Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • December 9, 2015 14A
BIRTHS
MI TOWN
Figal
The main streets of MI
Town are all aglow with
bright and festive decora-
tions, and the lights from
the beautiful Sequoia tree
on the Western Oregon Uni-
versity campus can be seen
from Highway 99W as trav-
elers from near and far ar-
rive to celebrate the Christ-
mas season. Sharing the
tree lighting ceremony and
the musical programs last
week with university, ele-
mentary, middle and high
school students — as well
as with people of all ages
and backgrounds — gives
us all the opportunity to
connect with our commu-
nities and have a wonderful
time. This is such a wonder-
ful tradition that we have
grown to love more and
more each year.
—
There is often so much
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
negativity, mean-spirited
political and social com-
mentary and utterly de-
pressing commentary com-
ing over the airwaves these
days, and it’s nice to just
unplug for an afternoon or
evening, and curl up in a
comfy corner with a good
book. The Friends of the
Monmouth Library’s ongo-
ing book sale continues at
the library through most of
the month, and there are
many good books available
at bargain prices. (Full dis-
closure: Over the years, it’s
been a great opportunity
for me to find Christmas
gifts, as many of the books
are nearly new).
—
These days, everyone is
so busy with work and
school and other activities,
and what fun it is to share a
gift certificate with a friend
for a special lunch or din-
ner. Our restaurants pro-
vide us all with internation-
al foods and our old family
favorites — and you can
enjoy a relaxed and special
time together. Chances are
you’ll have the opportunity
to visit with friends and
neighbors. Our coffee shops
have all kinds of goodies,
and who wouldn’t enjoy the
opportunity to share a
warm cup of coffee or tea
with a friend on a cold and
rainy day?
—
We stopped by Central
Veterinary Clinic to pick up
flea medicine for our dogs
last week, and met a young
mom and her two children
picking up a cat that had
been cared for by Dr. Ken
Lindsay. They’d found the
injured cat lying by the road
and took it in for care,
which included a checkup,
immunizations and treat-
ment for hurt paws and
claws. What a joy to share a
few moments with this
sweet family who went out
of their way to care for a lit-
tle injured animal. They
took the cat home to heal,
with plans to find it a new
home. As individuals, we
can’t solve the big problems
in the world, like war or vio-
lence or find a cure for can-
cer — but we can do other
things to make our commu-
nity a better place to live for
all of us.
PEDEE NEWS
The Pedee Campus of the
Luckiamute Valley Charter
School had three students
on the honor roll this term.
E i g h t h - g ra d e r E n r i q u e
Beruman, and seventh-
graders Krista Cook and
Lindsey Harris all
got straight As. The kids will
be selling canned goods at
the school on Dec.15 and 16
from noon to 3 p.m. They
still have pickled green
beans, pear and apple
sauce, and pear butter.
—
Steve and Audrey
Cameron, son, Clayton, and
his son, Noah, and daugh-
ter, Stephanie, and her
daughter, Ana all went to
Clackamas to watch son
James’ production of “Once
on an Island” at Clackamas
High School where he
teaches drama. Everyone
enjoyed the musical and
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
the little kids got lots of au-
tographs from the actors.
—
On Thanksgiving, Steve
and Audrey travelled to Mil-
waukie to celebrate Thanks-
giving with son, James, and
Je n n y a n d E l i a n a a n d
Jenny’s family members. It
was a beautiful sunshiny
day, and they arrived home
before the icy roads ap-
peared. They spent Friday at
Stephen, Stephanie and
Ana’s farm watching the
Civil War game between the
OSU Beavers and the U of O
Ducks. They enjoyed eating
Thanksgiving leftovers and
Stephanie’s first attempt at
turkey soup, using an old
family recipe passed on
from her mom.
—
Dave and Suzanne Bur-
bank also had their family
over for the game, and were
pleased at how well OSU
did against a team that was
expected to trample them.
Derek was there, as well as
his fiancee, Ashley Grucza,
and her parents, Scotty and
Tina Grucza, from Turner.
Derek and Ashley had come
over some dicy roads to get
there from Redmond.
—
Saturday, Nov. 28, was the
grand opening of King’s
Crossing Coffee Shop at the
old Kings Valley church
building a few miles down
Highway 223, run by the stu-
dents at Kings Valley Charter
School, and it was quite a
hit. The room was inviting,
the coffee, tea, cocoa and
goodies exceptional, and the
crowd happy. There were
also Christmas trees for sale
at the front door and several
vendors inside. The shop will
be open from 10 a.m. and 2
p.m. every Saturday at least
until the end of school. KV
students working last week
were senior Levi Bault and
juniors Glenn Mott and
Brady Tarvin, of Pedee, sen-
ior Ryan MacNab, of Dallas,
and seniors Becca Barnhart
and Tanner Simmons, of
Kings Valley.
—
Acoustic guitarist Ron
Diller will be in concert at
Pedee Church on Sunday
Dec. 13, at 6 p.m., so gather
your loved ones and friends
for a special evening of
Christmas music.
Elijah Cole Figal was born to Donald Rogers and
Meghan Figal of Salem at 3:58 p.m. on Nov. 30 at Salem
Hospital Family Birth Center.
He weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces, and was 20 inches
long.
Elijah joins Zoey, 5.
Grandparents are Dan and Ronda Figal of Dallas; Ellen
Rogers of Redding, Calif.; and Jason Merril of Fallon, Nev.
Great-grandparents are Tony and Elaine Greene of Vic-
torville, Calif.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Continued from page 13A
—
TUESDAY, DEC. 15
• James2 Community Kitchen Meal — 4:30 to 6 p.m., St.
Philip Catholic Church, 825 SW Mill St., Dallas. Free; everyone
welcome. 503-623-8429.
• Dallas Wingdingers RC Flying Club — 7 p.m., Whitworth
Elementary School library, 1151 SE Miller Ave., Dallas. 503-623-
7288.
• Polk County Coin Club — 7 p.m., Monmouth Senior Cen-
ter, 180 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-362-9123.
• Family Building Blocks Dallas play group — 10 a.m.,
Academy Building, 182 SW Academy St., Dallas. Suite 216. Play
group for children and families. Activities and snacks provided.
Free. RSVP, 503-877-8473.
• Take Of Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) Club — 6 to 7 p.m.
weigh-in, 7 to 8 p.m. meeting, First Christian Church basement,
1079 SE Jeferson St., Dallas. Meetings ofer programs and activ-
ities aimed at losing weight. Open to anyone. First meeting is
free.
• France School of Dance recital — 6 p.m., Talmadge Middle
School, 51 16th St., Independence. Students will perform a vari-
ety of dance styles. Admission is three cans of food or $3. 503-
390-3481.
—
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 16
• Willamette Valley Food Assistance Program Food Bank
— 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., 888 Monmouth Cutof Road, Building E,
Dallas. Weekly distribution for eligible community members.
503-831-5634.
• Day-2-Day Diabetes Support Group — 3 to 4 p.m., West
Valley Hospital (main conference room inside main entrance),
525 SE Washington St., Dallas. 503-623-7323.
• Bingo at the Farm — 6:30 p.m., Rogue Farms Hopyard,
3590 Wigrich Road, Independence. All ages welcome. Free; food
and beverages available for purchase. 503-838-9813.
• Helping Hands Emergency Food Bank — 10 a.m. to noon,
Monmouth Christian Church, 959 Church St. W., Monmouth. For
eligible community members; available every Wednesday. 541-
404-6517.
• Brew and BS — 7 p.m., St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 1486
SW Levens St., Dallas. Free. Bring your own brew — beer, cofee,
tea, cider, wine. Moderated discussions on topics of religion and
science. 435-503-4304.
• Wednesday Painting workshop — 7 p.m., The Boondocks,
318 N. Main St., Falls City. $30 includes instruction, cocktail or
soda and snack. No experience necessary. 503-787-2700.
YOUNG ADULTS IN POLK COUNTY
EDUCATE - LEAD - INSPIRE
Free training, education, guidance and mentoring opportunities to emerging leaders ages 16-24.
Pencil
us
in!
www.polkio.com
Windermere’s 2015 “Share the Warmth” Coat & Blanket Drive is coming
up soon and this year we would like to get an early start on it! This year’s
donation drive will start on Monday, November 2 and go until Friday,
December 11. Five Locations; Windermere-Monmouth, Windermere-Dallas,
YMCA Independence, Monmouth Fitness Club, Independence Library.
EDUCATE - LEAD - INSPIRE
Independence: 503-606-4256
Dallas: 503-623-9664
HALO receives funding from InCite Inc., and is a partner of WorkSource Oregon. HALO is a EEO Organization. Auxiliary aids and services, and alternate
formats are available to individuals with disabilities and language services to individuals with limited English proficiency free of cost upon request.
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