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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (July 5, 2017)
MUSIC, MOVIES, MORE TYRELL WILLIAMS SUMMER SERIES FOOTBALL CAMP Page 8A Volume 142, Issue 27 Page 11A www.Polkio.com July 5, 2017 $1.00 IN YOUR TOWN DALLAS City looks at street re- pairs in a new light. »Page 2A INDEPENDENCE Fourth of July festivi- ties begin at Riverview Park. »Page 5A MONMOUTH Apple Box Theater set to perform “Arabian Nights.” »Page 14A EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer Jon and Susan Brewster built their home to be ideal to continue studying astronomy. POLK COUNTY Reach for the sky By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer MONMOUTH — In the hills just outside of Mon- mouth, Jon and Susan Brewster built their home with one thing in mind: as- tronomy. With the Great American Eclipse around the corner, it’s no coincidence that their property is situated perfectly, nearly on the center line for optimum viewing. “When we found this property here, we said, ‘Yeah, we can do astrono- my here for a long, long time,’ and we’re right dead-center for the eclipse, or pretty close,” Jon said. “And it’s been great.” Jon and Susan said they’d always had an inter- est in astronomy, but didn’t begin developing the hobby until Halley’s Comet made its appearance near the earth in 1986. “As a kid, I was involved in (astronomy),” Jon said. “Back in the ’80s, we got this (telescope) and con- trolled it with our comput- er. It was a little rough.” Jon has worked as a soft- ware engineer since 1977, so programming his tele- scopes comes easily. “When we first got that little telescope out there, we unboxed it and put it together,” Susan recalled. The directions that came with the scope said to find a bright star and tell the telescope the name of that star. “We look at this bright star, and it turns out it’s Saturn,” Susan said. “And we can tell it’s Saturn right away because it has ears on it. And it was overpower- ing; it was spiritual; it was crazy. This is real.” From then on, the Brew- ster’s commitment to as- tronomy has grown. “We have enjoyed this hobby so much,” Susan said. “It keeps us home at night.” Technology has come a long way since the 1980s, and so has the Brewster’s astronomy hobby. The couple built a home around the infrastructure for an observatory, some- thing Jon learned more about while working for two years as an engineer at the observatory in Mauna Kea, Hawaii. After traveling back to Hawaii to view the total solar eclipse in 1991, the couple began to more seri- ously prepare for the Aug. 21 eclipse. In 1991, none of Jon’s photos turned out. This time, he’s more prepared, with a filter on one telescope for the partial eclipse, an- other telescope pro- grammed to photograph the totality, and a drone to cap- ture the crowd of about 100 people invited to the Brew- ster’s property for the spec- tacle. “A lot of the feel of the eclipse — there’s the scien- tific stuff and the wonder of it all, but really the crowd re- sponse is quite interesting,” Susan said. The environment changes during totality, Susan said. Birds nest down and stop singing. The temperature drops. Planets and bright stars are visible. See BREWSTER, Page 7A Polk County’s Inten- tional Use of Deadly Physical Force Planning Authority approved re- visions to its response plan Thursday evening. »Page 6A SPORTS The Monmouth-Inde- pendence Fourth of July tennis tournament returns. »Page 11A Full moon Sunday can serve as practice Itemizer-Observer staff report EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer Jon and Susan Brewster still use their first telescope to view the stars at their home outside of Monmouth. Events center awaits decision A Falls City ‘Fourth’ By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Owners of a proposed event center on Polk Station Road just out- side of Dallas are awaiting a Polk County Hearings Offi- cer decision on an appeal of its conditional use permit. The Polk County Planning Department approved the conditional use permit on May 1 for a home occupa- tion on the 20.5-acre proper- ty that is zoned “exclusive farm use.” The permit would allow two buildings on the property to be used for the center: a main venue with room for maximum of 100 THE NEXT 7 DAYS PLANNING FOR YOUR WEEK POLK COUNTY — Want to take a photo of the eclipse? Make sure you’re pre- pared for that once-in-a- lifetime shot. Those wanting to pho- tograph the eclipse should begin searching for a solar filter for their camera now. Without a certified solar filter, you could destroy your cam- era — and your eyesight. Similarly, practicing be- fore the eclipse will help improve the quality of eclipse shots. The sun and the moon will appear the same size in the sky, which is why the moon will be able to completely eclipse the sun on Aug. 21. To practice, try taking pic- tures of the full moon this weekend, Saturday, and next month on Aug. 7. This will give you an op- portunity to work with ad- justing exposure levels as well. Newsletter JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer The proposed event center awaits an appeal decision. guests and a second build- ing with restrooms, a chang- ing area for wedding parties and a catering kitchen. When reached by phone last week, property owner Jim Voges said the plan is to mainly host weddings, but it’s being called an “event center” so not to exclude other types of events. See CENTER, Page 7A JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer Some patriotic kids take part in the Falls City parade on Saturday. For more photos from Falls City, Inde- pendence and Monmouth, see Page 5A. Want to be more con- nected? Sign-up to receive the I-O newsletter. Head to www.polkio.com and input your email address and you’re good to go! Also be sure to like the Itemizer on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @PolkIONews. wed thu fri sat sun mon tue Stay active and play some pickleball at Roger Jordan Com- munity Park. All ages and skill levels are welcome. 9 a.m. Free. Come enjoy a tasty bite to eat or find your latest treasure at the Polk County Bounty Market, held each Thursday. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Today’s a perfect day to make your fa- vorite pasta dish to help celebrate Na- tional Macaroni Day! Check out some of the area’s best white wine offerings at the Great White Wine Festival at Left Coast Cellars. Why not indulge your sweet tooth today? Today is Na- tional Sugar Cookie Day! Looking for a way to give back? Help spread bark chips and pull weeds at the arboretum at Dallas City Park. 6-8 p.m. Learn more about the Great American Eclipse at a work- shop at Chemeketa Polk Center in Dal- las. 6:30 p.m. Free. Sunny Hi: 86 Lo: 57 Sunny Hi: 83 Lo: 56 Sunny Hi: 81 Lo: 57 Sunny Hi: 82 Lo: 55 Sunny Hi: 81 Lo: 52 Sunny Hi: 80 Lo: 52 Noon to 7 p.m. $25. Sunny Hi: 82 Lo: 55
