SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 37, NO. 16
MHS boys
basketball wins
league title
Krina Lee is Dancing
with the Salem Stars
SEE PG. 5
SEE PG. 8
SECTION A
FEBRUARY 27, 2015
Can you spare a mural?
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
Town and Country Lanes
already has the coolest look-
ing sidewalk in town.
So hey, why not have a
large mural painted on the
long north wall?
That’s what is expected to
happen this summer, as long-
time owner Don Lebold gave
his blessings to a plan pro-
posed by former mayor Lore
Christopher and Jill Hagen on
Feb. 20.
If the idea sounds a little
crazy, well, Lebold said that’s
only fi tting because he’s been
crazy enough to own a bowl-
ing alley for 48 years.
Lebold couldn’t believe the
fortuitous timing, since Chris-
topher’s proposal came shortly
after he’d talked with man-
ager Mardi Smith about such
a thing.
“I was thinking two weeks
ago we need some kids to
do a public mural,” Lebold
said, motioning to the north
wall of his business, located at
3500 River Road North. “I
mentioned it to Mardi. I said
we need to have some high
school kids paint a mural on
the north wall.”
Just like that, Christopher
proposed exactly such an idea,
which would be Keizer’s sec-
ond public mural following
the one dedicated last Octo-
ber at Keizer Florist.
“I’m telling you, God is
on our side,” Christopher
exclaimed. “McNary High
School kids will do the back-
ground. Everyone will have
a chance to do it. We’ll have
handprints, for something
like $5 per hand. Then we’ll
use that money for the next
project. We’ve got the money
for this project. The Oregon
Community Foundation gave
us $2,500. This will be super
fun. We will be doing it this
summer.”
As Christopher and Ha-
gen showed him a rendering
of what the mural would look
like, Lebold’s grin widened.
“This is a super vision,” he
said. “I love it, I love it. This is
an answer to what I was envi-
sioning.”
Christopher feels the large
wall is a perfect canvas.
“I drive down by here ev-
ery day,” said Christopher,
who like Hagen is involved
with the Keizer Art Asso-
ciation and the Keizer Arts
Commission. “This wall re-
ally stands out and says, ‘Paint
me.’ We had the $2,500 for a
mural. We were looking for
the perfect spot and this is it. I
wanted it on the south side of
Keizer, since they sometimes
feel left out. And I wanted to
support Town and Country.”
That’s only fi tting, consid-
ering how much the business
has supported the commu-
50 CENTS
in side
Marion-Polk
Food Share
gets big check
(Page A2)
Whiteaker has
night on stage
(Page A5)
MHS girls take
third in league
(Page A8)
KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy
Jill Hagen, Lore Christopher and Don Lebold discuss plans for a new public mural on the north
wall of Lebold's Town and Country Lanes, seen in the background.
nity over the years, including
events like the Turn Around
Achievement Awards started
by Lebold 20 years ago.
Hagen noted the north
wall at Town and Country is
larger than the one at Keizer
Florist.
“This one will be larger, so
it may take a month to do it,”
Hagen said.
As envisioned by Hagen,
the mural will include pictures
of grapes, fi lberts, trees, snow-
fl akes, fi sh, cherries, peaches,
Please see MURAL, Page A6
MHS scribes will see
their stories on stage
Dislocated shoulder
doesn't stop wrestler
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
SPRAGUE -- Thirty sec-
onds into his fi nals match at
the district wrestling tourna-
ment, Alvarro Venegas, a Mc-
Nary High School senior, dis-
located his shoulder.
“The best we can fi gure it,
he had an underhook on me
and when I tried to pry down
it just popped out,” said Ven-
egas.
The match was stopped
immediately and a trainer
was able to pop his shoulder
back into place. Venegas passed
some quick strength tests and
was talking with head coach
Jason Ebbs about whether to
continue.
“He told me it was my
choice, that wrestling isn’t ev-
erything, but this is something
I’ve wanted since freshman
year,” Venegas said. “It was
scary, but I wanted it so badly.”
Venegas rode out the next
5:30 of the match to take the
district championship in a 5-2
decision.
“It feels amazing, I was in
the same match last year and
lost. After it was over, I cried
McNary
senior Alvarro
Venegas
decides to let
his opponent
in the
quarterfi nals
of the district
tournament
escape and
go for another
takedown.
KEIZERTIMES/
Eric A. Howald
and hugged all my coaches,”
he said.
On Monday afternoon,
Venegas – the top ranked
wrestler at 195 pounds in the
state with only one loss this
season – was back on the mat
preparing for the state tour-
nament slated for Feb. 27-28
in Portland. He’s also running
before and after school.
Venegas is one of seven
wrestlers representing the
school at the state tournament
Please see WRESTLE, Page A10
Parks Board talks budget
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
McNary junior Morgan Hoag wrote one of the one acts to be featured in the Celts' upcoming
One Act Festival. John Bryant, a senior, is directing the piece.
BY ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
In a couple of weeks, Mor-
gan Hoag and Alohi Tomble-
son will be published play-
wrights.
Given that they are a junior
and sophomore at McNary
High School, respectively, this
is no small feat.
“Ohmigosh, I feel like I’m
going to die of happiness,” said
Hoag, who trembled with ex-
citement when asked about
how it feels leading up to the
debut of McNary’s One Acts
Festival. “It feels awesome
because a lot of times when
you’re writing, you feel like
it’s terrible, and then to have
someone else enjoy it and pick
it to be performed is amazing.”
Hoag’s story takes place in
the aftermath of a fatal car ac-
cident as the main character
struggles to move forward.
Hoag and Tombleson both
wrote one act plays as part of
a playwriting class last fall and
were selected by Dallas Myers,
the school’s drama director, to
have their work performed in
the One Act Festival which
debuts Friday, March 13.
Tombleson was an early
selection for her script The
Courtroom in which the main
character ends up on trial by
the four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse.
“We only had to include
one of the horsemen for the
assignment, but I read an ar-
ticle about another play that
took place in a courtroom and
that opened up the possibility
of using all of them,” Tomble-
son said. “I’m overjoyed, I im-
45
mediately told my mom and
my family and started writing
another play.”
In addition to student writ-
ing, McNary thespians are
taking the director’s chair.
Senior John Bryant said
Hoag’s script spoke to him
immediately.
“I could have done a com-
edy, but I wanted something
that could connect emotion-
ally. I am trying to center all
the visuals around Amber (the
main character) and the isola-
tion she’s imposing on herself
and struggle against recovery,”
Bryant said. “I told myself last
year when we did the one acts
that I wanted to direct this
year, but now it’s exhilarat-
ing and nerve-wracking all at
once.”
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
The recent spring-like
weather is a reminder things
are picking up in Keizer’s
parks department.
Another reminder about
things picking up: it’s budget
Please see MHS, Page A10
Varieties of
Cat Food
PLUS cat supplies for your furry friend
40 lbs
Cat Litter
$8.99
season at Keizer City Hall,
meaning discussions of priori-
ties for parks, as well as other
departments.
Bill Lawyer, Public Works
director for Keizer, reminded
members of the Keizer Parks
and Recreation Advisory
Board, of the topic during the
most recent meeting for the
board. Lawyer has been going
over the budget with Robert
Johnson, Keizer’s Parks and
Facilities supervisor.
Please see PARKS, Page A7
No more laps here...
KEIZERTIMES/Lyndon A. Zaitz
The 50-year-old Palma Ciea Swim Club is no more. Last week, crews dismantled the
clubhouse and the pool will soon be history. Celtic Homes is building three homes on the
land, with scheduled completion for early summer.
WHERE THEY MEET OR BEAT ANY PRICE!
4415 River Rd N Keizer • (503) 393-5450 • copper-creek.net