The INDEPENDENT, February 15, 2012
Page 11
Sign up now for Murphy’s St. Pat’s parade Extension offers water tests
Hillsboro’s 34th Annual St.
Patrick’s Parade will be held
Saturday, March 17, on the in-
famous day itself. Murphy’s
Furniture produces the parade
as a thank you to the Washing-
ton County community. Mur-
phy’s believes it’s important to
provide the parade as a symbol
of the hope brought with spring.
Mary and Kathy, daughters of
Murphy Furniture founder, Ruth
Murphy, consider this commu-
nity event a privilege to pres-
ent.
The parade started in 1979
as a Hillsboro Chamber project
to promote retail trade, with
Ruth Murphy as project chair
and the Portland Timbers Soc-
cer Club as Grand Marshall.
This year’s parade promises to
be loaded with royalty. St. Paul,
Columbia County, and Tillam-
ook County, Fair & Rodeo
Courts have promised to partic-
ipate.
Murphy’s encourages local
businesses and organizations
to take advantage of this won-
derful opportunity to “celebrate
your businesses survival” and
promote yourself in a fun way.
This was the purpose of the
original celebration, and it’s a
good time to revisit past suc-
cesses.
The March 17 celebration
will kick off with staging begin-
ning at 9:00 a.m. in the parking
lot across from Hare field, on
NE Grand Street in Hillsboro.
The parade starts at 11 a.m. at
Hare field, with the parade
route continuing east to Cornell
Road, south to Main Street,
west on Main to 2nd Ave, north
on 2nd to Grant Street, and
east back to Hair Field.
The party will continue with
the Corned Beef and Cabbage
Feed sponsored by Sports
Look. Their staff volunteers
their time to provide this au-
thentic (and tasty) traditional
Irish meal.
The Hillsboro Boys and Girls
Club will host games for the
kids, at the Hillsboro Civic Cen-
ter Plaza between 1st and 2nd
on Main St. in downtown Hills-
boro. Plan on hundreds of smil-
ing faces and spirited dancing.
One hundred percent of the
$20 entry fee will go to the
Hillsboro Boys and Girls Club.
There is still time to get in
the parade. Get together family
and friends and put together
your own spectacle. Entry
forms are available at Hillsboro
and Forest Grove Chamber of-
fices or at Murphy’s Furniture in
Cornelius.
For more information call
Murphy’s Furniture at 503-640-
1124, or print off an entry form
at www.murphysfurniture.net.
Beware of storm related repair scams
The Construction Contrac-
tors Board (CCB) reminds Ore-
gon homeowners experiencing
damage winter storms to work
only with licensed Oregon con-
tractors.
“Don’t get taken in by out of
town scam artists going door
to door, says Craig P. Smith,
CCB Administrator. “The stress
caused by storm damage can
cause homeowners to fall prey
to unscrupulous individuals
seeking to take advantage of
an already bad situation.”
Homeowners can easily
check with the CCB to make
sure the contractor is properly
licensed through the agency
website www.oregon.gov/CCB,
or by calling 503-378-4621.
It is important to verify a con-
tractor’s CCB license before
paying any money or signing a
home repair contract. A CCB li-
cense offers some financial
protection
to
consumers
through the business’ bond and
insurance.
“Be cautious of thieves pre-
tending to be legitimate con-
tractors,” says Robert Rambo,
manager of CCB’s Field Inves-
tigation Section. “Weather
events like the ones Oregoni-
ans are experiencing make
homeowners prime targets.”
The CCB has the following
advice on repairing your dam-
aged property:
• Be wary of door-to-door re-
pair solicitations, “too-good-to-
be-true” bids and contractors
using unmarked vehicles and
vehicles with out-of-state li-
cense plates.
• Don’t pay 100 percent of
the bill before the repairs are
Firefighter Breakfast on March 4
The annual Banks Firefight-
er Breakfast will be on Sunday,
March 4. from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00
p.m. in the Banks High School
cafeteria.
The menu will be a choice of
pancakes or biscuits & gravy,
ham or sausage, eggs and
fruit, plus coffee, milk or juice.
Cost is $7 per adult, $5 for sen-
iors, $4 for children and $25
per family (maximum of 6).
There will be free fire engine
rides for the kids and free blood
pressure checks.
S TRASSEL ’ S A UTO R EPAIR
& H YDRAULIC H OSES
2-4-6 S PIRAL W IRE
S UCTION H OSES
A DAPTORS - 3/16” TO 2”
A MERICAN & M ETRIC F ITTINGS
B ULK O IL P RODUCTS
276 S UNSET , B ANKS
503-324-9808
properly completed.
• Always use a properly li-
censed contractor.
The CCB is the state agency
licensing more than 38,000
contractors. Anyone who is
paid to repair, improve or build
a home must be licensed by
the CCB. Free consumer publi-
cations with helpful tips are
available on the CCB’s website
or by calling 503-378-4621.
Have your well (or spring)
tested for: Coliform bacteria.
Pick up sample bottles be-
tween February 15 and the test
dates of March 15 or 22 at one
of the following collection sites:
• Ace Hardware, Forest
Grove
• Jim’s Thriftway, Banks
• North Plains Hardware
• Petrich General Store,
Scholls
• OSU Extension Service,
155 N. First Ave, #200, Hills-
boro.
Payment of $25.00 must be
made when picking up the bot-
tles. Please make checks
payable to: OSU Extension
Service.
On the morning of March 15
or March 22, collect a water
sample and drop off your water
test bottle before 10:00 a.m. at
the same collection site where
you got the sample bottle. Do
not drop them off before the
testing date; water must be
fresh the day of the test.
Plan to attend the free,
“Managing and Maintaining
Wells and Septic Systems,”
class April 14, 10:00 a.m. –
noon, at the North Plains Fire
Station, 31370 NW Commer-
cial St. If you are unable to at-
tend, your results will be mailed
to you. This is a free, educa-
tional program to provide
homeowners with basic infor-
mation on how to care for their
drinking water well. There is no
charge for attendance or mate-
rials, but pre-registration is re-
quired to prepare adequate
materials and space is limited.
Walk-ins will be welcome.
For information, contact
OSU Extension Service at 503-
821-1150.
In the Service
Steven J. Harr
Army Pfc. Steven J. Harr
has graduated from Basic
Combat Training at Fort Sill,
Lawton, Okla.
During the nine weeks of
training, the soldier studied the
Army mission and received in-
struction and training exercises
in drill and ceremonies, Army
history, core values and tradi-
tions, military courtesy, military
justice, physical fitness, first
aid, rifle marksmanship, wea-
pons use, map reading and
land navigation, foot marches,
armed and unarmed combat,
and field maneuvers and tac-
tics.
Harr is the son of Steve Harr
Sr. of Banks. He is a 1997
graduate of Banks High
School.
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