INDEPENDENCE DAY
FOURTH MINI MARATHON
A LOOK BACK
RACE
RESULTS
Page 7A
Page 13A
Volume 142, Issue 28
www.Polkio.com
July 12, 2017
$1.00
Plan ahead for heavy traffic in August
IN
YOUR
TOWN
ODOT officials expect two- to three-hour delays at best during eclipse weekend
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — During
the Great American Eclipse,
the total eclipse will last
about two minutes.
Arriving to and leaving
from your destination will
take a bit longer.
“We don’t anticipate clos-
ing any roads, but we expect
all the roadways to be very,
very busy, especially in the
path of totality,” Oregon De-
partment of Transporta-
tion’s Angela Beers-Seydel
said.
Expect delays of a few
hours, and that may be opti-
mistic.
Be prepared to sit in traffic during eclipse weekend.
“I’m thinking that’s the
minimum,” she said. “We’re
asking people to arrive early
and then stay put and leave
as late as you can.”
It will be imperative for
people to plan ahead. That
includes making sure gas
tanks are filled, directions
are nailed down, and having
supplies such as food and
water, in case you get caught
in traffic.
“What are you going to
need if you have to hunker
down,” Beers-Seydel said.
“If you’re stuck in traffic for
potentially hours or if you
can’t leave for maybe a day,
what will you need to have
with you. We want people to
anticipate those kinds of
things and get that stuff to-
gether the week before-
hand.”
Having food, water, med-
ications and fuel is key,
Beers-Seydel said. Just as
important will be packing an
extra dose of patience.
“This is one of those
events that everyone wants
to be at,” she said. “We don’t
want people stopping at
places that aren’t safe. Plan-
ning extra time is really, re-
ally important. Be aware of
everyone around you. Once
the eclipse is over, will
everyone try to leave at the
same time?”
Potentially complicating
matters during the eclipse
weekend is the Grand Ronde
Powwow.
“We’ll have flaggers out
there,” Beers-Seydel said.
“That can be a nightmare on
a regular year.”
See TrAffIc, Page 5A
DALLAS
sheriff recognizes
teens’ quick thinking in
an emergency.
»Page 6A
fALLS cITY
Two die after crash
on 99W south of
McMinnville on July 3.
»Page 2A
InDEPEnDEncE
TAKING MATTERS INTO HIS OWN HANDS
Volunteers help on
Ella Curran Food Bank
moving day.
»Page 2A
Dallas resident Alex Lofton, family and friends restore and renew Tawney memorial sign
By Emily Mentzer
MOnMOUTH
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — When Alex
Lofton found out Sgt. Ian
Tawney’s memorial park
sign was vandalized, he was-
n’t going to let it sit
overnight without trying to
fix it.
The Sgt. Ian Tawney Me-
morial Park sign was tagged
at about 4:30 p.m. on July 4.
Someone posted a picture
of the defaced sign on the
Dallas Community Face-
book page, and comments
began streaming, people
upset that anyone would
damage the sign marking
the park named in memory
of the fallen Marine.
Dallas resident and U.S.
Army veteran Lofton didn’t
see the thread until 11:30
p.m. on July 4 and decided
to take action.
“To me it’s really — it
wouldn’t have mattered
what day it was, that would
have bothered me — but es-
pecially Veterans Day, Me-
morial Day, Fourth of July,
those are the days it’s more
sacrilegious,” Lofton said.
He, his brother, his girl-
friend and friend packed up
buckets of soapy water and
scrub brushes, parked his
Western’s new ath-
letic Curtis Campbell is
on the job.
»Page 12A
SPOrTS
Dallas’ turf field will
have many benefits for
the athletic program.
»Page 13A
Countywide
burn ban in
effect
Itemizer-Observer staff report
Lukas EggEn/Itemizer-Observer
The Sgt. Ian Tawney Memorial Park sign was informally rededicated Thursday night with a pizza party.
car in front of the sign and
used the headlights to try
and clean off the pink spray
paint.
The paint would not
scrub off.
“Our friend Jenny was
like, ‘I’ve got acrylic paints,
do you think we can just
paint over it?’ I said, ‘Let’s
try,’” Lofton said.
Dallas police officers were
called out on July 4. After
confirming Lofton was try-
ing to fix the sign, they left
him to work.
The next morning, it was-
n’t good enough for Lofton,
as the spray paint continued
to show through. Lofton
thought the employees of
Dallas Parks Department
would be busy cleaning up
after the Fourth of July fes-
tivities, so he took the day to
get back to the sign.
“So I went back and start-
ed working on it again,” he
said. “I worked on it about
six hours (on July 5), and
then my friend Janie (Sires)
showed up because she was
like, ‘Are you still working
on the sign?’”
Lofton and his girlfriend
were at the park for five and
a half hours on July 5.
“I think I only got about
three and a half hours’
worth of work because peo-
ple stopped and hugged me
and wanted to shake my
hand,” he said. “It’s been a
huge community thing.”
Lofton decided to paint
the background a darker,
“Marine Corps green.”
See SIgn, Page 5A
Blueberries abound in Polk County
By Stephanie Blair
The Itemizer-Observer
sTEphanIE BLaIr/Itemizer-Observer
Blueberry farms are in Perrydale and Independence.
THE NEXT
7
DAYS
PLANNING
FOR YOUR
WEEK
wed
Try your hand at
pickleball at the
roger Jordan Com-
munity park with
the Dallas pickleball
Club.
9 a.m.-noon. free.
Sunny
Hi: 80
Lo: 52
POLK COUNTY — It’s
blueberry season and the
native North American
berries are ready for harvest.
The blueberry season is a
long one, running from April
to late September, according
to the U.S. Highbush Blue-
berry Council. In Polk Coun-
ty, many farmers provide
farm-fresh blueberries that
can be carton-bought or
self-harvested.
Though blueberries are
available in-store, buying
local supports local farmers
and provides an opportunity
to soak in sunshine while
picking the antioxidant-
thu
Check out what’s
new and in season
at the polk County
Bounty Market on
the lawn at the
academy Building.
10 a.m.-3 p.m. free.
Sunny
Hi: 79
Lo: 53
dense fruit.
The u-pick options for
blueberry lovers span from
larger operations, such as
Perryhill Farms in Dallas,
who also provide cherries,
peaches and apples through-
out the year, to small patch-
es run out of family yards. In
Independence, a self-service
blueberry patch can be
found behind the Central Vi-
sion Clinic.
When picking blueberries,
it’s important to keep hy-
drated and wear sunscreen.
Similarly, to get the best
berries, Pickyourown.org ex-
plains that pickers should
“select plump, full blueber-
ries with a light gray-blue
color.
A berry with any hint of
red isn’t fully ripened.”
However, red berries will
still ripen after picking, un-
like white or green berries.
After harvesting, blueber-
ries can be used for a multi-
tude of recipes, from fruit
salad and blueberry lemon-
ade, to blueberry pies and
preserves.
Blueberries are also per-
fect for snacking on during
the car ride home from the
farm.
The early harvest is com-
ing to a close, so potential
patch pickers should call
ahead before heading over
to ensure that a u-pick is
open and ready for the next
wave of fruit-picking frenzy.
pOLk COunTY — The
polk County Fire Defense
Board in conjunction with
the Oregon Department
of Forestry has enacted a
countywide burn ban for
all of polk County.
residents of polk Coun-
ty are reminded that no
burning of any type is al-
lowed during the county-
wide burn ban. The burn
ban will remain in effect
until significant rains re-
turn in the fall. For burn
complaints and informa-
tion: www.wvcc911.org or
call 503-588-6420.
Work causes
delays on
HWY 99W
Itemizer-Observer staff report
pOLk COunTY —Trav-
elers should expect delays
and watch for crews on
highway 99W at milepost
74.5 this week, a press re-
lease from the Oregon De-
partment of Transporta-
tion states.
The southbound lane is
expected to remain closed
near adair Village much of
the week as crews contin-
ue cleanup of a diesel spill
that occurred on Friday.
Flaggers will control traf-
fic. alternate routes
should be considered to
avoid the area. Check
TripCheck.com or call 511
for the latest traffic infor-
mation.
fri
sat
sun
mon
tue
The american red
Cross is having a
blood shortage. Do-
nate today at Trinity
Lutheran Church in
Dallas.
11 a.m.-4 p.m.
The polk County
Museum in rickreall
will host its annual
porch sale, a
fundraiser for the
museum.
9 a.m.-3 p.m. free.
Come fly with the
Dallas Wingdingers
rC Flying Club at its
indoor fly at Whit-
worth Elementary
school gym.
1 to 3 p.m. free.
Mingle with other
professionals and
eat lunch at the Dal-
las Chamber lunch-
eon at the Dallas
Civic Center.
Dallas library hosts
two story times for
children, so you can
find a time that’s
right for you to read.
10:30 a.m. and
3:30 p.m. free.
Sunny
Hi: 82
Lo: 54
Sunny
Hi: 84
Lo: 53
Sunny
Hi: 83
Lo: 52
11:30 a.m. $12-$15.
Sunny
Hi: 81
Lo: 53
Sunny
Hi: 81
Lo: 53