Page 3
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Military, postal veteran new postmaster for CJ
SENIOR SALE - Illinois Valley Senior Center
will hold a “gigantic” yard sale on Saturday, July 3
beginning at 8 a.m. Breakfast also will be served from
8 to 11 a.m. at 521 E. River St. in Cave Junction. See
the ad elsewhere in this issue.
COUGAR BUDGET PLAY - Due to Three Riv-
ers School District budget cuts, funds are needed if
there is to be a varsity football team at Illinois Valley
High School. The goal is $10,000, and community
participation in one of the many fund-raisers the team
will have this summer help is requested to raise the
money. One way to help is to donate a dollar at Shop
Smart, and the donor gets to place his or her name on
a paper football.
Additionally, Cougar football players will bag
groceries at Shop Smart on Saturday, July 3 from 11
a.m. to 5 p.m., and ask for community support.
Also, I.V. Boosters have raffle tickets for a red
Inner City scooter. Tickets are available at Home Val-
ley Bank, Taylor’s Sausage Country Store, and Radio
Shack/CJ Video Mart. Funds from that effort will go
toward an announcer’s booth at the new IVHS foot-
ball field. The drawing will be held at the July 4
alumni picnic in Jubilee Park.
COMMUNITY FIRE MEET - Public meetings
to discuss the Illinois Valley Community Fire Plan
will be held by Illinois Valley Fire District on
Wednesdays, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the following lo-
cations: July 7, Takilma Community Bldg., 9367
Takilma Road; July 28, RCC Kerby Belt Bldg., 24254
Redwood Hwy.; Aug. 11, IVFD Fire Station 4, 5465
Holland Loop; Aug. 18, Josephine County Bldg., 102
S. Redwood Hwy. in Downtown CJ. I.V.F.D. Fire
Prevention Coordinator De Spellman will lead meet-
ings.
PHONE BOOK RECYCLE - Recycling for
used phone books is available for Illinois Valley
through SPARC Enterprises recycling drop box at Se-
lect Market, 135 S. Redwood Hwy in Downtown CJ.
If every business and resident of Josephine County
lined up their outdated copies of QuestDex directory
end-to-end, the line would stretch nearly 13 miles,
according to QuestDex.
NOTEPAD - Illinois Valley Safe House Alliance
advocates began assisting more than 20 women a
month in 2000. It has grown to more than 53 women a
month in April 2004, 27 who had never used its ser-
vices before … Southern Oregon Sanitation office
will be closed Monday, July 5, but pick-up routes will
be unchanged… Reb Bev, who leads Beit Emmanuel,
a Messianic congregation in I.V., prefers the term
“angeled eggs,” rather than deviled … T-shirt: I’m
not bossy. I just know what you should be doing …
Another T-shirt: I don’t have an attitude problem,
jerk … One more T-shirt: I’m only wearing black
until they make something darker ... Two vultures
board an airplane; each is carrying two dead raccoons.
The flight attendant says, “I’m sorry, but only one
carrion is allowed per passenger.”
LAST WORDS - We cannot always build the
future for our youth, but we can build our youth for
the future. (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
Tuesday through
Saturday
11 a.m.
to 8:30 p.m.
Closed Sunday
& Monday
592-3228
355 Caves Hwy.
Lunch & Dinner
By CHRISTINA HILL
Correspondent
After serving the Cave
Junction Post Office for
the past 19 years, Bob
Richardson, the now-
former postmaster, decided
it was time to retire. With
his departure, he left a void
that would be hard to fill.
However, all that has
changed since the arrival
of Cave Junction’s new
postmaster, Dan Blau.
Blau, who is moving here
from Lebanon, Ore., may
be new to the valley, but
he is no stranger to the
postal service.
Immediately after
graduating in 1975 from
Canby Union High School
in Canby, several miles
south of Portland, Blau
entered the U.S. Air Force
as a ground equipment re-
pairman for four years. He
then spent an additional
two years in the reserves.
In 1981, he served the Ore-
gon Air National Guard as
an F-15 armament crew
chief for the next seven
years.
At the same time, Blau
decided to take the postal
service test that would
change the course of his
life. He passed.
“I started out my ca-
reer in Salem as a city let-
ter carrier from 1981
through 1993,” Blau said.
Blau’s commitment to
the postal service pro-
moted him to many ranks
including a supervisory
and station management
position, an officer-in-
charge position and a de-
livery units supervisory
position.
Being postmaster is
Native Plant Society
On Saturday, July 10,
Siskiyou National Forest
botanist Karen McCul-
lough will lead a Native
Plant Society field trip to
Young’s Valley just inside
the Siskiyou Wilderness.
A wide variety of plant
communities typical of the
western Siskiyous will be
viewed. Hikers for this
moderate 5-mile hike
should meet at 9 a.m. at
the Illinois Valley Visitor
Center in Cave Junction.
Women’s Golf
On Tuesday, June 22,
t h e Il l i n o i s Va l le y
Women’s Golf Club
played a Low-Net Tourna-
ment. Winners:
1st place, Marjorie
Culbertson. 2nd place,
Kathy Gibney.
the ultimate reward for
years of dedication.
“I decided to put in a
request for this area,” he
said. “I enjoy Cave Junc-
tion because it’s a small
town, and it has a lot drier
climate than up north. It’s
just a good-old fashioned
town, small, yet it has a lot
of retail outfits where you
can buy stuff, and it’s
close to California, where
you can go to the
beaches,” Blau said.
Blau is originally from
Paris, France. His first trip
to the United States was in
1962 on the “Queen
Mary.” His family moved
around from New York,
New Jersey and California
until they finally settled in
Canby. He became a natu-
ralized U.S. citizen in
1970. Besides Blau, his
wife, Debbie, a native Ore-
gonian, and his daughter,
Britni, will be moving to
the valley as well.
Blau first met his wife
when he was 13. She was
9. They were next-door
neighbors until he left for
the Air Force.
“She was the girl next
door,” he said. “After be-
ing away for four years, I
came home and went next
door to the neighbor’s
house, and there she was,
all grown up,” said Blau.
They dated for two
years before they were
married in 1981. They will
celebrate their 23-year
wedding anniversary this
November.
Debbie and Britni are
waiting to move here until
later this summer.
“My wife had her own
child-care business, so she
might look into doing that
here,” said the new post-
master. “She worked in
schools, too. My daughter
is taking it (the move) just
like any 13-year-old
would. She’ll be an eighth-
grader at Lorna Byrne this
fall,” said Blau. “I’ve
heard that the high school
has a good equestrian
team, and my wife and
Dan Blau
daughter used to board
horses so we might get into
that.”
Blau, who is waiting
for his house in Lebanon to
sell, has made the journey
down to the valley any-
way.
“I’m living in a hotel,
until I can find a place to
rent and once I’ve checked
out the area well enough,
I’ll buy a house,” he said.
Blau didn’t officially
start his new career as
postmaster until Saturday,
June 26, but he was here
early to get his new office
transferred and to get
things set up.
“I’m looking forward
to serving the community
and will do a good job at
it,” he said. “I also look
forward to meeting every-
one and eventually getting
more involved in the com-
munity after we get settled
down,” he said. “I used to
be a chairman on a school
board, so I will probably
look into that here.”
Between the Air Force
and the postal service,
Blau has nearly 30 years of
federal experience.
In addition, he has a
bachelor of arts degree in
human resources. Obtain-
ing his degree was not
easy, but he accomplished
it while working full time
during the day and taking
classes at night. He gradu-
ated from George Fox Uni-
versity in Newberg in
1988.
Sun. Surf. Save.
Frontier
DSL
Maximum Speed Internet
FREE
325 Caves Hwy. - 592-3618
For the summer
SURF’S UP. Surf the Web faster with Frontier DSL — our fastest Internet connection.
You can surf and talk at the same time, over the same phone line.
501 Shrink-to-Fit jeans
517 Boot-cut jeans
550 Relaxed-fit jeans
505 Straight-leg jeans
501 Black jeans
*All ladies Levi jeans
$28.99 LARGE SELECTION:
$28.99
Bib overalls
$26.99
20% OFF
$26.99
$32.95 Reg. - $27.95 - $34.95
$32.99 NOW - $22.96 - $27.96
LARGE SELECTION:
Mens Levi and Dickie
Shorts
Reg. - $24.95 - $19.95
NOW - $19.96 - $15.96
All work boots
All adult shoes
All childrens shoes
marked down
$10 OFF
$5 OFF
Mens and ladies
tank tops
20% OFF
Reg. - $6.95
NOW - $5.56
CATCH THE WAVE. Our new wireless home networking options let you surf inside
or out – cable free. Instant message friends, share vacation photos, buy summer concert
tickets – right from your own backyard.
SMART SUMMER SAVINGS. Now get 2 months of Frontier DSL Maximum
White painter pants
Stretch jeans
20% OFF
20% OFF
Reg. - $19.95
NOW - $15.96
Reg. - $22.95
NOW - $18.36
Visit our ‘Close Out’ table
in the back of the store
Speed Internet FREE when you order it with a value package. Plus, you’ll save
year-round on all your phone and Internet services. Only from Frontier – your
local phone company.
THIS IS HOT. CALL 1-866-257-9079. Summer’s gone before you know it, so call
today and get FREE activation and surf for FREE all summer.
EVERYTHING IS $1.99!
© 2004 Citizens Communications Company. Offer limited to new residential DSL customers when ordered with Frontier Choices SM , expires 7/30/04,
and cannot be combined with any other offer. For free months and free activation offer, term commitment is required. If service is not maintained
for the length of the term, your account will be charged the full value of the offer plus applicable taxes and surcharges. You must choose FrontierNet
as your ISP to qualify for this FrontierNet promotional offer. DSL service subject to availability, technical line qualification, and Frontier's Acceptable
Use Policy. Applicable taxes and surcharges will be billed. DSL installation options vary and charges may apply. Some restrictions and other charges
may apply.
FrontierOnline.com