S ERVING THE S ILVERTON A REA S INCE 1880
50 C ENTS
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A U NIQUE E DITION OF THE S TATESMAN J OURNAL
V OL . 135, N O . 34
W EDNESDAY , A UGUST 10, 2016
SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
Creekside chat
Legion of volunteers lends civic vibrancy
JUSTIN MUCH
Homer
Da-
venport Commu-
nity Festival pre-
sents a municipal
paragon of sorts.
Between the
parade, parties,
Davenport races, fun runs, his-
torical exhibitions, and espe-
cially the overall bustle of min-
gling residents spilling out into
the streets, it would be difficult
to stage a more intricate illus-
tration of a spirited community.
A significantly less flamboy-
ant, yet vital, element within Sil-
verton’s vibrancy occurs be-
hind the scenes. That’s where
you find, often out of sight, vol-
unteers, underpinning not only
celebrations such as Davenport
days, the pet parade, fine-arts
festival and the like, but also
creating a latticework uphold-
ing overall community quality.
Volunteer services fill the
gaps, polish civic pride and help
residents take ownership of
their urban environs.
Consequently, a lack of vol-
unteers could create an inverse
effect, a basically livable but
bland community with an un-
connected, borderline apathetic
populace.
A couple of local organizers –
and volunteers -- Sue Roessler
and Jennifer Côtè contemplat-
ed just such a dissimilitude dur-
ing the Aug. 3 Creekside Chat,
just a couple of days shy of the
Davenport celebration and
OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Homer Davenport's political cartoon of New York City’s Tammany Hall
weeks away from their own Af-
ter School Activities Program
(ASAP) fundraising gala.
That ASAP gala is coming to-
gether nicely, in no small part to
a nationally acclaimed and lo-
cally rooted country singer Ben
Rue, who will perform Aug. 18
at Vanderbeck Valley Farms. At
the time of the chat, a few
tickets were still available --
benrueasapbenefitconvert.e-
ventbrite.com.
Looking beyond the immedi-
Davenport activities
show Silverton spirit
ate event, Sue and Jennifer
mused on the inestimable value
of volunteerism, the composi-
tion of current volunteers and
local philanthropy and a desire
to tap into a broader, sustaining
generation of future volun-
teers.
ASAP may be the platform to
that end.
“Something we are trying to
do with this event is to create
something that young folks can
get involved with,” Sue said,
clarifying the “young” as essen-
tially an under-40 demographic.
“What kind of fundraisers are
young people interested in go-
ing to?...Something fun, yet
(serving) a good cause.”
See LEGION, Page 3A
Christian
School
slated to
open Sept. 6
CHRISTENA BROOKS
SPECIAL TO THE APPEAL TRIBUNE
ANNA REED / STATESMAN JOURNAL
A fountain was emodeled with mosaic designs to help mark the Homer Davenport Days celebration in Silverton on Aug. 7.
ANNA REED / STATESMAN JOURNAL
Peyton Rodman, 4, of Silverton, enjoyed a ride during Homer Davenport Days. The
celebration included a parade, parties, races, fun runs and historical exhibitions.
Sanford Webb, 52, of Portland, carries a
Homer Davenport drawing he found at a
thrift store during Homer Davenport Days.
See MORE DAVENPORT PHOTOS,
Page 3A
See SCHOOL, Page 3A
Voters to decide marijuana-tax bump
CHRISTENA BROOKS
SPECIAL TO THE APPEAL TRIBUNE
In the Nov. 8 election,
Silverton and Mt. Angel
voters will decide wheth-
er their respective cities
will tack a 3 percent tax
onto the state’s 17 percent
recreational marijuana
tax.
The Silverton City
Council already approved
recreational marijuana
sales inside the city limits,
effective last October, fol-
lowing the passage of
Measure 91. A “yes” vote
on the tax measure in No-
vember will add an addi-
Online at SilvertonAppeal.com
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tional tax that goes into
city coffers.
In Mt. Angel, voters
will be asked two ques-
tions. First, do they want
to legalize recreational
marijuana businesses in
their town? And, second,
should these businesses
be taxed?
More than 55 per-
cent of Mt. Angel vot-
ers voted “no” on Ore-
gon’s Measure 91, a
margin that allows the
city to ban within its
limits the kind of mari-
juana growth, produc-
See TAX, Page 3A
INSIDE
Births ......................................3B
Briefs......................................2A
Calendar ...............................2A
Classifieds..............................3B
Life..........................................4A
Obituaries .............................3B
Sports......................................1B
©2016
Printed on recycled paper
One teacher, five students, four
board members and a 5,000-square-
foot church building.
Such is the beginning of Silver Falls
Christian School, a kindergarten
through eighth-grade school that will
open its doors to students Sept. 6.
Housed at Silverton Foursquare
Church, it’s as much a continuation of
an evangelical school community as it
is a brand-new venture.
“This is a rebirth of what Silverton
Christian School used to be,” said Ja-
mie Runion, board chairwoman. “We’re
focusing on excellence in education
and having a strong foundation in
Christ.”
The 36-year-old Christian school
started by Silverton Friends Church
lost its building last spring when the
church separated from the school, of-
fering its facilities to Community
Roots Charter School instead. Facing
financial difficulties, church members
said the publicly funded Montessori-
style school proffered lease payments
that the Christian school couldn’t
match.
Silverton Christian School parents
were largely shocked by the announce-
ment in April that the K-8 school would
close. Excluding the church’s popular
preschool, more than 50 students were
enrolled in 2015, slightly above the 45 it
has averaged over the years. However,
an initial list of committed returners
for 2016-17 had fallen to 28.
For Runion, parent club president, it
was obvious the Christian school
should continue – but where? After
meeting with a handful of other church
leaders, she heard that Silverton Four-
square Church at 606 North Second
Street had an empty building that could
be a good fit.
“They had been praying, not for fi-
nancial relief, but for God to put this
building to use,” she said.
The two-story building is separate
from the sanctuary and church offices
and features a large fellowship hall, as
well as multiple classrooms and of-
fices. It was most recently used for pre-
school and counseling services. It’d
been empty for a year, with Pastor Rob
McKeown and his 50-person congrega-
tion waiting for the right ministry to
come along.
“We are definitely viewing this as
more than just providing a building,”
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