Sweet Lorane Community News, March 1, 2018

March 1, 2018Newspaper ColumnsBirth and Beyond, Jo-Brew, Mentoring Ideas to Plans, Michael Matchulat, Oregon Institute for a Better Waypaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
March 1, 2018
By Pat Edwards

Lorane’s own Birth to Beyond and Oregon Institute for a Better Way have come up with another extremely valuable program for our area. (The Oregon Institute for a Better Way is the group which sponsored the 3-day Preservation and Canning Clinic in Lorane this past fall.) This current program is a series of meetings called “Mentoring Ideas to Plans” to learn how to sharpen and hone our life skills. One of the topics currently under discussion is “doing income taxes OLD SCHOOL! We seem far removed from the fine print of the income tax forms and the details are constantly changing! Come talk, drink tea and connect!”

The meetings take place every Tuesday until May 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Lorane Grange.

Information on other topics and details can be obtained by visiting the Oregon Institute for a Better Way Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/intentionalcommunities/ or contact Misty Burris.

A fundraiser is being planned at Papa’s Pizza Parlor beginning at Thursday, March 29 at 11:00 a.m. for our hometown hero, Michael Matchulat, who has been battling Stage 4 colorectal cancer for the past couple of years. The purpose is to help defray some of the huge medical expenses he and his wife Amber are facing.

As I am writing this column, I just received a phone call that breaks my heart. I’m going to share the news with you now as by the time it is in print, the information will be out. The phone call was from a woman at the emergency room of Sacred Heart River Bend. She had been instructed by family to deliver the devastating news that my good friend and co-author, Jo-Brew, passed away this morning.

The two of us have become so close over the years we’ve worked together. She was a strong, vibrant, knowledgeable woman who shared so much of herself with me. Our years as colleagues and friends were rich and rewarding and I am going to miss her so very much.

With this said, I am going to close out this week’s column. I find I cannot continue further. I’m not quite over the flu I’ve had this week and I won’t be able to join her wonderful family at this time. My thoughts, prayers and love are with them… Ken, Mike, Melissa, Bob, Jeff, her grandchildren and great-grands. I think they know that.

Godspeed, Jo!

Sweet Lorane Community News, July 6, 2017

July 6, 2017Newspaper ColumnsAlesong Brewing and Blending, Alix Mosieur, Community Gardens, Crow Church of the Nazarene, Karen Pidgeon, Lorane Christian Church, Lorane Community Association, Lorane Country Cafe, Lorane Fire Department, Lorane Growers' Market, Lorane Ice Cream Social, Marissa McNutt Cooper, Matt Van Wyk, Misty Burris, Montana, Mural, Oregon Institute for a Better Way, Terrie Johnson Morris, vacation, Vacation Bible Schoolpaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
July 6, 2017
By Pat Edwards

As I anticipated, the days last week while on vacation managed to just slip by (as they are supposed to do while vacationing) and I didn’t get a column written. As an “in-name-only” retiree, days blend quite easily for me anyway, but while on vacation, I’m able to immerse myself into each day without thinking about whether it’s a Monday, Thursday or a weekend.

Montana was beautiful, as was the newly-built home of our daughter and son-in-law, Kelly and Justin Fontaine, on Flathead Lake located near Glacier National Park. We spent the days kicking back, going out on the lake in Justin’s boat, having dinner in Big Fork, attending a Farmer’s Market in nearby Whitefish, walking our dogs and just enjoying being together.

Flathead Lake

Thankfully, there are a number of Lorane news items this week that I want to tell you about.

Lorane children who are interested in attending Vacation Bible School this year are encouraged to sign up with Heidi Rusten Langstraat (541-556-6223) at the Lorane Christian Church. The actual “Maker Fun Factory” Bible School will be held at the Crow Church of the Nazarene, but if enough Lorane kids are interested in participating, transportation will be provided. It is open to 4-year-olds through 6th grade students and will be held on July 16-20 from 6:00 to 8:15 p.m. each night. Activities include games, snacks, music and Bible Stories.

For those wanting an update on Lorane’s newest business-to-be, Matt Van Wyk, the brewmaster and one of the owners of the Alesong Brewing and Blending of Lorane, says that they hope to be open as early in July as possible. They are just waiting for Lane County, USDA, and OLCC to approve their permits. The plans are to have mainly a tasting room with cheeses and snacks available to compliment the beers. No meal menus are being planned at this time, but they will encourage people to bring their own foods so they can enjoy the experience “picnic-style,” if they wish.

The owners recently invited Lorane area residents to come and take dishes, silverware, syrup containers and other things from the former Lorane Country Café which shares the property with the new building. There are only a few items left and they expect to demolish or work out details with the Lorane Fire Department to burn the café in the fall.

It will be sad to see the old building go. Many of us have a lot of happy memories there, but the new owners of Alesong have been very gracious in extending a hand in friendship to the community and it appears that many locals are anxiously awaiting the opening.

The Lorane Christian Church is planning one of their yummy bake sales in the parking lot of the Lorane Family Store on July 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Recently, a group called the Oregon Institute for a Better Way became “the new stewards of the gardens that were formerly the Turnip the Beet Farm located at 79128 Territorial Road just about four miles south from the Old Lorane School.”

Misty Burris describes it as a non profit 501(c)3, based on her graduate study to promote community gathering and empowerment through free foods sharing. They are offering community garden space to local residents who want to gather, grow and process their foods together as a community. For more information, contact Misty at 541-530-3613 or
http://www.gatherandalign.org.

At the Lorane Community Association meeting this past week, I’m told that there are several new and enthusiastic members and plans are being made on several fronts.
First, the Lorane Grower’s Market table has now been set up at the Lorane Deli this year. It was completely refurbished by Terrie Johnson Morris and is very nice.

Be sure to stop by with your excess garden/orchard produce and trade for other items if you want. If you don’t have any of your own to share, you can take what you need. As always the purchase option is set up as donation only on the honor system. No prices are set on any of it. Proceeds go to the Lorane Community Association to be used for their various projects during the year including the Angel Tree, food baskets, the mural and some of the projects I’ll be talking about here in the coming weeks.

Something very exciting to me is the fact that Karen Pidgeon and Alix Mosieur have begun their work on the big mural that will be hung on the side of the Lorane Family Store. They are working on it in the Dew Drop Inn – the old tavern building that sits next to the store and it will be fun to see it take shape. The prototype of the mural is gorgeous, if you haven’t yet seen it.

The plans for this year’s Lorane Ice Cream Social were discussed. It will honor the 40th anniversary of the Lorane Fire Department which is a major sponsor of the event. The LCA is planning to add more carnival booths, water games and events this year and Marissa McNutt Cooper is asking for volunteers to help man them. She can be contacted at 541-517-6608.