Applegater Winter
2012 1
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Applegate Valley Community Newspaper, Inc.
P.O. Box 14
Jacksonville, OR 97530
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Grants Pass,
OR 97526
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Photo by Nansi Myers
WINTER 2012
Volume 5, No. 4
Applegate Valley Community Newspaper
Postal Patron
Serving Jackson and Josephine Counties — Circulation: 9,200
McKee Bridge restoration Dolores Durando:
Has $491K, need $49K more An Applegate woman of
limitless talents
by RObeRt vAN heUit
In August 2012, the fed er a l
government awarded a grant to Jackson
County in the amount of $491,048 to
restore the McKee Bridge. The total cost to
restore the bridge is estimated at $547,250.
The McKee Bridge Historical Society
(MBHS) is required to raise matching
funds in the amount of $56,202. To date,
MBHS has raised over $7,000 toward that
goal. However, due to the required grant
process, we still need another $5,000 by early
January 2013.
Members of the MBHS board of
directors have met with the Jackson
County Road Department and have
developed a tentative schedule for the
project. In accordance with federal law,
the State of Oregon will administer the
grant. The first order of business is for the
State of Oregon to circulate a request for
proposal (RFP) to design the repair. This
will be done in January 2013. After receipt
of the proposals, the State of Oregon will
award the engineering design to the best
qualified engineering firm. The firm will
then proceed to design the repair program.
After completion of the design, the state,
county and MBHS will review the plans.
After the plan is accepted, the State
of Oregon will solicit bids to perform the
work. When the contract is awarded to
the lowest qualified bidder, the work can
commence.
In order to receive the grant money,
the matching funds will need to be given to
the State of Oregon (Oregon Department
of Transportation). It is expected that
MBHS will need to give about $12,000
to Jackson County, who will forward that
amount to the State of Oregon in January
2013. The State can then bill the federal
government for the portion of the grant
money that will be used for the RFP
and engineering design. Because work
in the river channel can be conducted
only from June through October for
environmental reasons, it is expected that
the repair work will not be performed until
summer of 2014. MBHS will need to
give the remaining matching funds (about
$44,000) for the project to the county in
January 2014.
We have an enormous task ahead
of us to raise that amount of money.
Members of our board of directors have
made contact with a number of charitable
foundations and hope to have significant
financial assistance from them toward
accomplishing that goal.
We still need financial assistance from
all of you. You can make a contribution
by sending a check to MBHS, P.O. Box
854, Jacksonville, Oregon 97530. We
also have a website on the Internet.
Please look it up. The address is www.
mckeehistoricalcoveredbridge.org. You
can also make a PayPal contribution
through the website if that is convenient.
We have already received some generous
contributions, which are much
appreciated. MBHS is a nonprofit 501(c)3
corporation—all contributions are tax-
deductible.
Thank you all for your support. If
you have any questions or comments,
please contact me at 541-899-2927 or
rvanh2000@yahoo.com.
Robert E. Van Heuit, President
McKee Bridge Historical Society
541-899-2927
by bARbARA hOliDAy
At 91, one would think
she’d done it all and could
rest on her laurels. But not
Dolores Durando. No, not
Dolores.
At the age of 90,
her first novel, Beyond the
Bougainvillea, was published
by Bell Bridge Books. Now
just 91, she recently held
stage at a book-signing event
for her second novel, Out of
the Darkness, also published
by Bell Bridge.
And she’s got two more
books in the works. Her
third book is comprised of
short stories that are mostly
conversations with her
champion miniature donkey,
Tennessee Ernie, who is
terribly spoiled and has quite
the attitude. The fourth is
Best-selling author Dolores Durando, a Williams resident,
gradually becoming a lengthy
proudly presents her second novel, Out of the Darkness, at a
manuscript about a young
book-signing event at Evergreen Bank in Grants Pass.
man’s journey through life
(Photo by Barbara Holiday.)
during 1960s San Francisco.
According to her publisher, Beyond Dolores’ personal and horrific experiences
the Bougainvillea was one of the top 100 and observations over 35 years in the
Amazon Kindle books last year. The mental health arena. Marty, a young man
protagonist, Marge Reagan, escapes a in the 1950s, not only has no hope in life,
brutal life on the plains of 1920s North but his alcoholic mother gets rid of him
Dakota, and heads for Los Angeles to by locking him up in a mental institution.
make her place in the world, ultimately The brutality he endures is shocking.
encountering racism, discrimination, Marty is saved by the friendship of an old
betrayal and finally redemption. The life man who leads him to love and happiness.
of Dolores’ aunt was one of the inspirations Already the reviews on Amazon are terrific:
for this story.
four and five stars out of five.
Out of the Darkness is based on
See DURANDO, page 13
Wood sprites and mad hatters turn out for
the first annual Enchanted Forest Wine Run
Mushroom hat contest winners Bethany
LaLonde and Joseph Chick of Ashland. (Photo
by Michael Lebowitz, LongRun Pictures.)
by ANNette pARSONS
Two hundred and seventy runners,
including kids, turned out for the first
annual Enchanted Forest Wine Run on
September 29, starting and finishing at
Wooldridge Creek Winery in the middle
Applegate Valley.
Race directors Timothy and Krista
Olson and Marjorie Gosling sure know
how to put on one tough but fun half-
ATTENTION!
If there is an address label on your Applegater,
a donation is required to keep the paper coming to you.
Please be sure to make an annual donation
of at least $10 to cover our expenses. Thank you!
marathon, and their 5K and kids’ runs
were also huge successes.
The course began in the beautiful
vineyards of Wooldridge Creek Winery,
with commanding views of the middle
Applegate and Williams Valleys. The 5K
and the quarter mile kids’ run ended there,
but the half-marathoners then headed up
Slagle Creek Road and into the Enchanted
Forest, where forest magic and surprises
awaited! The rugged course led runners
through the Bureau of Land Management’s
Enchanted Forest trail and onto the Felton
Memorial trail. From there, runners
navigated a network of lovely private
trails above and around the Clover Creek
vineyard, the highest-elevation vineyard
in the Applegate, and known for its
gewürztraminer grapes.
Fanciful costumes were encouraged
and prize categories included “Best Fairy”
and “Finders of Magic Mushrooms.” Mad
See eNChANteD, page 8
NEW FEATURES
They Live Among Us...................................................page 13
Featured Advertiser............................................ ..... page 14
Next Generation: Applegate Valley students........ ... page 23