Polk County News
10A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 22, 2016
PCL to host 20th
annual art auction
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
MARK FANCEY/for the Itemizer-Observer
Monmouth’s Main Street Amphitheater will host Oregon’s largest kazoo concert on Monday.
New facilities ready to open
Dedication of amphitheater to include Oregon’s largest kazoo concert
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — The city
of Monmouth is preparing
to host Oregon’s largest
kazoo concert on Monday at
6 p.m., part of the dedica-
tion of the new Main Street
Park Amphitheater.
“We’re going to attempt a
record for the largest group
to play the Star-spangled
Banner on kazoos,” said
Mark Fancey, community
development director.
The current record holder
for the state is 40 people —
Fancey said he has 480 ka-
zoos to pass out at the dedi-
cation and tour of the new
facilities.
“We’ll have the storage
rooms open, so everybody
can see inside,” he said.
The new facility has the
ability to store tables and
chairs for the beer garden
and other events, Fancey
said.
“We don’t have to load
them up in the pickup truck
and jump the curb to set
them up anymore,” he said.
The stage will be open
year-round.
“I like how the amphithe-
ater is laid out and how it’s
wired,” Fancey said. “There’s
electricity on the sage. You
can come and plug in and
play, or do a theater produc-
tion, or act. It’s an opportu-
nity to engage creativity.”
He noted that with the
portable stage that used to
grace the park, he frequently
saw children use it.
“Their friends would sit
out on the lawn and they’d
do some things,” he said.
“Now you can walk off Jack-
son Street and you’re on the
stage, if you wanted to be on
stage.”
The amphitheater still has
some final touches until it is
truly finished, but will be
ready for use by Monday’s
dedication, Fancey said.
One of those finishing
touches is better lighting,
which the Monmouth Busi-
ness Association has
stepped up to pay for.
The amphitheater project
cost about $1.222 million.
The city council approved
a $500,000 loan from Mon-
mouth Power and Light to
the Urban Renewal District.
The loan will be paid back
over 10 years with 2.54 per-
cent interest. About
$422,000 of the project will
come from the parks system
development charges.
The remaining balance
will come from the Urban
Renewal District.
Dog killed by impact, not bullet
Itemizer-Observer staff report
POLK COUNTY — A dog
that was found dead on the
side of the road on Zena
Drive in Polk County on
June 13 did not die of a gun-
shot wound, Willamette Hu-
mane Society veterinarian
Dr. Jacqueline Harter said.
The Polk County Sheriff’s
Office met with the
Willamette Humane Society,
which took custody of the
body on June 14, and found
that the dog had a superfi-
cial wound on its head that
neither penetrated the skin
or skull and was not from a
Look What’s
Coming Up!
bullet, Harter, who per-
formed a necropsy on the
dog, said. Harter found the
dog had extensive bruising
on its abdomen and lacera-
tions on its hind legs consis-
tent with blunt force trauma
from impact with a vehicle.
The dog also suffered a
spleen laceration and mas-
sive internal bleeding.
Patrols: Two deputies
to be court security
Continued from Page 1A
Two deputies have been
assigned to court room se-
curity and overseeing in-
mate transports.
Garton said the office
will still be training its new
officers for the foreseeable
future, but he’s pleased to
provide what was promised
in the levy campaign.
“To do it all in a year, to
get back from where we
were to here, I’m grateful
that we were able to do
that,” he said.
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4th of July Celebrations
Publishes June 29th
RICKREALL — Partnerships in Community Living Inc.
will host its 20th annual Summer Solstice Benefit Auction
on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Eola Hills Wine Cellars, 501 S. Pa-
cific Highway, Rickreall.
“It’s so exciting,” said Gwen Whelton, public relations
and fund development for PCL. “This year’s auction is re-
ally special, because we’ve been doing this for 20 years
and raising money for those we support.”
PCL supports people with intellectual and developmen-
tal disabilities, providing services for whatever the individ-
ual needs to get the most out of life.
This year’s auction will raise money for a new fund, the
“My Home, My Life,” program.
“We help people live the way they want to live,” Whel-
ton said. “They have found that people live better, have
more productive lives, are happier when they get to
choose who they live with and where they live.”
Funding sources from the state are not enough to offer
people the chance to live how and with whom they want,
Whelton said.
“We have set up a fund that helps us help people get on
their feet, pay utilities or make up that rent,” she said.
If people live with whom they want and the way they
want, they feel better and have a better sense of wellbeing,
Whelton added.
The program will work similarly to a scholarship, Whel-
ton said.
“If you need it, if that’s what you want, then we’re going
to work hard to do that,” she said. “We’re a state contrac-
tor. They give us a certain amount of money for housing,
but it doesn’t cover it. We just want to help them live the
dreams they want.”
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities
are just like people without them, Whelton said.
“They may just need a little help to get them there,” she
said.
The event will include both a silent and oral auction,
with a variety of things to bid on, from paintings to sculp-
ture to baskets of goodies. Whelton said they have a great
selection of baskets this year.
“We have Oregon State (University) baskets,” she said.
“We have really fun ones like a flying basket, which in-
cludes a simulated skydiving experience and a beautiful
balloon launch trip.”
Other trips up for grabs include one to Las Vegas, Nev.,
and to Washington, D.C.
Live music will play during the silent auction, with ap-
petizers served. Tickets are $30, available online at auc-
tion.pclpartnership.org, and include dinner, drinks and a
commemorative glass.
Whelton said the event sells out each year, so recom-
mends buying tickets early.
OPEN K!
WEE
7 DA YS A • Sat 9-5
Mon-Fri 9-6 -4
Sun 10
Rick 503-437-5398
Summerfest
Reserve by July 11th
Publishes July 27th
Polk County Fair
Reserve by July 25th
Publishes August 10th
Back to School
Reserve by August 1st
Publishes August 17th
Hop & Heritage Festival
Reserve by August 29th
Publishes September 14th
Contact Heidi, Rachel or Karen by
June 10th to be a part of this special!
Itemizer-Observer
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