Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 2008)
The INDEPENDENT, December 18, 2008 Help make one of 31 wishes come true The Make-A-Wish Founda- tion® of Oregon kicked off its inaugural A Season of Wishes campaign at Pioneer Place last week to help raise funds for children with life-threatening medical conditions in our com- munities. Three-year-old Sophia Boyer, of Depoe Bay, was pre- sented with surprises from Santa for her wish to visit her grandparents and great-grand- mother on the East Coast for Christmas. This liver transplant patient is one of 31 local kids to receive wishes from the Foun- dation this holiday season. A Season of Wishes, spon- sored by United Auto Workers- General Motors, is the Make-A- Wish Foundation of Oregon’s holiday campaign to make wishes a reality for children with life-threatening medical conditions in Oregon and SW Washington. The campaign continues through December 31, and involves holiday festivi- ties, fundraising promotions, and individual support of wish- es. Anyone can help by visiting www.orwish.org to make a do- nation or to learn about the specific shopping promotions with community retailers. Schools and other organiza- tions are welcome to join the cause, and people can pur- chase holiday cards as gifts for loved ones or business clients. Additionally, supporters can help by donating frequent flier airline miles or used vehicles to benefit the Foundation. Ways to support A Season of Wishes are available at www.orwish. org. The Make-A-Wish Founda- tion® grants the wishes of chil- dren with life-threatening med- ical conditions to enrich the hu- man experience with hope, strength and joy. Enter “Butter up Holiday Recipe Contest” The Dairy Farmers of Ore- gon is calling for entries for its inaugural “Butter Up the Holi- days Recipe Contest” this holi- day season. To enter the butter recipe contest, log on to www.butteruptheholidays.com throughout December and sub- mit your recipe. The Dairy Farmers of Oregon welcomes any butter recipe: holiday dish, baked goods, appetizers, main courses, desserts, snacks – or any creative recipe you would like to submit. “Butter is one of the most im- portant and used ingredients during the holiday season,” said Dan Cox, Director of Mar- keting and Communications, Oregon Dairy Products Com- mission. “We would love to see how butter is incorporated in a variety of foods through recipes from a variety of people – from home cooks to foodies to expe- rienced chefs.” Two grand prize winners will receive gift certificates for $150 each to Park Kitchen Restau- rant, located in Portland’s Pearl District, and a $100 gift card to Zupan’s Markets in the Port- land area. Additionally, two run- ners-up will receive a hard- bound copy of the of The Great Big Butter Cookbook. Entries will be judged on the successful use of butter as a major recipe ingredient. Individ- uals can enter as often as they wish; however multiple entries of the same recipe will not be accepted. Deadline for submissions is December 31, 2008. Winning entries will be announced and winners contacted no later than Friday, January 30, 2009. To enter and see a full list of con- test rules, go to www.but teruptheholidays.com. Fresh trees are better environmentally The delight of gazing at a light-strewn, decorated live Christmas tree and the festive feeling its evergreen aroma in- spires does not need to be ac- companied by a nagging sense of guilt. The Oregon Farm Bureau wants to inform consumers that despite what they may have heard over the years, buying a fresh Christmas tree is a better environmental choice than buy- ing a plastic tree. Why? Live trees from Ore- gon are local, renewable, recy- clable, are not made from pe- troleum, nor did they use the energy to be shipped half-way around the world from China. “Oregonians should feel good about purchasing an Ore- gon-grown Christmas tree this holiday season,” says Oregon Farm Bureau President Barry Bushue, a nursery operator in Boring. “Live trees are sustain- ably produced by family farm- ers and are 100 percent recy- clable. Consumers can also en- joy the smell and beauty that only a fresh Christmas tree can bring.” Some people mistakenly be- lieve that Christmas trees are clear-cut en masse from forest- land. Not so. Like wheat or corn, farmers grow Christmas trees in fields, or nursery plots. But instead of an annual harvest, the trees typically take five to six years before they are ready for sale. Christmas tree growers have rotating plots with trees of vary- ing ages to ensure that each year there are enough mature trees by November and De- cember. After a crop of trees is harvested, another is planted. There are around 720 li- censed Christmas tree growers in Oregon, according to the Oregon Department of Agricul- ture. The climate of the Willa- mette Valley is perfect for rais- ing evergreens, and the almost eight million trees harvested in Oregon are of exceptional qual- ity. Oregon’s trees are so pre- ferred, in fact, that our state is the number one producer of Christmas trees in the nation. Last year Oregon’s Christmas tree production was valued at an impressive $114.4 million, making it the eighth largest out of 220 agriculture products raised in the state. And of course fresh Christ- mas trees are biodegradable. Many communities publicize Christmas tree recycling pro- grams soon after New Years. Page 11 Bits & Bites By Jacqueline Ramsay H o , Ho to all of you worried shop- pers. I have al- most lost my Ho, Ho. I feel more like a Ha – there is no happy news on T.V. or in the papers. It seems Vernonia is making late night T.V. news quite a bit lately. Some of it’s a shock to our “Lost in the Woods” systems. I believe we have been discovered and an inner city feel is creeping in.The Town Hall meeting (I thought) was well attended and the food very good. Thank You, Cooks. But, all ideas and plans are still “up in the sky”. Yes, people’s houses and lives and safety come first (and should) but for twelve years 3 keys to a town have been floundering in the breeze. (So to speak.) Ver- nonia Cares, the Senior Cen- ter, the Medical Center (inc. Dental and Eyes). They are all needed and now include the new drugstore. All in Harm’s Way when we flood again. If, as stated, the State has land they could give or trade at a lower price, how come? Maybe, our new President’s work plan can come to our aid if we aren’t completely broken. And if there is a possibility of diking the river, how come this is the first time it’s come up? (That I know of.) To whoever owns the Chocolate Lab on State St. – on the 11th, 9:30 p.m., foggy and frosty, the only thing that saved your pet was the “red flasher” on it’s collar. Through the fog I saw the red dot flash, slowed down (thought it a bike tail light – only it cut back right in front of the head lights). That’s when I saw a dog at- tached. Why was your dog roaming out that late?? Thank you, Lord, I was stopped. To the lighter, pleasant side of life. It’s nice to drive around town in the dark and see the houses and yards lit up with Christmas. A few home have their trees shining in the win- dows. It brings back memories of tramping in the woods looking for rose hips, snow berries, hol- ly and berries, plus all sorts of cones and moss. That and, of course, the tree. Maybe it was skinny, fat and bent out of shape, but wire the tip to the ceiling and it stays straight, fat side to the front, popcorn and paper chains and, if lucky, cel- lophane chains to catch the colored lights.Today you buy it by the yard, back then we saved it from our dad’s ciga- rette packages. So from me to you – Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Stay happy in spite of your- self. J ac q u el i ne & Sh a d ow VERNONIA INN Enjoy a quiet weekend with us. FULL SIZE, IN ROOM HOT TUBS Queen Beds • Private Bath • Separate Entrance Cable TV • Phones • Handicapped Access • Commercial Rates FOR RESERVATIONS CALL 1-800-354-9494 / 503-429-4006 Gift Certificates Available 900 MADISON AVE., VERNONIA, OR 97064 Just one block off scenic Nehalem River Hwy. (Oregon 47)