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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 2016)
AMERICAN LEGION: DEMARINI DIRTBAGS HEAD TO STATE TOURNAMENT Volume 141, Issue 30 Page 11A www.Polkio.com $1.00 July 27, 2016 Stange named as Polk Fire District’s fire chief By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer Capt. Ben Stange was named Polk County fire District No. 1 fire chief on friday. INDEPENDENCE — Polk County Fire District No. 1 has a new fire chief. Capt. Ben Stange, 35, was named to the post by the board of directors at a meeting Fri- day. The day he will start is yet to be determined, pending contract negotiations. Stange was emotional about the decision, which came after three hours of candidate interviews in ex- ecutive session. The board was unanimous in its choice to promote Stange, board chair Tom Snair said. “It’s a role I’ve always wanted to serve, and I never expected for this opportuni- ty to come this soon,” Stange said. “I’ve had a lot of admi- ration for Chief (Neal) Olson and Chief (Mike) Mayfield.” Deputy chiefs Mayfield and Olson were the other two candidates forwarded to the board of directors for final interviews. See ChiEf, Page 6A STAGECOACH DELIVERY »Page 3A fALLS CiTY Sheriff’s Office re- sponds to apparent arson case. Firefighters contain field fire. »Page 2A DALLAS — Friday was a first for Hank, Gus, Jesse and Ywa. The four mules have pulled in competitive plow- ing, wagon trains and have even delivered the mail, said driver Lynda Claypool. “This is the first time we’ve delivered wine,” said Claypool, with C & O Stage- coach Co. The special delivery was for Illahe Vineyards 1899 pinot noir. The wine was made without electricity or fuel — just horse and human power. Friday it began its journey to Illahe’s distributor in Port- land using mule power. The foursome pulled cases of wine via stagecoach from the vineyard just out- side Dallas to Independ- ence, where it was packed into five canoes for the trip along the Willamette River to Portland. The first leg of the journey took about an hour and a half. The mule team and stagecoach made for a curi- ous sight for those driving automobiles. MONMOUTh »Page 11A POLK COUNTY . There’s still time to help “Paws for a Cause.” »Page 5A SPORTS County aims to be- come cycling haven. »Page 11A Dallas Old Timer picnic returns itemizer-Observer staff report JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer Gus, left, and hank wait to leave illahe Vineyards in Dallas on friday morning. They are headed for independence. The mules trotted along the roads as if they weren’t unusual at all. • Harvest of Illahe Vineyard’s 1899 pinot noir is done by hand, and the grapes hauled to the winery by the power of the vineyard’s two horses Doc and Bea. • Pressing, racking, battling and labeling are all done by hand. • Finally, the vineyard delivers the wine to its distributor in Portland without the use of fuel or modern vehicles. “They are not afraid of c a r s ,” C l a y p o o l s a i d . “They assume that cars are going to stop for them. The fact that they (the cars) are going 45 mph doesn’t seem to register.” Hank and company did notice a few things on the paved roads: manholes and storm drains. They don’t like them — not at all. See WiNE, Page 10A JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer Delivering 1899 requires three days travel on the river. Aloha and E Komo Mai to Summerfest By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Summerfest 2016 is bringing “Hawaii cool” to Dallas as the four- day celebration kicks off on Thursday. T h i s y e a r ’s t h e m e , “Hawaiian Luau,” sets a laid-back mood for the downtown activities, high- lighted by Thursday evening’s Sounds of Sum- mer concert with Hawaiian band Koral Jam. In an at- tempt to keep the focus on downtown, the show won’t i Western Oregon hosts Bike MS ride. Wine the old-fashioned way DAYS PLANNING FOR YOUR WEEK Dallas Schools put lead testing on hold. iNDEPENDENCE The Itemizer-Observer 7 DALLAS »Page 2A By Jolene Guzman THE NEXT IN YOUR TOWN be in its usual spot on the Academy Rotary Perform- ing Arts Stage, but instead on the main Summerfest Stage on the Polk County Courthouse lawn. No c e l e b ra t i o n w i t h that particular theme would be complete with- out an actual luau, and Wa s h i n g t o n St . St e a k - house & Pub has that cov- ered for Saturday’s down- town close-out party. Each year, the restaurant celebrates its anniversary with a luau, so Chelsea Metcalfe, the executive di- Inside ... See Section C For a complete schedule of Summerfest and informa- tion about some of the festi- val’s highlights, check out the Summerfest section. All the fun begins Thurs- day as Dallas will experience a taste of Hawaii and some fun in the sun. rector of event host Dallas Area Visitor’s Center, said the event is in good hands. “I knew I wanted to talk to them because they do it so well,” she said. “They are very excited about hosting it.” The party begins at 5 p.m. in the restaurant’s parking lot. Live music will provide entertainment and of course, there will be all the barbecue you can eat and a beer garden for those 21 and older. Koral Jam and Washing- ton St.’s luau may bring the island spirit, but Saturday morning’s parade is the heart of Summerfest, draw- ing thousands to downtown Dallas. See hAWAii, Page 10A DALLAS — A Dallas tra- dition since 1962, the re- union will once again gather “old-timers” in Dal- las City Park Gazebo on Aug. 7. Event hosts Dallas Area Visitor’s Center (DAVC) and Dallas Retirement Village are adding events and hope to see it grow. “We want people to know that there is no age limit for attendance,” said Bonnie Dreier, with the DAVC. “Our goal is to get the younger generation of ‘Old Timers’ involved.” New activities are scheduled, including old- fashioned board games and a book signing by au- thor Sue Hunter-Rohde, Dallas historian and co-au- thor of the book “Images of America Dallas.” The picnic runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is open to the public and provides free live music with the Old Time Fiddlers and Cash & Company, spaghetti lunch, memorabilia to look through, special guests and a chance to mix and mingle with others. Guests are invited to bring yearbooks, Dallas memorabilia or photos. For more information, www.facebook.com/Dalla- sOldTImersReunionPicnic/ or www.exploredallasore- gon.org/old-timers-pic- nic.html. wed thu fri sat sun mon tue Charlie Horse rocks out at the Western Oregon Summer Heatwave concert. The show is the final one of the season. Noon. free. Needing your Su- perhero fix? Riverview Park hosts a showing of “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” rated PG-13. 10 p.m. free. The annual kids triathlon at the Dal- las Aquatics Center gives children a chance to swim, bike and run. 9:45 a.m. $25 A tradition returns. The Summerfest teen dance is back for 2016 at the Bank of America parking lot, ages 13-19. 8-9:30 p.m. free. Dallas City Park is the place to be with art vendors, a car show and breakfast in the park. 7 a.m. Breakfast $7. The Willamette Val- ley New Horizons Orchestra offers a chance for everyone to make music. 6:30 p.m. $25 monthly fee. Enjoy a tasty, cold treat to battle the summer heat. Na- tional Ice Cream Sandwich Day, cele- brated each year on Aug. 2. Sunny Hi: 87 Lo: 56 Sunny Hi: 91 Lo: 58 Sunny Hi: 90 Lo: 56 Sunny Hi: 83 Lo: 53 Partly sunny Hi: 79 Lo: 53 Sunny Hi: 80 Lo: 54 Sunny Hi: 81 Lo: 54 G p p b