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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 2017)
Polk County News 2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 13, 2017 JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer Bob Dunn gives a thumbs up before his ride. Honor ride By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — U.S. Navy veteran Bob Dunn grinned and said the best thing about serving in the mili- tary was “the girls.” Dunn, 95, a former pilot, served during World War II and during the Korean War as an instructor. He humbly talks about his flight feats during World War II, including staying in the air and landing after an enemy fighter broke the tail off his plane. “He just chewed my tail off a little bit,” he said. “I managed to hold onto the stick and fly it back.” He was based on the USS Wasp, so flying back meant landing on the aircraft carri- er — without the hook on the tail to slow the plane once it touches down. “You do anything you have to to stay alive, be- cause man wasn’t meant to fly,” he said. “No feathers.” Saturday he was taken for a different kind of ride, one that has been on his bucket list: Traveling by motorcycle sidecar. Independence resident Marv Olson, also a veteran, made one phone call to a motorcycle club after he heard of Dunn’s wish and set up the trip, which took Dunn to the coast. Riders from Northwest Patriots Motorcycle Club and Bikers for Christ roared up into his driveway, taking Dunn by surprise. A look of disbelief fell over his face when riders lined up to introduce themselves and thank him for his service. By the time Sammy Manning, who joined the ride with her husband, stepped up to shake Dunn’s hand, the vet’s sense of humor re- turned. “I want to take this one home,” Dunn said, with a chuckle. Manning said: “No, we’ll take you home.” “That’s the best offer I’ve had all day,” Dunn replied. Moments later, the cara- van headed down the street with Dunn waving to on- lookers like the grand mar- shal of his own parade. EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer Pete Kalogeras and his wife, Cindy, serve gyros, Greek salads, Greek french fries, and the hot-seller, baklava. The couple opened Greece Lightning Express in June and have attended many community events over the summer. A taste of Greece By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer MONMOUTH — It doesn’t matter how you pro- nounce it, Pete Kalogeras at Greece Lightning is happy to serve it up. “I should put in a button right here, gyro,” Kalogeras said, saying it correctly (ye- ro). But Kalogeras is happy to pronounce the “g” if it makes his customers more comfortable in ordering one of the tasty sandwiches or salads from his food cart on Catron and Jackson streets in Monmouth. The gyro meat — a mix- ture of beef and lamb with Greek seasonings — can be served in a warm pita with tomatoes, onions, feta cheese and Kalogeras’ special handmade tzatziki sauce or over a Greek salad. He also offers a chicken option, cut into cubes and broiled after marinating in Don’t pronounce the G What: Greece Lightning food truck. When: Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays open until 7 p.m. Where: On the corner of Catron and Jackson streets. Of note: Picnic benches sit under a shaded or covered spot under trees to enjoy lunch. The food truck is parked on the property of the Kalogeras’ son-in-law’s business, Dr. Ryan Shurtz. Kalogeras offers lunch specials until 1 p.m. — a sandwich, fries and drink for $9. oil, lemon and Greek season- ings. Ka l o g e ra s i s n’t f r o m Greece, but growing up in Youngstown, Ohio, he ad- mired the owner of a Greek food truck. “It was a Greek gyro trail- er,” he recalled. “I said, ‘I want to be just like this guy.’ He always worked his butt off during the summer, and in the wintertime, he would go to Greece.” Kalogeras said he is far from that dream, as his trail- er has been open for two months, but business is good so far. “ We did the eclipse (Indy Goes Dark) in Inde- pendence; we’re going to do the PCL (Partnerships in Community Living Inc.) picnic; we did the Com- munity Garage Sale in Monmouth,” he said. “Lit- tle by little, people are starting to invite us and wanting to get to know us.” Kalogeras and his wife moved to Monmouth about a year ago after their daugh- ter and son-in-law suggest- ed it. “They kind of told us, ‘Guys, why don’t you move out here so you can start your own food trailer,’” he said. “We kind of fell in love with it, my wife and I, and we kind of said, ‘Let’s just sell everything back home and move out west and give it a shot.’” While the gyro is the most-ordered item, Kalogeras said the baklava is a close second — even if it’s not homemade. “Our salads are really good, too,” he said. “They’re a good portion. Matter of fact, all our servings are good por- tions. People tell me this is the best gyro around.” DEADLINES NEWS DEADLINES For inclusion in the Wednesday edition of the Itemizer-Observer: Social news (weddings, engagements, anniver- saries, births, milestones) — 5 p.m. on Thursday. Community events — Noon on Friday for both the Community Notebook and Community Calendar. Letters to the editor — 10 a.m. on Monday. Obituaries — 4 p.m. on Monday. ADVERTISING DEADLINES Retail display ads — 3 p.m. Friday. Classified display ads — 11 a.m. on Monday. Classified line ads — Noon on Monday. Classified ads are updated daily on www.polkio.com. Public notices — Noon on Friday. CORRECTIONS Kelly K. Denney Financial Advisor 503-623-2146 244 E. Ellendale, Suite 2 Dallas, OR 97338 Ben Meyer, AAMS ® Bob Timmerman Financial Advisor 503-623-5584 503-606-3048 193 E. Main Street Monmouth, OR 97361 Financial Advisor 159 SW Court Street Dallas, OR 97338 Solution on Page 6A Solar Arrays on Farm Lands Public Forum Independence Library Conference Room Sept. 21, 2017 • 7 PM • Sam Sweeney, Yamhill Farm Bureau • Meriel Darzen, Circuit Rider Staff Attorney, 1000 Friends of Oregon • Jeff Bissonnette, Executive Director, Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association • Tim Murphy, Department of Land Conservation and Development, Farm & Forest Specialist Each speaker will give a 10 minute overview of the utilization of solar panels on farm land from their per- spective. Topics will include economics, siting on non- high value farmland, allowed sizes of facilities, and required infrastructure for energy transmission. This will be followed by a question and answer session. Tremaine Arkley will moderate the session. Hosted by Friends of Polk County Refreshments will be provided. Last week, a caption for a photo running alongside “Baskett Slough battles water primrose” reported that “refugee employees” had drained the wetlands. The employees were not refugees, but rather employees of the refuge. The I-O regrets the error. WEBSITE The Polk County Itemizer- Observer website, www.polkio.com, is updat- ed each week by Wednes- day afternoon. There, you will find nearly every story that appears in the print version of the newspaper, as well as some items, in- cluding additional photos, that do not appear in print due to space limitations. The Itemizer-Observer is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Watch for breaking news, links to sto- ries, sports scores updates and more. WEATHER RECORDED HIGH LOW Sept. 5............... 89 Sept. 6............... 85 Sept. 7............... 86 Sept. 8............... 74 Sept. 9............... 84 Sept. 10............ 82 Sept. 11............ 94 65 61 64 64 62 60 52 RAIN .00 T T T .02 .00 .00 Rainfall during Sept. — 0.02 in. Rain through Sept. 11 — 33.47 in.
