Thankfully, almost all of our adult family members have gotten at least their first shot of the COVID vaccine or are planning to do so when eligible. It’s a good feeling to know that we can venture out a bit even though we continue to wear masks and social distance in public.

COTTAGE GROVE – Some folks are under the impression that performers can flip the proverbial switch and … poof! … stage magic happens. But there’s not a chapter in the musicians’ handbook that deals with returning from a worldwide pandemic. “It’s like riding a bicycle for 60 years, then you don’t ride for a year, then you try to ride again,” Steve Goodbar said to The Brewstation audience between songs Friday night. “That’s what it feels like up here.”

For several months reports were circulating among running enthusiasts that professional marathoner Desiree “Des” Linden would be attempting her first ultra-marathon. She had her sights on the 50-kilometer race, just over 31 miles, with the aim of beating the women’s world record, 3:07.20.

“It turns out that a fire season 2021 preview is upon us,” said Tom Boyatt, Springfield community services manager, at the Springfield City Club April 15 meeting. “Dry conditions, east winds and hot temperatures, that’s the recipe.” The rising temperature and wind speed in Lane County is closely monitored by local experts, and smartphone users may have noticed a fire danger warning recently popping up on weather apps. Moving forward, discussion to reflect on the recent Sweet Creek and Holiday Farm fires may be in order to determine future action should another fire spark, officials said.

As the May 18 Special Election nears, several area school boards have seats up for election, including Springfield, South Lane and Creswell boards, as well as Lane Community College. All seats in the SLSD are contested, as are most in Springfield, and no seats are contested in Creswell and Pleasant Hill. The Chronicle will be publishing candidate viewpoints and Q&A responses in upcoming editions.

COTTAGE GROVE – When South Lane voters go to the polls on May 18, they can cast ballots for the members of the South Lane County Fire & Rescue board of directors. It will be only an exercise; the results already are known. The five-person board has four incumbents running – all unopposed. Another board member is not seeking re-election, and only one person has filed as a candidate for that spot. The deadline for filing as a candidate was March 18.

Local business owners who have suffered and – somehow – survived this far through the pandemic are eager to ramp up and super-serve customers ready to socialize, shop, eat, drink and be merry. A lack of hireable employees is threatening to make it all go bust. The state’s oscillating “risk level” remains an immediate challenge, particularly for restaurants and bars trying to meet guidelines, customer needs and business expenses. County health officials are expected to raise the risk level to “High” this week.

The nominees were recently announced for the Rooster Blues Awards. The winners in each category are expected to be revealed in early June. The annual competition, sponsored by the Rainy Day Blues Society, is a nod to Gavin “Rooster” Fox, who was only 51 when he lost his battle to ALS in 1999.

EMMA ROUTLEY The Chronicle As the pandemic leaves restaurant owners feeling shaken, a new web technology may be paving the way for a new kind of operation. In the future, waiting for a server to take a food order may be obsolete, thanks to Porter. Porter, a web-based technology that utilizes QR code for menus and food service, supplies a new way to order and serve customers to focus more on guest satisfaction rather than the transaction. “You think about your own experience going into a restaurant and whether a waiter or waitress is helping you – they spend a lot of time taking your order, taking your card, giving your card slips back,” said CEO John Barry, aka Head Porter. “With Porter, that’s removed.” An active community member, Barry spent two years running the Arts and Business Alliance of Eugene, which allowed him to combine his passion for art and for business and get to know local leaders also involved in ABAE. One thing he’d never done, Barry said in entrepreneurial spirit, was a commercial startup. Still relatively new, Porter is putting out feelers for opportunities to test the technology. Different from delivery apps like Uber Eats or Grubhub, Porter is used by opening a website provided by the hub, creating an account and registering a credit card. As orders are placed and sent to the kitchen, the transaction is already complete. In scenarios where there are multiple food trucks, Porter cuts out the need to get up from the table at all, unless someone needs a bathroom break. Currently, Porter provides the technology working in the background of local businesses such as PublicHouse in Springfield and the Beergarden in Eugene. Porter recently announced a partnership with the Eugene Emeralds and Bend Elks. “Instead of having to spend that time getting up, standing in line and maybe missing the winning home run, you never have to leave your seat,” Barry said. Contactless food service has become the norm during the last year, and Barry said people’s comfort level with that experience should be good for Porter’s future. “We launched at a time when the idea of using something like Porter onsite to enhance the dining experience was a novelty,” Barry said. “Our future’s going to be about being the underlying software that allows our clients to provide that experience.”

So far April’s showers have been sharing time with some spring sunshine, and it is so welcome. We have been spending time outside, trying to get a handle on the new green grass in our lawn and the prolific weeds that are growing in the flower beds. Both are competing for our attention with the voles and moles that have decided to take up residence and leave their holes and hills where we don’t want them.

Spring has sprung, have you been noticing more of your neighbors out for walks, are you feeling the urge to go climb Mt. Pisgah or check out the falls at Bryce creek? I sure am, and while we again had a relatively mild winter, it always seems like it is dark and gloomy forever.

Parenting a young adult who is leaving home for the first time can be challenging. As parents, we want to protect them from harm and be reassured that they will be safe. While every student is different, most first-year college students are seeking independence and want more control over their lives. On the other hand, many parents find they have less control over their young adult and must find new ways to influence them and learn to let go.

Today we find ourselves in a remarkably similar situation as our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc., as they struggled in America’s Great Depression. While not as severe, the Covid pandemic has put financial pressure on many families and shuttered businesses. In 1933, the new president was promising a “New Deal” for Americans, who were suffering from massive unemployment, 25% on average and much higher for uneducated, poor, and rural non-farm workers. President Franklin D. Roosevelt rolled out his “Alphabet Soup” of relief efforts, WPA, AAA, FHA, NRA, TVA, and many others.

Before the motion picture, and later, television, there was vaudeville. Out of vaudeville and the music theatre and bars of Europe, came comedy teams and single comedians. In 1903, the first successful motion picture was filmed, a western – The Great Train Robbery. In the early days, most silent movies were produced in New York and sprang up in Hollywood about 1909-10. Of course, Hollywood today is the dominating motion picture headquarters of the world.

Over the last year, I’ve been graced with dozens of individuals, parents and grandparents who utilize their uninterrupted hour on my massage table to ponder the changes that have occurred in their lives since COVID first hit U.S. soil just over a year ago. It has given me a snapshot of perspectives and an opportunity to conduct an unofficial survey of the wellbeing of our community’s children, parents and family support systems.

Emptying out the notebook … Last week I wrote about the visceral reaction I had to driving an e-car for the first time, and likened it to previous experiences around race cars. While I made a passing reference to the environmental impact of battery-powered vehicles, Lane County Transit District leaders are making a significant commitment with a variety of sustainability initiatives and projects.

Santa Claus paid the Creswell Grange an extra visit this year after the pandemic’s mass cancellations left the locals lacking holiday cheer -- and brought all the other holidays along with him.

CRESWELL – Connor Hanson inadvertently tried using a basketball move during a third-down run to keep a drive alive Friday night. Creswell’s sophomore quarterback, who also plays basketball, nearly fumbled, and as he tried to regain control with his right hand, he brought the ball all the way around his back to his left hand.

Local arrests and accidents.

SPRINGFIELD – The public schools district board approved security system upgrades at Riverbend and Mt. Vernon elementary schools to address the limitations of current technology in assisting with identifying people in unlawful behavior and improve student safety.

COTTAGE GROVE – The Cottage Grove Public Library has taken its books to the public – via the great outdoors. Every Tuesday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the library sets up shop in Bohemia Park and is available to process new library cards. Cottage Grove Public Library and the Creswell Public Library share a cardholder lending agreement, and books can be checked out at either location with either library card.

SPRINGFIELD – The Glenwood riverfront property has piqued the interest of developers in Springfield, and the Springfield Economic Development Agency (SEDA) this week heard two unsolicited pitches for its redevelopment. SEDA and City have assembled about nine acres of Glenwood riverfront property for future redevelopment, and the SEDA Board on Monday heard from Glenwood Development LLC and LOCALIS Partners.

Web-Based Platform Effortlessly Serves Up Room Service via Guests’ Smartphones

Over the last year, while adhering to the prescribed health and social distancing recommendations related to COVID-19, fishing, cycling, hiking and generally most other non-team outdoor activities have been considered safe for families and individuals. Unfortunately, last season there were dozens of federal, state, and county closures that limited everyone’s access to some very popular day and multiple-day use recreation sites. Roadside overlooks and rest stops were often also closed to prevent crowding and further limited many recreational opportunities.

SPRINGFIELD – Thousands of eggs were hidden throughout the trees of Dorris Ranch on Saturday, and families took turns filling their baskets after missing out on last year’s canceled event.

Lane County Sheriff’s deputies under contract to Creswell responded to 50 calls March 22-28, and two separate Creswell deputies were also involved in pursuits the final weekend of March that occurred outside of the city limits, Sgt. Scott Denham said.