Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2018)
Applegater Summer 2018 7 NONPROFIT NEWS AND UPDATES — A Greater Applegate — Successful launch of A Greater Applegate! It has been four months since our transition from Cantrall Buckley Park operators to A Greater Applegate, and a lot has happened in that time. First, we were thrilled with the response to our community chili dinner at the Applegate Valley Fire District Training Building on March 15. More than 100 people showed up on a cold, rainy evening; the energy level made it sound like a hundred more. It was great to visit with friends—old and new—and share what we are doing and thinking about. We want to thank Ruch Country Store for hosting the event and providing the home-cooked chili, and to thank our other sponsors—Applegate Valley Fire District, By George Farm, Charlie’s Produce, D&B Land & Livestock, Oshala Farms, Pennington Farms, Rise Up! Artisan Bread, and Whistling Duck Farm and Store—for making it all warm and inviting. While we love feeding people, this gathering was intended to engage more of us in what we can do to ensure A Greater Applegate’s success. We are happy that three dozen people volunteered to participate in building networks for local artists, businesses, nonprofits, and neighborhoods and to help with the park and plan its 50th anniversary (see Cantrall Buckley Park Golden Jubilee information on page 1). If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please email me and I will connect you to the right person. We can definitely use more help for this important work! We also want to make sure we are putting our energy toward what matters to the people of the Applegate Valley, and we are inviting everyone who lives here to respond to our community survey, which you can find at gacdc.org. So far, we have learned that people are interested in: • Building a rural caucus to amplify the voice of the Applegate Valley community with local and state governments and other regional decision makers. • Creating an Applegate Farmers’ Market for local produce and products. • Supporting neighborhood emergency plans and promoting emergency preparedness. • Addressing other issues, including cannabis policy, Bureau of Land Management policy, traffic, a community garden, a local recycling program, and a commercial kitchen. We learned that the Applegate Valley Connect website (applegateconnect.org) is a very popular new addition to the community. We already had a good sense of that based on the close to 10,000 views it has received since its launch in February, but we also learned that people like it equally for its calendar of events, projects, stories, and directory of organizations. If you are a local organization, be sure to register and add your information on the directory. It’s free and easy! Cantrall Buckley Park remains as valued as ever, with the Park Enhancement Committee creating an Art Walk, working with the county to install solar panels and an educational exhibit, installing new benches, and completing work on the playground installations, among other projects (see related story on page 10). In the survey, people have asked for more trash and recycling bins, among a range of other amenities. Most recently we were excited to hear we received a Community Builders grant from The Ford Family Foundation, which will enable us to build the infrastructure for the work ahead. The grant will fund more hours for our consultant and interns to support our community-building work and will help us with rebuilding our organizational website, planning for the future, and more. So let’s keep the momentum going! Help us know what you care about by completing the survey (gacdc.org). Get on the mailing list for one of the upcoming network gatherings for artists, businesses, neighborhoods, or nonprofits. Join us at the Cantrall Buckley 50th Anniversary Jubilee on July 14. And, yes, tax-deductible donations are always welcome. Mail your check to A Greater Applegate, PO Box 335, Jacksonville, OR 97530 or visit our soon- to-be-updated website at gacdc.org. Seth Kaplan Board Chair A Greater Applegate SethKaplanConsulting@gmail.com Around 100 members of the Applegate community attended the chili dinner held by A Greater Applegate in March at the Applegate Valley Fire District Training Building. Volunteers needed! Cantrall Buckley Park’s Golden Jubilee Saturday, July 14, 11 am - 7 pm • Kids’ Zone • Green crew • Parking crew • Information tent To sign up, email agreaterapplegate@gmail.com. — McKee Bridge Historical Society — The pie is history, but more fun to come On Saturday evening, April 14, four score and more folks met on McKee Bridge for a Pie Social and History Talk, with Janeen Sathre narrating a showing of old photos of the Upper Applegate area from the collection of her mother, Evelyn Williams. Prior to the picture show, old- timers born and raised here mingled with those who have arrived more recently, all eagerly consuming the astounding layout of pies, cakes, cookies, and brownies provided by the McKee Bridge Historical Society board members with the help of family and volunteers. If you weren’t there, ask anyone who attended, and you’ll find out that you missed a good time, pie, friends, and a history lesson too. We plan to have more history events in the future, so watch for updates by checking the calendar or events on applegateconnect.org. Raffle But here’s the deal: You can get in on the fun and have a chance to win $300. Two generous benefactors have put up the money for a raffle for anyone who becomes a new member or renews an existing membership in the McKee Bridge Historical Society by McKee Bridge Day, our annual celebration that occurs on Saturday, June 9, this year. The drawing will be held after a day of family-friendly activities: Applegate Lions tri-tip BBQ, root beer floats, music by the Old Time Fiddlers once again, old cars and old engines, lots of exhibits and vendors. Come out and celebrate the 101 st birthday of the bridge with us from 11 am – 3 pm. We’re very proud of our bridge, and we hope you’ll come enjoy it with us. To become a member of the McKee Bridge Historical Society or to renew your membership, call Paul Tipton at 541-846- 7501 or email mckeebridge1917@gmail. com. The cost is only $20 for an individual or family membership. We’ll get a form or information to you, as needed, or you can sign up on June 9 during our celebration. Paul Tipton 541-846-7501 mckeebridge1917@gmail.com — Pacifica — We miss you, Kay! Kay Johnson, who created a good deal of Pacifica’s seven miles of hiking and riding trails, died on April 16. She used to say that she knew every inch of Pacifica’s 420 acres, and we all believed her. One of the trails she developed will be named after her. We will miss her for her thoughtful, no-nonsense suggestions and comments at board meetings, for all her hard work on horse events and establishing the trail system and map, and for her friendly wave from atop her horse. Sky-Lodge erected for outdoor school Pacifica now has a lovely 50-foot-wide Sky-Lodge thanks to Brenda Patton and Jay Cromer. It is an amazing structure and absolutely perfect for evening campfires with songs and skits and for essential eating space for our Outdoor School sessions. We have had a busy spring creating the curriculum, activities, and facilities needed for Pacifica Outdoor School (P.O.D.S.). Groups of up to 60 sixth graders from the Three Rivers School District and other schools will be spending three days and two nights each session at Pacifica. Their programs will include nature-science (animals, birds, rocks, soil, water, etc.), hiking games and activities, and fishing, as well as a close-to-the-ground challenge course, lessons on how to stay found when hiking, and classes in music, art, or theater. We’re really looking forward to this new adventure at Pacifica. An array of summer day camps Are any of you interested in leading a four-day summer camp at Pacifica? The Educational game at Pacifica summer camp. subject of the camp could be anything you choose! Pacifica offers summer day camps from 9 am - 2 pm, Mondays through Thursdays. You can change that format, though, if you would prefer to offer a one-night overnight or all nights overnight for your camp. Camps already scheduled for this summer are music, theater, sewing, and yoga, with a creativity camp in the works. Open weeks to lead a camp are June 25, July 9, July 16, August 13, and August 27. Let us know of your interest If you are interested in doing a camp, please talk with Vanessa as soon as possible about your ideas! All camps must have two adults on staff, so perhaps some of you would like to partner up to offer a camp. Camps are super fun and a chance to work with a small group of kids, when you really can connect with them and do fun projects! Thanks for considering the idea! Please contact Vanessa at 541-621- 6278 or vanessa@pacificagarden.org if you’d like to lead or take part in a camp. Peg Prag • 541-846-1100 peg@pacificagarden.org Nonprofit organizations in the Applegate Valley are welcome to submit news and event information to the Applegater. Email gater@applegater.org.
