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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 24, 2016)
Polk County News 2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 24, 2016 Dallas loses community leader By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Buck Buchanan, longtime champi- on of Dallas, died on Feb. 12. Buck, 92, was a real con- tributor to the community, said Robert Wilson, friend and fellow businessman. “He was highly commit- ted to the prosperity of the downtown area,” Wilson added. “He made a big mark on Dallas.” Buck opened the Ben Franklin store in Dallas and another in Monmouth. “I moved to Dallas to open a business, Coast to Coast, and moved into the store that Buck had moved out of,” said Clint Branum. “He was very helpful to me to get me going.” Buchanan shared his per- spective of business — and of Dallas in particular — with others to increase their success as well as his own. He knew how the D a l l a s economy worked and what the needs of the peo- ple were, Buchanan Branum said. “He seemed to understand the town real well,” he said. When Safeway an- nounced plans to move, it was Buck who made an ef- fort to keep them down- town, Branum said. “He worked real hard on working with Safeway,” he said. “He said if they would stay downtown, he would try to find them a whole city block. Of course he couldn’t find a whole city block downtown, but he did make an effort to hold onto an an- chor for downtown. He tried and nobody else did.” Buck was honored statewide for his efforts as a businessman, earning the Oregon Retailer of the Year in 1982. Buchanan touched more than downtown. Buchanan was involved in Dallas Rotary and Breakfast in the Park. He served on Dallas School Board, worked with Kids Inc., and the area coordinator for the Muscu- lar Dystrophy Association. Buck and his wife, Donna, hosted several Rotary ex- change students. He was one of the founders of Dallas Krazy Dayz, what is now known as Summerfest. He also was part of the group that found- ed Kids Inc. “Buck was a fixture,” Dal- las Mayor Brian Dalton said. Buchanan was honored with both the Junior First Citizen and the First Citizen awards. He helped get the stadium built at Dallas High School, Dalton said. “He meant a lot to Dallas,” he said. “He was a leader in the community and worked very hard. He was a real en- ergetic kind of person with a real civic spirit. We’ve lost a lot of that. “There was no one more civic-minded than Buck.” Buchanan was a member of the Dallas United Methodist Church. His wife, Donna, pre- ceeded him in death. A celebration of life will be at 11 a.m. on Monday at Trin- ity Lutheran Church in Dallas. For a complete obituary, see Page 6A. Casa seeks more volunteers By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer POLK COUNTY — Volun- teers are the backbone of Casa of Polk County, and the foster child advocacy group is look- ing for more to join its ranks. Casa (Court-Appointed Special Advocates) is hold- ing its volunteer orientation on March 4 at the Polk County Courthouse confer- ence room, 850 Main St., Dallas, from 5 to 6 p.m. Orientation introduces potential volunteers to what the program does before the required 10-week training class begins March 18. Join the Casa team What: Casa volunteer training orientation. When: March 4 at 5 p.m. Where: Polk County Courthouse conference room, 850 Main St., Dallas. For more information: 503-623-8473. Director Katey Axtell is hoping to graduate 12 “casas” from the class, which will keep the volunteer levels steady and the case load of each one manageable. Casa pairs trained volun- teers with abused and neg- lected children who have been removed from their homes. The volunteers ad- vocate on behalf of children as they move through the court system. It’s not easy work, said Mike Barnett, assistant di- rector, but that shouldn’t stop people from attending orientation. “We would love to have a full class,” he said. “Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the pro- gram, come to the orienta- tion to see if it’s for them.” Axtell said there are more ways to contribute, includ- ing helping coordinate events, writing grants, work- ing in the office and serving on the board of directors. To meet national standards, the organization needs more board members who are not advocates, she added. Polk County’s program has grown since 2013 and now has a new office in Dallas and 54 casas. Axtell said the goal is to have a casa for every child by 2018. She said to achieve that, the program would need about 80 volunteers. With the help of the com- munity, it on pace to achieve that goal. NEWS IN BRIEF Monmouth renews liquor licenses MONMOUTH — The Monmouth City Council decided to rec- ommend the Oregon Liquor License Commission renew the li- censes at establishments in town. Sgt. Isaiah Haines said three of the 16 establishments that sell liquor — for either on-premises consumption or of-premis- es — had calls for service relating to alcohol. Of those three, Main Street Pub and Eatery had 35 incidents including multiple arrests for driving under the inluence of in- toxicants in which the person admitted to consuming alcohol at the pub. Other calls included intoxicated persons, thefts, dis- orderly conduct, trespass, assault and prohibited exposure. Haines said with the additional traic at the pub, the number of calls was not out of the ordinary. “It’s not that we’re always comfortable with it, but this has been what it’s been for the last several years,” he said. “I think this is because it’s a busy establishment, and it’s pretty much the only place to go.” Seed library kicks off on Saturday MONMOUTH — The OSU Extension Master Gardeners will present a starting seeds seminar at the Monmouth Public Li- brary at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The free presentation will include a hands-on activity of planting seeds to take home. “The irst year of our seed library was very successful,” Librar- ian Krist Obrist said. “We gave out over 3,200 packets of seeds, both vegetable and lower seeds.” At Saturday’s event, participants may learn about the pro- gram and some of the classes that will be ofered throughout the year. Door prizes and light refreshments will be available. “We will be announcing a pumpkin growing contest as well as information about this year’s garden photo contest,” Obrist said. The seed lending library allows adults to receive up to ive seed packets a day, no library card required. For more information: www.ci.monmouth.or.us. HART to host open house Saturday INDEPENDENCE — Horses Adaptive Riding and Therapy will host an open house from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday at its new fa- cility at 6665 Rickreall Road, Independence. People will be able to tour the new facility, meet the therapy horses, learn about adaptive riding programs, watch demon- strations with riders and enjoy refreshments. For more information, see the organization on Facebook. Indy council approves liquor licenses INDEPENDENCE — The Independence City Council approved recommendations to renew liquor licenses for nine full on- premises sales, six limited on-premises sales and nine of- premises sales establishments. Councilors had a few questions regarding Chase Bar and Grill, which had seven alcohol-related calls to police in the last year, including one person who was charged with driving under the inluence of intoxicants and admitted to drinking at that establishment. Councilor Forrest Peck asked what oicers were doing to curb incidents at Chase. Chief Bob Mason said they will meet with the management and owners of the restaurant. “This is the second year in a row that shows there are prob- lems there, so we want to make sure we stay on top of it.” The council requested a verbal update in three months. February 27, 2016 9:00 - 4:00 PM February 28 10:00 - 4:00 PM Polk County Fairgrounds Rickreall, Oregon www.mvwagfest.com mvwagfest@gmail.com SEMINARS SATURDAY 2/27 Premier Sponsor: 10:30 am John Burt of Farmers Ending Hunger: “Farm to Food Bank Partnering to Solve Things” 11:00 am Dr. Sherri Noxel, Director of OSU’s Austin Family Business Program, Brought to you by SEDCOR: “Planning for a Productive Family Farm Transfer” 12:00 pm Stephanie Wood: “Native American Natural Harvesting” 2:00 pm Tiah Edmundson-Morton of OSU Hops & Beer History Archive and Makaela Kroin of UO Folk Life Network: “History and Hop Lore in the Mid-Willamette Valley” 3:00 pm Amy Garrett of OSU Extension Small Farms Program: “Farming Without Irrigation” Premier Sponsor: Doors Open For Social Hour at 5:30 pm. SATURDAY 2/27 11:00 am Gretchen Anderson, Noted Idaho Author: “Secrets of the Lazy Urban Chicken Keeper” Dr. Ryan Scholz DVM District Veterinarian for Western Oregon: “Avian Influenza” 2:00 pm Domenica Protheroe of MI Chicken Revolution: “Tips for the Winter Chicken Coop” 11:00 am 2:00 pm Join the MI Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center as we celebrate businesses, organizations, and individuals for their contributions and support of our community during our 51st Annual Community Awards Banquet! FAIRGROUNDS MAIN BUILDING 1:00 pm SUNDAY 2/28 For tickets or more information: www.micc-or.org | 503.838.4268 MUSEUM STAFRIN ROOM SUNDAY 2/28 11:00 am 1:00 pm MUSEUM STAFRIN ROOM LOCAL AUTHORS FORUM Jennifer Chambers, Jo Brew, Lynn Mack, Marilyn Morton, Pat Edwards, Sonja Ely, Evelyn Hess, Tom Branigar, Joseph Blakeley, Scott MacCarther Dr. Robert Faust of Bio-Ag: “Restoring Soil Health” MAIN BUILDING SEMINAR AREA Matthew Slaughter, President & Lab Director of Earth Fort: “Fixing Broken Dirt: Restoring Soil Health with Biology” Gretchen Anderson, Noted Idaho Author: “Other Tips on Raising a Flock from Chick to Hen”