PROGRAM KEEPS
RAMSEY INSPIRES AT
SCIENCE COOL
BIKE
MS
Page 12A
Volume 142, Issue 32
www.Polkio.com
Page 10A
August 9, 2017
$1.00
Try to
capture
a solar
eclipse
IN
YOUR
TOWN
DALLAS
Praegitzer Industries
fire reunion is set for
Saturday and Sunday.
By Stephanie Blair
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — For
those looking to immor-
talize those two minutes
of totality on Aug. 21, pho-
tography is the way to go.
However, there’s more to
capturing an eclipse than
pushing a button.
Mike Lowery, owner of
Focal Point Photography
in Dallas, explained that
first and foremost, photog-
raphers need to ensure
that they have proper pro-
tection for their eyes and
cameras.
If proper protection is
not used outside totality,
uncovered eyes can go
blind in 10 seconds, and a
camera’s imaging sensor is
vulnerable in a similar way.
“You don’t need a filter
or glasses during totality,”
said Lowery. “Of course,
that’s only about two
minutes.”
For those still in need of
a filter, they may still be
available at online retailers,
such as Amazon, as well as
locally, at Focal Point.
If DIY projects are more
appealing, it is fairly simple
to construct your own solar
filter using Baader AstroSo-
lar photo film. Tutorials are
available online.
Preparation is key for
getting the perfect shot.
Scouting out the spot
you’ll be shooting from
ahead of time, as well as
having a planned schedule
of when you’ll be where, is
a great place to start.
See PHoTo, Page 7A
»Page 3A
INDEPENDENCE
Central High School’s
“little actors” are ready
to shine.
»Page 2A
MoNMoUTH
Amanda Evola transi-
tions from Western Ore-
gon softball player to
coach.
STEPHANIE BLAIR/Itemizer-Observer
Firefighters fully contained a blaze near the intersection of Kings Valley Highway and Highway 22 on Thursday.
Fire burns five acres
»Page 11A
SPoRTS
Temperatures cool slightly, but dry conditions persist
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — Five
acres burned in a field fire at
Perrydale Road and High-
way 22 on Thursday.
The fire was caused when
a woman pulled to the side
of the road with car trou-
bles.
“She lost power in her ve-
hicle,” said April Welsh,
spokeswoman for Dallas
Fire & EMS. “Her engine
stopped working. When she
got out to see what was
going on, she noticed smoke
coming out of the ditch
area.”
The call came in to South-
western Polk Fire District.
Twenty-five firefighters
worked to contain the blaze
within 30 minutes, com-
pletely extinguishing it in
about an hour and a half,
Welsh said. The Oregon De-
partment of Forestry, Sheri-
dan Fire, Amity Fire, Polk
Fire District No. 1, and Dallas
Fire & EMS assisted South-
western Polk at the scene.
The blazing hot tempera-
tures and low humidity
could have presented a
problem for firefighters,
Welsh said, but no firefight-
ers were injured.
The heat “is bad for our
firefighters, because it’s
going to create more of a
dehydrating issue for them
when they’re out there
working on these fires that
are already hot,” Welsh said.
“They’re going to lose a lot
more fluid from their per-
spiration and the work ef-
fort they’re putting into it.
It’s dangerous all around.
It’s dangerous for our com-
munity, and it’s dangerous
for our firefighters.”
High temperatures for
Thursday topped out at 103,
breaking the record set in
1952 of 102.
The heat wave started on
Aug. 1, with a high of 101,
beating the previous record
of 100 set in 2015, and
didn’t stop until Thursday.
Wednesday proved to be
the hottest, coming in with
a high of 107, shattering the
previous record of 102 de-
grees set in 1939.
“We are nearing (becom-
Western Oregon vol-
leyball hopes to contin-
ue building toward a
bright future.
ing one of) the top 10
warmest summers on
record,” said David Bishop,
meteorologist with the Na-
tional Weather Service in
Portland. “We’re kind of in
this weird tie as it stands
right now … with the 2006
average and the 1985 aver-
age.”
Oregon is getting into its
summer systems, Bishop
said, which is why tempera-
tures are warmer. While the
107 on Aug. 2 was hot, it
wasn’t the hottest Polk
County has seen.
“For your all-time high
records, there was 108 that
occurred in 1991; once in
1941, and once in 1927,” he
said.
See FIRE, Page 7A
»Page 10A
Eclipse souvenir
edition coming
Itemizer-observer staff report
POLK COUNTY — A lim-
ited number of the sou-
venir eclipse special sec-
tion will debut at the Polk
County Fair Thursday
through Saturday.
Subscribers will receive
a copy of the souvenir edi-
tion on Aug. 16.
Any remaining copies
will be available after Aug.
21 at the Itemizer-Observer
for purchase for $1. The
Great American Eclipse
will happen Aug. 21.
Fair animal entries promise to eclipse past years
By Jolene Guzman
Moo at the Moon
The Itemizer-Observer
RICKREALL — The Polk
County Fairgrounds & Event
Center buzzed Monday
morning in the scramble to
get everything ready for the
venue’s event of the sum-
mer: The Polk County Fair.
“It’s a zoo,” said Fair
Manager Tina Andersen,
laughing. “I’m a zookeeper.”
The three-day county
showcase kicks off Thursday
and runs through Satur-
day — with everything from
barns full of prize animals to
cooking contests to a goat
obstacle course on the
schedule.
This year’s theme, “Moo
at the Moon,” is anchored in
the Great American Eclipse,
a mere nine days following
the conclusion of the fair.
But don’t worry, the Polk
County Fair has plenty to
see here on the ground.
Andersen said FFA and 4-
H entries are challenging
her creativity in making
space in the animal barns
THE NEXT
7
DAYS
PLANNING
FOR YOUR
WEEK
What: 2017 Polk County Fair.
When: Thursday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Where: Polk County Fairgrounds & Event Center, 520 S. Pa-
cific Highway West (99W), Rickreall.
Admission: Daily: adults, $8; juniors (ages 11 to 15), $5; sen-
iors (62 and older), $5; children 10 and younger are free. Sea-
son passes: adult, $20; junior, $10; and senior, $10. Parking: $3
per car.
of note: Seniors are free on Thursday until 4 p.m. and mem-
bers of the military are free on any day with a photo ID. Due to
the rodeo, adult admission after 4 p.m. on Thursday is $10.
and exhibit areas, which is
just what she likes to see.
“I only do this for one rea-
son — for the kids. Really
watching the kids show their
animals — and last year we
had some amazing sewing
and woodworking projects
for 4-H — that’s the reason I
do this job,” she said.
The weather report has
temperatures for the fair in
the high 80s, but that may
seem cool after last week’s
intense heat. Andersen is
grateful for the slight cool
down for the fair this week.
“It’s going to be hot, but
not as hot as last week,” she
said. “We nearly died trying
to set up last week.”
Live entertainment will be
on stage all three nights, and
the 2017 performers are all a
little bit country.
“We changed things
around quite a bit and
brought in some bigger
acts,” Andersen said. “For
the first time in years, we
brought in The Zaniac Com-
edy Show.”
A comedy show will be on
stage all three days, and Ma-
gician Louie Foxx will dazzle
the crowd on Thursday at 4
p.m.
Peirce Avenue, Nate Bots-
ford and Jessie Leigh are all
new to the Polk County Fair.
Quickly becoming a fair
favorite, the Hell on Hooves
Rodeo is back on Thursday.
This year’s rodeo will fea-
ture bareback riding, saddle
bronc riding, bull riding,
barrel racing and mutton
busting.
“Since he brought the
rodeo in, we have broken
records for Thursday night
(attendance),” Andersen
said. “That’s why he wanted
to do it on Thursday. Even in
the heat last year, we had
record attendance on
Thursday.”
The ATV Rodeo, steadily
growing in popularity, rides
into the arena at 7 p.m. on
Friday.
This year’s event lineup
has a few changes, with the
annual truck and tractor
pull canceled and American
Thunder Monster Truck and
Mega Truck Show added to
Saturday night slate of
events.
Polk Soil & Water Conser-
vation District, which usual-
ly has a display and infor-
mation at the entrance, has
moved its booth inside the
fair and will be presenting
information on small animal
care and an introduction to
beekeeping.
Kids have entertainment
choices galore out on the
playground.
Bouncy houses, an obsta-
cle course, water balls, an
inflatable playground, me-
chanical bull and slide will
be set up in one part of the
lawn while Rickreall Fire’s
firefighting-themed obstacle
course is featured in anoth-
er.
The kids’ safety demon-
stration area, sponsored by
the Confederated Tribes of
Siletz Indians of Oregon,
has been moved to the
playground and will be giv-
ing away free car seats, bi-
cycle helmets, and life
jackets.
New this year is Dragon
Theatre, offering on hands-
on activities and shows, and
Houston’s Dinosaurs Alive.
If you see a dinosaur run-
ning loose through the fair-
grounds, don’t be surprised.
It’s all part of the interactive
display and photo booth
making custom T-shirts.
Andersen said there’s a
family connection between
the dinosaur wrangler and
with the conductor of an-
other popular kids’ attrac-
tion — the Rawhide Express
Train.
“I’m really excited about
having him here,” Andersen
said. “He’s the brother of the
guy who does our train.”
wed
thu
fri
sat
sun
mon
Senator Jeff Merkley
will hold a town hall
meeting at the
Colonel Nesmith
Readiness Center in
Dallas.
3:30 p.m. Free.
See what’s fresh and
in season at the Polk
County Bounty Mar-
ket this week, at the
Academy building
lawn.
Rock out to some of
the 90s best rock
music with Schwing
at Independence
Riverview Park.
7:30 p.m. $5 sug-
gested donation
Dallas resident
Donn Anderson will
present about the
total solar eclipse at
the Dallas Public Li-
brary.
2 p.m. Free.
Skip making break-
fast and support the
Buell Grange Hall at
its monthly event.
The hall is on Mill
Creek Road.
8-11 a.m. $6
Friends of the Del-
bert Hunter Arbore-
tum seeks
volunteers to help
maintain trails and
pull weeds.
6-8 p.m. Free.
Sunny
Hi: 90
Lo: 59
Sunny
Hi: 89
Lo: 58
Partly cloudy
Hi: 86
Lo: 55
Sunny
Hi: 85
Lo: 55
AM showers
Hi: 80
Lo: 53
Partly cloudy
Hi: 78
Lo: 53
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free.
tue
With the Great
American Eclipse
less than a week
away, Monmouth
Library hosts how
to get ready.
6 p.m. Free.
AM showers
Hi: 80
Lo: 53