Here, There & Everywhere
From our weekly issue dated September 24, 2008
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
- Selma Community Center will host a showing of the first of three scheduled presidential candidate debates on Friday, Sept. 26. The debate on a big screen will begin at 6 p.m. Doors will open at 5, and there will be a potluck meal at 5:30; attendees are asked to bring items. Following the free showing, former NPR radio host Jeff Golden will read from his new book, Unafraid, A Novel of the Possible.PREGNANCY SPECIAL
- Wednesday, Sept. 24 is the RSVP deadline to 592-6058 for the Pregnancy Center of Illinois Valley fund-raising banquet that will be held Saturday, Sept. 27. Guest speaker at I.V. Senior Center will be Beth Chase, and there will be a meal catered by O’Brien’s Phil Aria. Chase is executive director of Life Choice Project/National Institute of Family & Life Advocates.ARE YOU PICKY?
- A day of cave restoration will be hosted by Oregon Caves National Monument on Saturday, Sept. 27 in conjunction with 2008 Public Lands Day. Volunteers will pick lint left along the tour route in the cave by some 50,000 annual visitors. Workers will receive free camping and lunch, an off-trail caving trip, and a pass good for one day of free admission to any fee site on public land. To register, or for more information, contact Shawn Thomas at 592-2100, Ext. 254; or shawn_thomas@nps.gov.FIRE POSTER CONTEST
- Friday, Oct. 3 is the deadline for a coloring contest/fire awareness poster contest sponsored by Illinois Valley Fire District. It’s in conjunction with Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 5 to 12. This year’s theme is “Prevent Home Fires.” Color pages and posters will be accepted at IVFD headquarters, 681 Caves Hwy., from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Posters must be based on the “Prevent Home Fires” theme. The color pages and posters will be displayed at headquarters and judged by district volunteers. Prizes will be issued after Oct. 20.HAZARDOUS DISPOSAL
- A free Hazardous Waste Collection Day for home owners will be held Saturday, Oct. 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Southern Oregon Sanitation, 1381 Redwood Ave., in Grants Pass. The event, for which appointments are not necessary, is co-hosted by Josephine County Solid Waste Agency, and Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality. Items that will be accepted include oil-based paint, household cleaners, solvents, batteries, herbicides, gasoline, fertilizer, swimming pool chemicals, mercury thermometers, varnishes, automotive fluids and aerosol cans. A limited number of digital thermometers are available in trade for recycled mercury ones. Appointments are required for those wanting to get rid of conditionally exempt generators. Phone (800) 819-5912.‘SMART-EN’ UP
- SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) is a reading program at Evergreen Elementary School in which volunteers read for one hour per week with selected students. Those who want to volunteer to help kindergarten through third-grade students, or who want more information, can phone the school at 592-3136, or the SMART coordinator, Willa Gustavson, at 592-0335. Volunteer training is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 7; the first reading day is set for Tuesday, Oct. 14.IRON 44 BENEFIT
- A concert to benefit the families of nine wildland firefighters, including seven from Merlin-based Grayback Forestry, who died in the Iron 44 helicopter crash in Northern California on Aug. 5 will be held at the Rogue Community College amphitheater. It’s set for Saturday, Oct. 11 from noon to approximately 6 p.m. Co-sponsors are Glendale-based A&M Transport, and Butch Martin & the Rogue Valley Riders. Besides live music by them and other performers including Gretchen Owens, Broadway Phil & The Shouters, and a choral group from Glendale, there will be an auction courtesy of Wayne Liska. Barbecued food will be available, and the master of ceremonies will be “Juan” of Big Kahuna Productions. RCC is donating use of the amphitheater. For more information or to donate, phone Martin at (541) 218-2477.NOTEPAD
- Seed-Saving Techniques is the title of a free class that will be given Friday, Sept. 26 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Josephine County Bldg. in Cave Junction. The instructor is veteran horticulturist Tal Blankenship. To preregister phone 476-6613 … An aviation event will be held on the weekend of Sept. 27 and 28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at Rogue Valley International/Medford Airport. There will be numerous free attractions hosted by Medford Air Services ... Old stuff will prevail during the weekend of Sept. 27 and 28 during the 26th annual show at the Medford Armory, sponsored by So. Oregon Antiques & Collectibles Club .. ABATE Motorcycle Club will hold its fifth annual Toy Run on Sunday, Oct. 5 to benefit children in Siskiyou Community Health Center (SCHC) outreach programs. The run will take place at the Josephine County Fairgrounds beginning at 11 a.m. The club is seeking donations of cash, auction or raffle items. All donations are tax-deductible, and all proceeds go to SCHC. Phone Pat “Spanky” Allen at 659-8715 … Country Folks cafe in Selma will host a home-style chili fund-raiser for Illinois Valley Volunteer Firefighters Association on Saturday, Oct. 11. Watch the Noose for details … A flu clinic will be held at the Josephine County Bldg. in Cave Junction Thursday, Oct. 23. Details forthcoming in the Snooze ... Homebuyer Education is the topic for a free HUD-approved workshop on Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Harbeck Road branch of SOFCU Community Credit Union in Grants Pass. The gathering will include prizes and games. Watch I.V. News for details … Newspaper slips: *A bus loaded with farm workers was struck at the intersection by an eastbound brain. *The banquet will honor John Doe, who is retiring from city hall, where he has been unemployed for the past 25 years. *She is proud of her grandson, who seems to be following in her footsteps. She is a former chorus girl.
LAST WORDS - *Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. (Ralph Waldo Emerson) *Give all to love; obey thy heart. (Also Emerson)
AFTER-SCHOOL CLASSES - After-school educational and enrichment classes are offered at Illinois Valley High School through the 21st Century Community Learning Center Program. Open to Three Rivers School District students, and their parents and guardians, these free classes are primarily offered after school so that students can take the activity bus home at 5:30. Classes run Mondays through Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:15 p.m., and the program includes after-school tutoring. Classes being planned to begin the week of Sept. 22: Beginning Cooking, Yoga, Drama & Theater Games, Salsa Dancing, Sewing, Basketball, Mountain Biking, Scrap-Booking and maybe more, depending on interest.
Some classes are offered for a month or so while others are continual. This program also partners with Siskiyou Field Institute and its Naturalist Certificate Program. The 21st Century Program has offered a wide variety of classes to students and families during the past couple of years. Suggestions for other classes and instructors who might want to offer their time and talents to this program are sought. The final schedule will be announced soon. For more information, contact Deb Murphy at 592-2866.
CRATER LAKE FUN DAY - The Crater Lake National Park Trust will present Family Fun Day at Crater Lake National Park on Saturday, Sept. 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. with free admission, special programs, and free root beer floats for the first 500 visitors. Crater Lake Soda, a Portland-based gourmet soda company, is providing root beer. Ice cream for the floats will be provided courtesy of Dairy Farmers of Oregon. Admission to the park will be free all day in honor of Public Lands Day, and National Park Service rangers will present programs throughout the afternoon. The Klamath Indian Dancers and Singers (KIDS) group will perform traditional tribal dances.
FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS - Oregon’s Fire Service Honor Guard will host the third annual Oregon Fallen Firefighter Memorial on Thursday, Sept. 18 at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem. The memorial is a tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting lives and property. During this year’s ceremony, 21 names will be added to the memorial wall, including nine firefighters who died in the line of duty during 2008. “Oregon’s Fire Service was deeply saddened to lose nine firefighters to their work this year,” said Eriks Gabliks, deputy director of the Oregon Dept. of Public Safety Standards & Training.
Seven Southern Oregon firefighters with Grayback Forestry, and their pilot from Carson Helicopters, both of Merlin, died in a California helicopter crash while fighting the Shasta-Trinity National Forest Iron Fire, and one firefighter from Scapoose lost his life to a heart attack on his way home from a structure fire,” explained Gabliks. “We will be adding their names to the wall in recognition of their recent sacrifices. We will also be adding 12 others who, through historical research, have been found to meet the requirements for inclusion.”
PREGNANCY CENTER EVENT - Wednesday, Sept. 24 is the deadline to RSVP for the annual fund-raising banquet set by Pregnancy Center of Illinois Valley for Saturday, Sept. 27. The program at I.V. Senior Center will feature Beth Chase as guest speaker, and a meal catered by O’Brien’s Phil Aria. Chase is executive director of Life Choice Project/National Institute of Family & Life Advocates. To RSVP phone 592-6058.
LINT PICKERS SOUGHT - Oregon Caves National Monument will host a day of cave restoration Saturday, Sept. 27 in conjunction with 2008 Public Lands Day. Volunteers will pick lint left along the tour route in the cave by the 50,000 annual visitors. Workers will be given free camping and lunch, an off-trail caving trip, and a pass good for one day of free admission to any fee site on public land. To register, or for more information, contact Shawn Thomas at 592-2100, Ext. 254; or shawn_thomas@nps.gov.
NOTEPAD - Evergreen Elementary School in Cave Junction will hold an open house Thursday, Sept. 18 beginning promptly at 6 p.m. in the gym, and lasting until 7 … Stand Down 2008 is being held for military veterans through Sunday, Sept. 21 at the V.A. Medical Center in Roseburg. U.S. veterans of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines are welcome ... I.V. Bikers annual Toy Run needs an organizer. Phone “Stinky” at 287-0290 … Outside food and beverages no longer are allowed inside the IVHS football stadium, said Mark Higgins, the high school’s athletic director ... I.V. Chamber of Commerce recorded 2,363 guests at I.V. Visitor Center during August, a decline of 457 compared to August 2007, reported Dulcie Moore, chamber office manager … Making Connections In Awkward Situations is the title of a seminar in Grants Pass set for Saturday, Sept. 27 by Josephine County Employer Council. Phone 244-3247 to register or for more information ... Newspaper slips: *A large crow enjoyed the
mayor’s speech. *A psychologist claimed that the women’s lip movement was the cause of male frustration. *The jury found the defendant guilty with 12 ayes and no nose.
LAST WORDS - All major religious traditions carry basically the same message: That love, compassion and forgiveness are the important things and they should be part of our daily lives. (His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama)
