SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 12
SECTION A
DECEMBER 23, 2016
$1.00
Keizer woman wins
‘Super Bowl’ of Rodeo
Merry
Christmas!
Submitted
Keizer cowgirl Amber Moore rides Paige in competition earlier
this year.
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
In September, most of the
women who were headed to
the 2016 Wrangler National
Finals Rodeo (NFR) earlier
this month had already
secured their spot. Keizer's
Amber “Amberleigh” Moore
was still on the bubble.
“I was ranked about 16th
or 17th and only the top 15
get to go. It's all based on total
winnings from the last year,”
said Moore.
She didn't expect to be as
close as she was. This year was
supposed to set up a run at the
“Super Bowl of Rodeo” in
2017, but her horse Paige, who
competes as CP Dark Moon,
had been defying expectations
all year long.
Moore, who grew up
Snow Daze
in Eugene and moved to
Keizer about 16 years ago,
has been riding barrel races
competitively for as long as
she can remember. For just
as long, she's held tightly to a
dream of making it to the big
stage in Las Vegas, which hosts
the NFR.
“It's the thing that every
little girl who starts out riding
dreams of,” Moore, 48, said.
Moore turned pro three
years ago, about the same time
that she bought Paige, who
was 3 years old at the time,
from a friend-of-a-friend in
Blackwood, Idaho.
“You move up when you
get a horse that comes along
that takes you where you want
to go. It's not easy and it's
highly competitive. You have
Please see RODEO, Page A9
PAGES
A3 & A8
Submitted
Amber Moore won the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo barrel racing competition in Las Vegas
earlier this month. The NFR is the premier rodeo event in the nation.
New store
is Lego HQ
in Keizer
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Matthew Bauman is the new owner of Bricks & Minifi gs on River Road North in Keizer.
N., about three weeks ago and
By ERIC A. HOWALD
a steady stream of customers
Of the Keizertimes
Matthew Bauman, the was still fl owing through
franchise owner of the new the doors in the run up to
Bricks & Minifi gs on River Christmas.
“We have a lot of people
Road North, knew that local
Lego enthusiasts were looking shopping for new sets as gifts,
but we've also
forward
to
sold a lot of
the
store
bulk
bricks
opening. Still,
and taken in
the response
a lot of trades
surprised him.
which
has
“I was away
helped us build
from the shop
our
stock,”
for a little
Bauman said.
while on the
The Bricks
fi rst day and
&
Minifi gs
called my wife.
She told me
— Matthew Bauman f r a n c h i s e
started
with
there were 20
a shop in
people in the
store shopping and to get back Canby and that was where
as soon as possible. It feels Bauman rekindled his love for
like everyone has been very a childhood passion.
“I took my kids, Luka and
excited and welcoming,” said
Liesl, there and then we pulled
Bauman.
Bauman opened the shop, out some of my old sets and
located at 3670 River Road
Please see LEGO, Page A6
Candy
Cane Day
PAGE A6
“It feels like
everyone has
been very
excited and
welcoming.”
Elks make holiday McNary assisstant principal
brighter for 220
moonlights in the dojo
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Grace Ball, with mother Melissa, load up Bruce Plummer's
food box in a production line at the Keizer Elks Lodge
Friday, Dec. 18. For more photos and the story, see Page A7.
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Rhonda
Rhodes,
an
assistant principal at McNary
High School, remembers life
before she was introduced to
Jiu-Jitsu as a college student at
Oregon State.
“I was one of those people
that was capable but I'm
certain I had ADHD before
they diagnosed it,” Rhodes
said. “When I was in school
in the '80s and early '90s, that
wasn't a thing and if it was, I'm
sure they would have decided
that I had that. I had a lot of
potential and I didn't quite
have the self control to reach
it. Martial arts was the fi rst
thing that I really wanted bad
enough to learn those skills
Please see DOJO, Page A9
Sports
Year-in-Review
PAGE A10
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
Rhonda Rhodes, an assistant principal at McNary High School,
instructs Rosemary Kirk, top, and Ilari Ramirez.