PRIKT = Arts& C u ltu r e ___________
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Festival highlights
Arch Bridge history
Luke Frank
Associate Arts & Culture
Kovash;. Clackamas County
Chair Charlotte Lehan; ODOT
Transportation manager Jason
Tell; Tribal Council Member of
the Grand Ronde tribe, Jon A.
George; ODOT Transportation
Director Mat Garrett; FHA
The smell of fried bread
made from a recipe, borrowed A dm inistrator Phil D itzler;
from eastern Oregon Native Tim H endrix and Josh Smith
Americans, was strong in the of Wildish and Oregon City
air as people strolled towards Manager Lloyd Purdy.
The festival wasn’t just a
the festivities surrounding the
opening of the Oregon City Arch rededication of the bridge, it was
Bridge on Sunday.
also a rededication of 47 couples
“Did you know this was renewing their collective wed
voted most beautiful bridge ding vows; a group that includ
when it was built?” said city ed Neely, who was celebrating
commissioner Carol Pauli as she nearly 50 years with his wife,
explained how much the bridge and Pauli, celebrating nearly 20
means to the communities of years with her husband.
Rhonda and Don Mircovich
Oregon City and West Linn. “We
share the same space, there’s just were also renewing their wed
ding vows after almost 30 years
a river between us.’’
Congressman Kurt Schrader of marriage and thoroughly
made an appearance for the enjoyed walking on the deck of
event, speaking briefly at the the bridge.
dedication for the bridge.
“I come this way to work in
“Well, it’s wonderful to be Lake Oswego four days a week
here to celebrate that Congress and I've missed it terribly,” said
actually did something,” . he Rhonda.
said to everyone’s enjoyment.
Main Street was closed for
Schrader also stated that ODOT several blocks near the bridge
got the job done on budget and allowing pedestrians full access
on time, receiving loud applause to the streets and the antique
cars that lined both sides of the
from the crowd.
“One of the things that I think road. Both the old and young
is really important [is] we prom enjoyed seeing these beautifully
ised members of this community restored Vehicles from days gone
that we’d have thisopen within by: Fords, Plymouths, Cadillacs,
22 months and we. made that and Chevrolets, a 1915 Kissel Kar,
I'm very pleased that we were even a Willys Jeep and an old
able to keep that promise,” said fire truck.
Don Hamilton, ODOT spokes
The bagpipe players began
the procession, adding a sense of
person.
Many other officials attended formality to the parade as they
the festival, primarily the rededi led the antique cars up the bridge
cation celebration that took place into West Linn for the inaugural
on the Oregon City side of the crossing. After the cars slowly
bridge at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The made their way past the specta
impressive list of dignitaries tors, the Girl Scouts strode by
included:
proudly carrying their banner
Oregon City Mayor Doug between them.
Neelyj West Linn Mayor John
Following were the bicyclists,
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Above: Mayor o f Oregon City, Doug Neeley, and
Mayor o f West Linn, John Kovash, cut the ribbon on
the Arch Bridge. An icon since 1922, the bridge has
been closed fo r the past two years fo r restoration.
who were put out by the closure
of the bridge and were forced
to use the Bridge Shuttle to get
back and forth between Oregon
City and West Linn.
The feeling of being a very
real part of history was palpable
and the festivities were rem inis
cent o f the original bridge open
ing with the parade, crowds and
speeches.
“I’m pleased that they did
very little to it in terms of struc
ture” said Neely of the finished
product. “It’s really a historically
significant bridge.”
Many businesses were affect
ed during the construction and
while some closed, others filled
the empty void left behind.
“Some of the businesses
didn't make it through the reces
sion, street changes and closure
of the bridge, but we've had
twice as many businesses come
in than we've had gone out,” said
Neely. “You see a lot of restora
tion work being done; we've got
a lot storefront improvements
that are occurring along Main
Street.”
“The construction was rough,
it was hard on us,” said JJ Foster,
co-owner of Wynona Studios,
located at 719 Main Street. “It’s
made it hard for people who
are coming from Lake Oswego,
Wilsonville [and] West Linn to
get to us.”
“There were times when it
would take someone 45 minutes
to get from Lake Oswego to
here,” Foster continued. “The
Arch Bridge seems like an exten
sion of Highway 43, so it's easy
for people to just keep coming.”
The hope all around is that
the bridge opening will continue
to improve business in the area.
“I do think that it’s going to
be a lot easier to get here and
it will be more welcome,” said
Foster.
Oregon City
Testing
800.777.2437
cascadeaids.org/hiv-testing-resources
Cascade AIDS Project
THURSDAY-10/18
FRIDAY-10/19
SATURDAY-1 0 /2 0
SUNDAY-10/21
• E v e n t:
Taking
Back Sunday takes
the Crystal Ballroom
-Portland Oregon 8
p.m.
• E v e n t:
Sinatra
Fest 2012 will be held
at Tony Starlight’s -
Portland
• E v e n t:
Morton
City
Soundtrack
performs
at
the
Hawthorne Theatre -
Portland 7 p.m.
• E v e n t:
Sinatra
Fest 2012 begins
at Tony Starlight’s -
Portland
• E ven t: Kilgore,
W a k e lin g , P o r te r
Ivories Jazz Lounge
- Portland 8 p.m - 11
p.m.
>CAI=>
c a s c a d e a id s .o rg
• E v e n t:
The
Shangai
Woolies
play at Jimmy Mak’s
- Portland 8 p.m.
• Event: Switch-
foot performs at the
Crystal Ballroom -
Portland 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 17,2012
MONDAY-1 0 /2 2
TUESDAY 10 /2 3