Sweet Lorane Community News – November 30, 2017

December 8, 2017Newspaper ColumnsAngel Tree, Applegate Elementary School, canned food drive, Community Ukulele Club, Lorane Christmas dinner, Lorane Movie Night, Lorane Saw Shop and Small Engine Repair, Marissa McNutt Cooper, Patrick Dearth, Sound of Music, Winter Concertpaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
November 30, 2017
By Pat Edwards

I’m going to cheat a bit and use Marissa McNutt-Cooper’s words to tell you about Lorane and Crow’s Angel Tree Project.

“It is that time of year again. We are getting ready for our annual Angel Trees. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the trees, they are trees that will soon be located at the Lorane Family Store and Crow High School gymnasium. They are decorated with felt Angels that have suggestions/ideas for gift or necessity items for a child in our community whose family is in need of assistance this holiday season. The forms went out with the Weekly Buzz newsletter to all children attending Crow-Applegate-Lorane schools. I just wanted to let everyone know to be on the look out for them in your children’s backpacks.

“Also, the Angel trees are for families in need of assistance with children age birth through 18 who live in Lorane or Crow. The children do not have to be of school age or attend CAL schools—just live in our community. If you or someone you know is in need of assistance this year, please return the form to the school office or contact me at 541-517- 6608. Please know that all information received is completely confidential and that the Angels on the trees do not include names; just age and gender.”

Marissa has been heading up this project for the past several years and it has proven to be a popular and much-appreciated way for each of us to give to our community. Combined with the food boxes, these gifts allow those less fortunate to experience the joy of the holiday season, too. Please open your hearts and your wallets this year. Thank you, Marissa for all that you contribute to the Lorane community!

The Community Ukulele group will be performing at a couple of events this holiday season. The first is only a possibility, but they are hoping to participate in the Crow Middle/High School Choir and Band’s Winter Concert to be held on Wednesday, December 6, at 7:00 p.m.

Then, on December 9, they will provide the “pre-movie” entertainment at the December Lorane Movie Night, featuring my all-time favorite, “The Sound of Music,” also at 7:00 p.m.

The Applegate Elementary School will be holding their Winter Concert on Tuesday, December 12, at 7:00 p.m. Along with that will be their Canned Food Drive.

My last holiday reminder is for the Lorane Grange’s Christmas Dinner and Open House, scheduled for Sunday, December 10 at 1:30 p.m. I’ve given you full details in past columns, but one thing new they are suggesting is that you bring a simple and/or funny “white elephant” gift to exchange.

Long-time Lorane resident, Patrick Dearth has announced this past week that he and his wife, Teresa, are opening a new business in Lorane called the Lorane Saw Shop and Small Engine Repair. They hope to provide repair and winterizing services locally and offer free pick-up and delivery for the Lorane/Crow area. Included in their plans is to make some loner and rental equipment available. They also hope to establish a mentoring program by holding various classes (i.e. blade sharpening and seasonal preparedness) at the Lorane Grange. His shop is located at 80485 Old Lorane Road in Lorane, and his phone number is 541-520-5383.

Sweet Lorane Community News – June 9, 2016

June 9, 2016Newspaper ColumnsBoy Scouts, Chris Starfire, Lorane Bread Basket, Lorane Christian Church, Lorane Community Assoc., Lorane Directory, Lorane Fire Department, Lorane Grange, Lorane Growers' Market, Lorane Rebekahs, Lorane Senior Lunch, Marissa McNutt Cooper, Patrick Dearth, Theta Rhopaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
June 9, 2016
By Pat Edwards

Welcome to a classic beginning to an Oregon summer! Last week, a few brave hay farmers were able to get their fields cut, raked, baled and picked up before the change in weather. Some, however, held their breaths, hoping that the cooler temps and “chances of showers” were not going to ruin the hay that was cut but not yet dry enough to bale.

I am so glad that Jim has finally dismounted from his tractor, given up the fields he has tended for so long and is looking closer to home for his projects. For the first time in 52 years of marriage, I’m able to hand over the lawn mowing duties and share the yardwork with him. Wow! What a gift!

The new Lorane Directory, which has been set up on Facebook, is getting some use, it appears. Thank you to Chris Starfire for setting it up and to Marissa McNutt Cooper and Patrick Dearth for helping to administrate it. It gives members a chance to list for sale items in the area so that our regular Lorane, Oregon Facebook page can be kept for community discussions, concerns and announcements. The Lorane Directory is also meant to provide community members information on resources within the community. In looking through the actual directory list, however, I notice that several of our service organizations and activity and interest groups have not added their listings yet. If this is going to be a truly helpful resource, they need to be added, but the information must come from the organizations themselves… i.e services provided, meeting times and places, need for new memberships, contact information, etc.

I had a request the other day from an AmeriCorps volunteer who is working on a food systems assessment for Southern Lane County. She needed to find out how to get in touch with those who are running the Lorane Bread Basket food pantry. I was able to track down the information for her and she got in touch with one of the organizers, but this is one of the reasons why we need to have info on our service organizations posted (Bread Basket, Senior Lunches, Grange, Rebekahs, Theta Rho, Boy Scouts, Fire Department, Church, Community Association, Growers Market, etc.). The most important reason, however, is for those new to the community to learn what services are available to them and how they can participate as volunteers or make use of the services they provide. I was told that some of the food has to be thrown out because there are not enough requests for it during the year. I’m sure that families in the area who are struggling could use it if they knew it was available.

Let’s all encourage the community members who offer a skill or product and organizations that offer services to make sure that they are listed on the Lorane Directory so that it can truly be a useful tool for all of us. The directory file can be found at https://www.facebook.com/notes/999281663489459/Lorane%20Directory/999298380154454 or just type in “Lorane Directory” in the Facebook search box. Go to “Files” and select the Lorane Directory file.

Sweet Lorane Community News – April 21, 2016

April 21, 2016Newspaper ColumnsChris Starfire, Crow Middle/High School, Grace Wagner, Grow Grange, Lorane Directory, Lorane Elementary School, Marissa McNutt Cooper, Patrick Dearth, Rich Mitchell, Teancum Jentzsch, Yogapaedwards Leave a comment

Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
April 21, 2016
By Pat Edwards

Lorane has an exciting new on-line resource, thanks to local resident, Chris Starfire. There has been a lot of interest shown in developing a list of Lorane resources, but no one, until now, has come forward to make it happen. Chris took the initiative and has set up a Facebook page called “Lorane Directory.” She has already put together a listing containing information on local businesses, services and other resources. She has also set it up so that people can post items for sale or trade from the area. In addition, she’s hoping to provide a section where locals can offer their recommendations on those services and goods offered.

Because Chris is not able to run it herself, she asked for volunteers to administer it once it is set up. Immediately, Marissa McNutt Cooper and Patrick Dearth generously offered their help along those lines.

This new resource will free up the Lorane, Oregon page for discussions, concerns, notices and happenings so that advertisements can now be kept separate. Check out the new Lorane Directory, https://www.facebook.com/groups/999281663489459/, if you want to contact local businesses or are looking for local products, services or resources in the area.

If you have a small cottage business, are a crafter, have a skill or are willing to provide various types of labor to local residents, be sure to post your information to the Lorane Directory and you will be added to the resource list. It is growing daily.

Thank you Chris, Marissa and Patrick for providing this much-needed and wanted service to the community!

The Yoga classes at the former Lorane Elementary School are being held in the upper building, the first classroom to the right, on Mondays and Fridays at 8:00 a.m. and Tuesdays at 9:00 a.m. They are $50 for 10 classes or $7 drop-in fee. Bring a yoga mat if you have one. Call Rich Mitchell, 541-942-5459, or check out his website at http://www.theloraneschool.org/whats-happening/ for more information.

The Crow Grange is hosting a play night on Thursday May 5th at 7:00 p.m. Come and see three one-act plays. It’s free! They are a lot of fun to watch and they will have refreshments afterwards.

The Crow Grange is also putting on its annual Mother’s Day Breakfast on Sunday May 8th from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. Last year, my family took me there and it was so much fun! They provide a wonderful breakfast of pancakes or biscuits and gravy, sausage, eggs, fruit and coffee or juice all for a suggested donation of $5. They give each mother a special treat as well.

Crow Middle/High School P.E. teacher, Tracy Engholm, put out a request to area patrons to volunteer a few hours of their time for the Survival Class that she is teaching. In it, the students are learning how to sew using sewing machines. The students are assigned to make a bag of some sort by the end of the school year. Since Tracy is also teaching gardening at the same time, she hasn’t been able to figure out how to do both at once. She is hoping that someone from the district is willing to help the sewing class from 8:20 to 9:10 a.m. on school days. The school has two machines, so the volunteer would only be working with a couple of students at a time.

Tracy would also welcome donations of new or used thread, zippers, material, belting, buttons, etc. You can drop them off at either Crow High/Middle School or Applegate Elementary or leave a message for her at 541-935-2227.

Congratulations to Crow High/Middle School students, Teancum Jentzsch of Lorane and Grace Wagner for scoring among the highest at the countywide 2016 Math Fair held at Lane Community College in April. They both scored 12 out of 15 on their tests. There was only one other student from the participating schools that scored as high. The state competition will be held on May 14. Our congratulations and best wishes go to both students. Way to go!

Mark your calendars on May 17 for the upcoming Crow-Applegate-Lorane musical event. The C-A-L schools will present a night of music performed by district students and some guest performers from local music groups. There will also be food, raffles and door prizes to raise money for the district’s music department. There will be a spaghetti dinner at 6:00 p.m. for $5 per adult, $3 per child, or $15 per family of four.