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.