2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 4, 2015
Polk County News
Polk County Folklife Festival ready for debut on Saturday
M-I Chamber set
to honor leaders
By Jolene Guzman
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — Kurt
Dugan, program director for
the Polk County Folklife Fes-
tival, wants to turn the Polk
County Fairgrounds & Event
Center into a place everyone
feels welcome when the
event debuts Saturday.
Folklife will explore and cel-
ebrate the Willamette Valley’s
diversity through music, food,
performing arts and crafts.
“That’s what I want, peo-
ple of different ethnic groups
and cultures to feel like they
are in their own living room,”
Dugan said.
And other people’s living
room’s, too, offering what he
describes as “a sense of com-
munity.” Dugan wants those
cultures to interact, allowing
people to
explore
something
they haven’t
before.
That is
why musi-
cal acts es-
pecially
w e r e
Dugan
scheduled
with so much variety. Bands
include headliners Lisa Orn-
stein and Dan Compton’s fid-
dle and guitar duo act, Native
American flute player Jan
Michael Looking Wolf, Latin
band Romance, reggae-ska
group Big Outside, and blue-
grass band Roundhouse.
Dugan’s hope is that peo-
ple who come to the festival
to listen to one act will stay
to hear the next.
“That’s what this festival is
about, people taking the op-
portunity to experience
other music and other cul-
tures,” he said.
Dugan had been envision-
ing the festival for several
years and started putting to-
gether a team about two
years ago. He presented his
idea to the Dallas Area Visi-
tors Center, which agreed to
MONMOUTH/INDE-
PENDENCE — It’s almost
that time of year again,
when the communities of
Monmouth and Independ-
ence recognize the people
and businesses who make a
difference.
The 50th annual Mon-
mouth Independence Com-
munity Awards Banquet will
be Friday, March 13, at 5:30
p.m., but tickets must be pur-
chased by noon on Monday.
Nominations this year in-
cluded a tough crowd, filled
with worthy names of busi-
nesses and individuals who
made a positive impact on
the community.
The category for Junior
Citizen Award — in its sec-
ond year — was so tough, the
selection committee refused
to narrow it to just one, said
Jean Love, chamber execu-
tive director.
“Upon scoring the (nom-
ination) narratives, these
two were tied,” Love said.
“They said, ‘we don’t want
to choose a specific winner.
We want to award both of
Festival will celebrate diversity
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROMANCE
Local band Romance will be part of the main stage lineup at the first Polk County Folk-
life Festival taking place Saturday at the Polk County Fairgrounds & Event Center.
Check It Out
What: Polk County
Folklife Festival.
When: Saturday, 10
a.m. to 10 p.m.
Where: Polk County
Fairgrounds & Event Cen-
ter, 520 S. Pacific High-
way (99W), Rickreall.
Admission: $10, or
five cans of food and $5;
children 12 and under
admitted free. Food do-
nations will be donated
to the Dallas Food Bank.
For more informa-
tion: info@polkcounty-
folklife.com or www.polk-
countyfolklife.com.
help, and it soon began to
grow. Now, the Polk County
Folklife Festival Committee
consists of 12 people.
Sally Clark, the owner of
Guthrie Park Community
Center and longtime friend
of Dugan’s, is a part of that
Furniture Upholstery
Stephen
All types: for homes, offices, equip-
ment. Also, repairs, RV cushions,
slipcovers, High Quality since 1966
Winters Sewing
503-838-4999 or 503-375-9266
Emmy
440 E. St • Independence, OR 97351
www.winterssewing.com
Serving Polk County 16yrs
team, helping manage enter-
tainment at the festival.
“To have a folk festival so
close to home is exciting,”
Clark said.
Organizers were especially
keen on bringing in Lisa
Ornstein, a fiddle player who
has helped revive old-time
Appalachian music.
“She’s nationally known,”
Clark said. “For her to want
to come to Polk County and
perform is great.”
Folklife will also honor an-
other legend of the genre,
Jane Keefer, the festival’s
main stage namesake. Dugan
said she taught and inspired
a number of local musicians
to take up old-time music.
But music isn’t the only
reason to come to Folklife.
Festivalgoers can experi-
ence culture through cui-
sine, as a variety of ethnic
foods will be featured.
Youngsters will have an area
designated for them, called
“Little Folkies,” with craft ac-
Sudoku Solution
tivities provided by Dallas
nonprofit Monkey with Tools,
as well as face painting and a
juggler and
a ventrilo-
quist-magi-
cian put-
ting on
shows. Arts
and crafts
vendors
and dem-
onstrators
Clark
will have
booths set up through the fes-
tival area, covering three
buildings at the fairgrounds.
For the adults 21 and
older, there will be a beer
and wine garden featuring
Rogue Ales brews and vin-
tages from Airlie Winery.
Truman Price, the regular
dance caller at Guthrie Park’s
monthly country dances,
will host a traditional barn
dance in the evening.
“I hope to see lots of peo-
ple out there,” Clark said. “I
hope this is a success so we
can continue next year. We
want this to be the start of
something.”
them for all they’ve done for
the community.’”
The two Junior Citizen
Award winners are Megan
Stutzman and Michael Willis.
Other winners will be an-
nounced at the banquet on
March 13 at Eola Hills Win-
ery.
Mu c h o f w h a t w a s
changed at the banquet last
year will remain the same
this year, but one thing will
be added.
“We gave the explanation
of the winner, but the acco-
lades were very generic,”
Love said. “We didn’t do a
good job of shining the light
about what they have done.
This year we’ll read high-
lights about each of the
nominees and announce
the winner. We want to
highlight the greatness of all
our nominees.”
Many businesses that won
awards last year are in the
top three finalists this year.
“There are definitely
some repeats,” Love said. “It
really shows the impact that
these businesses or individ-
uals have made, when
you’re repeatedly ranked or
nominated.”
Attend the Gala
What: The 50th annual Monmouth-Independence
Community Awards Banquet.
When: Friday, March 13. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m.
Program begins at 6:30.
Where: Eola Hills Wine Cellars, Rickreall.
Admission: $40 per person. Tickets must be purchased
by Monday at noon.
AWARD FINALISTS
Junior Citizen Award winners: Megan Stutzman,
Michael Willis.
Business and Organization Awards: Retail Service —
Independence Cinema, Les Schwab Tire Center, Roth’s Fresh
Markets; Nonprofit or Organization — Monmouth Inde-
pendence YMCA, Monmouth Public Library, Partnerships in
Community Living Inc. Food and Beverage Service — Burg-
erville, Crush Wine Bar and Tasting Room, San Antonio. Per-
sonal Service Provider — Ash Creek Animal Clinic, Curves,
Monmouth Fitness Club. Professional Service Provider —
Maps Credit Union, MINET, Oregon State Credit Union.
Education Support Staff of the Year: Tracy Barnes, Jo-
dene Presler and Janie Vela. Educator of the Year: Adri-
enne Gault, Scott McCannell, Linda Tonagel. Distin-
guished Service: Mark Fancey, Rod Killen, David Ritchey.
First Citizen: Dori Showell, Kimber Townsend, Donn Wahl.
For more information: www.micc-or.org.