S ERVING THE S ILVERTON A REA S INCE 1880
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A U NIQUE E DITION OF THE S TATESMAN J OURNAL
V OL . 136, N O . 28
W EDNESDAY , J UNE 28, 2017
SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
Take a hike into history at Silver Falls
JUSTIN MUCH
STAYTON MAIL
COURTESY OF FRIENDS OF SILVER FALLS STATE PARK
There will be many hands-on activities at the 8th Annual Historic Silver Falls Days.
A prime regional destination for
sightseeing and hiking becomes a hotbed
for history during the second weekend
of July.
The 8th Annual Historic Silver Falls
Days takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, July 8-9, at Silver
Falls State Park, 20024 Silver Falls High-
way, Sublimity.
The event celebrates the scenic envi-
rons of a park that spawned in part from
a depression era Civilian Conservation
Corps project.
Oregon State Parks history informa-
tion cites the area’s first homestead dat-
ing back to 1883 next to the South Falls,
and Silver Falls City platted in 1888,
where a peak population reached around
200 over the ensuing decades. The re-
gion was home turf to Kalapuya and Mol-
alla natives for millennia prior to that.
The site has developed into one of
Oregon’s most popular state parks; Ore-
gon State Parks lists its annual day-use
attendance at about 1,273,680. The histor-
ic celebration event accommodates that
popularity and history as well.
Saturday will feature Model T and
Model A antique cars; demonstrations of
antique logging tools; flint knapping;
spinning wheel demonstrations; families
participating in old-fashioned games;
storytelling of historic days in the area;
and a farrier will demonstrate making
horseshoes and other iron work.
“The changes to the event over the
past eight years (include) draft horses
and more participation by the antique
car clubs,” said Lou Nelson of the
Friends of Silver Falls, a volunteer group
that helps oversee the pristine area and
promotes special events.
“This year we have another group of
Model Ts joining us. Mill Creek Car-
riages will not be here this year but will
be next year and plan to be regulars. But
we do have Kirt Fisk, a farrier who dem-
See HISTORY, Page 3A
CREEKSIDE CHAT
‘Tooning’ up
for Homer
Davenport
Festival
HIGH WATERS,
HIGH CONCERN
JUSTIN MUCH
To no one’s surprise in
Silverton, a reasonably
mild and sunny Wednes-
day lured many out-
doors on Wednesday,
June 21.
Silver Creek Coffee
House was no different as most midday
patrons shifted out onto the bistro’s bal-
cony perched over Silver Creek’s crys-
tal-clear, west-flowing waters, as co-
proprietor Josh Nightingale con-
versed at length with a visitor from Eu-
reka, Calif., about area attractions and
the region’s natural features.
The visitor appeared entranced with
the sites he had already visited, such as
Abiqua Falls, and absorbed recommen-
dations for others.
Meanwhile, to many locals, the sun-
niest of days to date triggered anticipa-
tion of more sun to come and annual
events ushered in with that warmer
weather, such as the Homer Davenport
Community Festival, slated for Aug.
4-6.
One highlighted festival feature this
year is the International Cartoon Con-
test, and Gus Frederick advised that the
deadline for that contest, July 28, is but
a month out.
Gus furnished a couple of light-
hearted videos, one to help would-be
artists get their juices flowing
(https://youtu.be/O8k6X8-aWx0); an-
other to capture the overall spirit of the
annual
event
(https://youtu.be/zSfpTTebr6c).
Information and entry forms for
that contest are available at
http://homerdavenport.com/tooncon.
“Here’s a chance to earn some real
funny money!” Gus quipped, stressing
that prize winnings have increased
with a grand prize of $750, with hopes
that the augmented cash awards will
entice more people who are “drawn to
Silverton.”
"True, pretty much every small town
has some sort of festival,” Gus said.
“Corn, Blues, Iris, Jazz and UFO Festi-
vals are everywhere. But only one
small town hosts a festival honoring
Oregon's first media superstar, a politi-
LAUREN HERNANDEZ/STATESMAN JOURNAL
Members of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s dive team search the Three Pools water for a man presumed to have drowned.
Swimmers warned after 2 drowning
deaths on Little North Santiam River
ZACH URNESS
STATESMAN JOURNAL
Hot weather and high water lev-
els have been a tragic combination
on the Little North Santiam River
this spring.
Two people, an adult and teen-
ager, lost their lives while swim-
ming in a river running higher than
any time in almost a decade.
On June 18, 13-year-old Kendall
Alexander drowned after being
swept into current near Elkhorn
Valley Recreation Site. Less than a
month earlier, 25-year-old Kung
Shing Yau, of Hong Kong, jumped
from a cliff at Three Pools Recrea-
tion Site and didn’t resurface.
In both cases, the Little North
was running higher than normal —
and far higher than in recent years.
With a string of warm-weather
days in the forecast, officials are
stressing the danger of the rivers
and importance of wearing a life-
preserver when swimming.
“That water is cold, fast-moving
and high right now,” Marion Coun-
ty Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt.
Chris Baldridge said. “People that
want to head out there are going to
have to be prepared for those con-
ditions. At this point, it’s more dan-
See RIVER, Page 2A
See MUCH, Page 2A
Silverton Reservoir gets life-jacket kiosks
JUSTIN MUCH
APPEAL TRIBUNE
As the warming season
draws more people to the
water to beat the heat, Sil-
verton Fire District has
been proactively working
to beat the inherent dan-
gers that often surface
with increased water rec-
reation.
The district announced
Friday that with the help
of partners it has erected
life jacket kiosks at Sil-
verton Reservoir, fur-
nished with life preser-
vers of all sizes.
"We went out and
looked at the life jacket
stations today, and they
are all being used," Silver-
ton Deputy Chief Ed
Grambusch said Friday
afternoon. "We are look-
ing at adding more life
jackets."
The project took place
under the guidance of
Grambusch and Lt. Rick
Heuchert, who decided
more could be done to pre-
vent water tragedies.
This year has already
seen a number of drown-
ADY
ALRE
PEND
ings statewide, includ-
ing two on the North
Santiam River.
“For the Silverton
Fire District, helping
to save lives is more
than putting fires out
and prying patients out
of wrecked cars...pre-
vention is always a ma-
See JACKETS, Page 3A
PEN
ADY
ALRE
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