Applegater Fall 2021
7
NONPROFIT NEWS AND UPDATES
A Greater Applegate
Art on McKee Bridge
fine-tunes Community Vision is not to be missed
BY SETH KAPLAN AND MEGAN FEHRMAN
BY LAURA AHEARN
As Wendell Berry wrote in
1988, “In this difficult time of
failed public expectations, when
thoughtful people wonder
where to look for hope, I keep
returning in my own mind
to the thought of the renewal
of the rural communities….
But to be authentic, a true
encouragement and a true
beginning, this would have to be
a revival accomplished mainly
by the community itself. It
would have to be done not from
the outside by the instruction
of visiting experts but from the inside
by the ancient rule of neighborliness, by
the love of precious things, and by the
wish to be at home.” His words seem as
fitting in today’s Applegate as they did in
Berry’s Kentucky.
The Applegate Valley has no official
boundaries. We’re marginally located in
three counties and two states. We have no
local government presence or services to
address our needs or share our hopes. We
don’t have accurate statistics about who
lives here because we’re not considered
an actual “place.” It’s hard to get our
voices heard when we are invisible as
a community.
By the time you’re reading this, A
Greater Applegate (AGA) will have been
fortunate to experience the local character,
stories, and ideas in neighborhoods
throughout this area as we completed the
Applegate Valley Vision Listening Sessions.
More than 300 people have gathered with
us in all areas of our community: Little
Applegate, Upper Applegate, Humbug
Creek, North Applegate, Thompson
Creek, Ruch, Gyda Lane, Sterling Creek,
Provolt, Williams, Applegate Lake,
Wilderville, and Murphy. Still more
have shared their wisdom and experience
at gatherings of Spanish speakers, local
businesses, community organizations,
advocates of the food system, and youth.
Each one of these gatherings has been a
little different, reflecting specific issues and
bringing to the surface common interests,
confirming that the Applegate Valley is a
community with shared values and vision.
We want to hear from as many
Applegaters as possible and to use what
we hear to develop an Applegate Valley
Vision highlighting community priorities
that emerged through this process. If you
were unable to join one of our listening
sessions, please complete the survey inserted in
this issue of the Applegater. You can return
it to the AGA office or your local library in
Applegate, Ruch, or Williams.
The next step in this process is for
AGA to organize all we have heard into
categories and share it with participants
for confirmation. With that confirmation,
we can begin to work together to turn
vision into action. (On page 12, see the
Community Vision Process graphic on
how the process will unfold from here.)
As an outcome of the Applegate Valley
Vision Listening Sessions and community-
wide meetings, AGA will coordinate with
the local community and content experts
from public and private agencies to create
Community Action Teams in support
of the community’s prioritized projects.
We will organize these teams around the
priority projects and key strategies that
emerged through the visioning process.
Sunday, September 12,
Grandparents Day, will be
a very busy day for McKee
Bridge Historical Society
(MBHS). MBHS members
will meet at the McKee
Bridge picnic grounds
shelter for their annual
meeting at 11 am, while
Applegate artists and quilters
convert the 104-year-old
covered bridge into an
art and quilt gallery. The
exhibit will be open to the
public from noon-4 pm
and will feature at least two
of the stunning museum
quilts designed by
MBHS founder Evelyn
Byrne Williams.
MBHS is thrilled that
Rogue Valley Genealogical
Society (RVGS) has agreed
to exhibit “Mar yum’s
Yellow Rose,” the incredibly
detailed quilt that depicts
the McKee family who
e m i g r a t e d t o Ja c k s o n
County in 1853.
RV G S w i l l a l s o
d i s p l a y Ev e l y n’s
large, original drawings,
which were used by the
Ja c k s o n v i l l e Mu s e u m
Quilters when they crafted
this quilt back in 1984.
A limited number of
Two panels from the exquisite museum quilt
commemorative postcards
will be on sale. Don’t miss "Maryum's Yellow Rose,” which depicts the McKee family who
emigrated to Jackson County in 1853. The quilt will be on
this rare opportunity to see
display at McKee Bridge on Sunday, September 12.
a very special quilt.
If you are an artist, in any
medium, and would like to exhibit your
• MBHS received 100 percent of
work, please contact mckeebridge1917@ the requested grant from the Oregon
gmail.com. While the event is intended Historic Cemeteries Commission to repair
to showcase Applegate creativity and not damaged grave markers and install an
necessarily generate sales, it will be fine interpretive panel at Logtown Cemetery.
if exhibitors sell a piece or two or gain MBHS volunteers continue to inspect
a commission. MBHS will charge no and clean the oldest monuments at
booth fees, as what’s important is creating the cemetery and to research the pioneers
a special space for our community to they memorialize.
celebrate Applegate talent.
• MBHS volunteers have staffed
Speaking of talent, Ruch Outdoor a booth at almost every Applegate
Community School will have a booth. Evening Market on Wednesdays from
Grandparents who bring grandkids—and 5-8 pm. Thank you, Electric Gardens
vice-versa—will receive a free ticket each Flower Farm!
for the drawing of their choice: a bottle of
• The Ruch Hardware 20th Anniversary
superior Cowhorn wine, a “Bigfoot Loves Party was a fun day with lots of great
McKee Bridge” T-shirt, or an MBHS people stopping at the MBHS booth to
water bottle.
chat about history.
A key agenda item for the MBHS
• Coming up: The decision on the
Annual Meeting is the election of directors pending grant application to the Oregon
and officers. If you might be interested Cultural Trust, the mandatory structural
in joining the board to help keep McKee inspection of the bridge, and—mark your
Bridge open to the public and preserve calendar if you didn’t already—Art on the
Applegate history, please send a message Bridge, aka Grandparents Day, noon-4
to mckeebridge1917@gmail.com. pm, Sunday, September 12.
Members will also review some recent
Laura Ahearn
and upcoming developments:
mckeebridge1917@gmail.com
Members of the Sterling Creek neighborhood
take part in a listening session.
The broad categories are:
1. Resilient and Connected
a. Emergency Preparedness, Fire
Management and Prevention
b. Public Safety
c. Built Environment/Infrastructure
d. Communications Systems
e. Energy
2. Vibrant and Livable
a. Health and Wellness
b. Transportation
c. Housing
d. Food Access and Security
e. Education
3. Prosperous and Vital
a. Local Economy
b. Destination Management
c. Business Network
d. Arts and Culture
e. (To be determined)
4. Stewarded and Sustainable
a. Protect and Preserve Public &
Private Forest Resources
b. Protect and Preserve Water
Resources and Local Watersheds
c. Maintain and Enhance Small Family
Farming and Local Food System
d. Increase Outdoor Recreation
Opportunities
e. Plan for Climate Resiliency
5. Inclusive and Engaged Community
a. Representation and Rural Advocacy
b. Community and
Neighborhood Events
c. Age and Ability-friendly Programs
and Activities
d. Nonprofit Network Collaboration
e. History and Cultural Heritage
It is an honor to witness and record
the honesty and passion of so many
Applegaters who have participated in
this process. We look forward to turning
inward during the fall and winter seasons
to reflect on what we’ve learned. We are
excited to return in the spring for the larger
and deeper engagement to follow. If you
are interested in playing a role in any of the
emerging project and strategy categories,
we welcome hearing from you.
Seth Kaplan, Executive Director
seth@agreaterapplegate.org
Megan Fehrman
Director of Vision Strategy
megan@agreaterapplegate.org
Let your lights shine!
Remember all those wonderful
winter lights displays in the December
2020 tour by car? Let’s try to light up
the local area again this year!
Contact Janis Mohr-Tipton (541-
846-7501) or the A Greater Applegate
office (541-702-2108) if you want to be
included on the tour map.
Nonprofit organizations
in the Applegate Valley
are welcome to submit
news and event
information
to the Applegater.
Email gater@
applegater.org.