Sweet Lorane Community News – November 26, 2015

November 26, 2015Newspaper ColumnsCalapooya Mountains, Christmas dinner, Folk History, Groundwaters, Holiday Market, Ira Hawley, Jo-Brew, Joe Blakely, Lane County Author and Artist Fair, Lorane Grange, Oregon's Main Street, Robert H. Ward, U.S. Highway 99paedwards 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 19, 2015

November 19, 2015Newspaper ColumnsAngel Tree, Crow Middle/High School, food baskets, Lorane Christian Church, Lorane Family Store, Lorane Grange, Marilyn Wenger-Cooper, Thanksgivingpaedwards 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!

Sweet Lorane Community News – November 12, 2015

November 12, 2015Newspaper ColumnsApplegate Regional Theater, ART Inc., Crow Grange, Groundwaters, Lorane Grange, Michael Matchulat, Thanksgiving, The Farm Store, West Lane Holiday Bazaarpaedwards 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!