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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Soothing ‘Blue Holidays’
topic at Lovejoy Dec. 12
*GOING TO THE MAT - Thursday, Dec. 1 is set
for an Illinois Valley Youth Wrestling Tournament at
I.V. High School, during which I.V. will compete vs.
Brookings-Harbor beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Tourna-
ment of Champions will be held at IVHS Saturday, Dec.
3 beginning at 10 a.m.
*TOY RUN ELVES - From noon to midnight,
based at the Junction Inn, the annual Illinois Valley Toy
Run will be held Saturday, Dec. 3. (See the ad elsewhere
in this issue). Everyone is welcome, with or without a
motorcycle. Sponsors are seeking donations of toys and
gifts, for which they’ll be grateful, said organizers. For
information contact Steve Lyons at Century 21 Harris &
Taylor, 592-3181.
*ACTIVE SANTA - Jolly St. Nick is going to be at
Darn Near Everything, next to Treehouse Florist & Gifts
in Downtown Cave Junction Saturday, Dec. 3 from 1 to 3
p.m. He’ll also be at the Community Christmas Tree offi-
cial lighting, sponsored by Illinois Valley Chamber of
Commerce, at 5 p.m. on the Junction Inn vacant lot. The
event will include caroling. And with his magic, Santa also
will be at Rose of Sharon in Western Plaza from 11:30
a.m. to 1:30 p.m., according to North Pole reports.
*‘MYTH-O-MANIAC’ MANIA - Featuring
masks, live music and movement, a “Myth-O-Maniac”
program will be staged Saturday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. at
Lorna Byrne Middle School by Dell’Arte Company, a
professional theater troupe. It’ll be the group’s 25th an-
nual show in Illinois Valley. The performance is based
on the acclaimed, classic work, “Peer Gynt,” by Norwe-
gian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Flying reindeer, treacher-
ous trolls and an epic quest will be featured in the family
program. The show is free for youth; adults will pay a $3
admission fee. Donations of nonperishable food items
will be accepted and given to a valley food bank.
*IN THE SWIM - The newly established Illinois
Valley High School swim team, coached by Cave Junc-
tion Pool manager Cynthia Hobbins, will be bagging gro-
ceries at Shop Smart Food Warehouse Friday, Dec. 2
from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.; and Saturday Dec. 3 from noon to
5 p.m. Proceeds raised will pay for “everything” an up-
start club needs: equipment, entry fees, and so on.
*ENERGY BILL THRILL - “Cutting Your Energy
Bill” is the subject for a community meeting Wednesday,
Dec. 7 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the I.V. Family Resource
Center on E. River Street. The program is co-sponsored
by I.V. Family Coalition and Josephine County Commu-
nity Services. Topics will include what really works to
reduce energy usage, how to apply for energy assistance,
and what other services are provided by Community Ac-
tion. Free energy-saving items will be available, including
low-voltage light bulbs and low-volume shower heads.
*‘HARLEY’ TIME - First come-first served tickets
are available for the 2006 Harley Davidson FXDW
DynaWide Glide motorcycle offered by Illinois Valley
Lions Club. Tickets at $100 each can be obtained from
Steve Lyons at Century 21 Harris & Taylor, and Carlos’
Restaurante, both in Downtown Cave Junction. The red
bike, valued at $18,000, is displayed at Carlos’. The win-
ning ticket will be drawn on Labor Day, Sept. 4 at the
conclusion of the I.V. Lions’ annual three-day Labor Day
Festival in Jubilee Park. Only 300 tickets are available,
and the club would like to sell as many as possible to val-
ley residents.
*NOTEPAD - Christmas trees are being sold as a
fund-raiser by Illinois Valley Wrestling Club at CJ Video
Mart/Radio Shack through Saturday, Dec. 10. Trees also
can be ordered at 592-2233 ... The Holiday Basketball
Tournament, hosted by I.V. High School, will be held
Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9-10. Watch the “Noose” next
week for details … A certain big business in GP needs to
get its restrooms in order, according to some shoppers,
several of whom said they will stop patronizing the store
because of the inconvenience and “who cares” attitude of
employees … “Santa’s Bargains” in the form of a book
sale will be held at the main library in GP Saturday, Dec.
3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is sponsored by GP
Friends of the Library … IVHS International Club is
conducting a refundable container fund-raiser. Containers
can be left at IVHS; or Saturday, Dec. 3 from 11 a.m. to 5
p.m. at Fred Meyer in GP ... The Shining Stars Holiday
Bazaar will be held during Second Friday Art Walk Dec.
9 in the county building in CJ. Among offerings will be
the somewhat world-famous holiday cookie platters, for
which orders can be placed at 592-2236. Watch the
“Noose” next week for more information ... Grants Pass
Longspurs, a chapter of the National Wild Turkey Fed-
eration, donated 30 birds to the state Dept. of Human Re-
sources, with 15 each to the I.V. and GP offices ... Me-
dian prices for home sales in Josephine County dropped
during October to $277,450, according to the Multiple
Listing Service. The price during September was
$285,000 ... To avoid telemarketers, phone (888) 382-
1222 or use donotcall.gov as soon as possible ... Notice
in the I.V. Senior Center newsletter: “A member asked
that the following be printed: ‘Potluck-A meal to which
each guest brings a dish to share’.” ... T-shirt: Instant
human. Just add coffee. Another T: It IS as bad as you
think, and they ARE out to get you. One more T: I never
get lost. People always tell me where to go. Yet another
T: It matters not whether you win or lose. It matters
whether I win or lose. Last T: Keep staring at me. I might
do a trick.
*LAST WORDS - It is easier to exclude harmful
passions than to rule them, and to deny them admittance
than to control them after they have been admitted.
(Seneca)
A free program, “Blue
Holidays - Grief and Loss
Survival Strategies for the
Winter Holidays,” will be
presented Monday, Dec. 12
at Lovejoy Hospice.
Presenters will be Joe
Momyer, volunteer bereave-
ment counselor for Lovejoy,
and other bereavement team
members.
The program will be
held at the hospice building
conference room, 939 S.E.
Eighth St. in Grants Pass in
from noon until 1 p.m. The
meeting is open free of
charge to everyone in the
community.
Facilitators will offer
information and suggestions
for coping with holiday ac-
tivities and expectations for
those experiencing grief and
the loss of a loved one.
The program is open to
all, including survivors,
care-givers, counselors, and
clergy members.
Family members are
especially encouraged to
attend. Guests are encour-
aged to bring their own
lunches. Beverages and a
dessert will be provided.
Phone 474-1193 to register
and for further information.
“Holidays can be tough
times. Everyone around you
seems so happy and con-
tent,” said Momyer, “It’s
hard enough to cope during
routine times -- but during
holidays it seems that the
outside world and our own
memories gang up on us.”
Designated drivers help save lives.
(Continued from page 2)
Speaker amplifies
fire district comments
From Jim Dougherty
Cave Junction
When I attended the
Nov. 7 meeting of Illinois
Valley Fire District direc-
tors, I didn’t know what to
expect. I listened to some
concerned people who
wanted to be in the know
about the rules and what
they might be changed to
concerning outdoor burning.
The “I.V. News” Nov.
23 story, it seems to me,
took some sentences out of
context and missed the point
of what I was trying to say.
It happens.
The reporter quoted me
as saying, “I believe the or-
dinance will encourage resi-
dents to rat out each other
regarding burn piles.” No, I
implied that if the ordinance
is passed, some residents
won’t purchase permits;
thus the fire district might
not know when, where or
how they are burning, until
perhaps a neighbor rats
them out.
Mystery burning is not
a safe situation, and not a
cost-effective scenario for
the district, and not in the
community’s best interest.
For the record, I believe
that the fire district should
strongly “encourage” every-
one to register for a free per-
mit before burning large
piles of legal fuels, not
“discourage” citizens by
charging for what should be
a required district courtesy.
It is more important for
the district to be aware of
potential burning than to
reap a few dollars while
alienating a community over
an insulting fee after the
voters gave their blessings
and dollars to all the new
fire houses around the val-
ley. Someday the district
will need a real sum of
money. Will the community
be so willing again?
The reporter wrote that I
said, “The ordinance would
encourage people to dump
their debris in the woods.”
Perhaps that could happen,
but again, I was trying to
describe a parallel of pro-
gression of how the Kerby
dump and the burning di-
lemma have similarities.
First the dump was free.
People had a convenient
place to take their stuff; then
it was not free, and a lot of
scatter can be found at the
end of most lonely roads. A
good situation to begin with;
then the fees; then a problem.
Last, there is a quote in
the article by district official
that reads, “Landscapers and
tree falling companies
should have the resident
obtain the needed $7.50 per-
mit.” This was put forth by
fire district officials as a
way for some contractors to
not have to pay a $50 com-
mercial burning fee.
When I heard this at the
meeting, I knew that all was
not well. No resident should
assume any potential liabili-
ties of a contracted company
doing burning on their prop-
erty. No burn fee for every-
one would serve the com-
munity the best.
It’s not so settling for
me to criticize the fire dis-
trict. It has aided me person-
ally and so many others.
They are skilled and
dedicated, and at times have
such a heart-wrenching and
dangerous job.
Boost Your Mind & Body
with an all-natural Elixir Tonic
$3 50 /16 oz. Hot or Cold
Jefferson Baroque
Orchestra & Chorus
Margret Gries, Director
George Friderick Handel
“Messiah”
(Complete)
Saturday, Dec. 3rd
8:00 p.m.
Newman Methodist Church–6th & B St.
Tickets: $16 reg., $12 students at the Book Exchange,
Cave Junction, Music 4 Kids in Grants Pass, at the door,
or call (541) 592-2681