Marissa McNutt Cooper at 541-517-6608. She wants to assure everyone that all information received is completely confidential.

Once names and information on each of the children are collected, the trees will be hung with felt angel “ornaments” representing these area children whose families are in need of assistance. Attached to each ornament is a tag showing the age, gender – not names –  and a suggestion of what the child would enjoy as a Christmas or holiday gift.

Once the Angel trees are in place, our community members, who have hearts of gold, are asked to select one or more angels from the trees to buy gifts for the holidays. After they  have been purchased, bring these unwrapped gifts and the felt angels to which they correspond to either the Lorane Family Store or the Crow Middle/High School (wherever you obtained them). Let’s be as generous this year as we were last!

As a fundraiser, the Crow High School senior class is taking orders for two different sizes of wreaths to be picked up on Sunday, December 7. The 22″ to 24″ size sells for $20; the  26″ to 28″ size sells for $35. Both size wreaths are made from fresh greens with Ponderosa pine cones. An order form may be downloaded from the C-A-L website or picked up in the CHS office. It must be filled out and dropped off with your payment in the school office by noon on November 30.

Happy Thanksgiving, all!