How exciting! 4-H is coming back into the area… not just an individual club here and there, but a 4-H Community Club is forming in the Crow area. They’ve already held their open house this past Saturday at the Crow Grange — I didn’t hear about it until after I had submitted my column last week — but there’s still time to check out the groups that will be forming for kids K-12.
It brings back lots of good memories… I headed up a 4-H Community Club in Lorane in the 1980s. As community coordinator, it was my job to find out what interests kids in the area, and I had to find leaders to form groups. We had kids and leaders both signed up for not only livestock and cooking clubs, but sewing, leathercraft, dog obedience, guinea pigs, small engine repair, horsemanship, knitting and more. Each of these groups met separately, but were all part of one big community club. I put out a newsletter each month talking about what groups were forming and which ones still needed leaders. Many members displayed or showed their projects at the annual Lane County 4-H Fair held at the fairgrounds. Those 10 years were one of the most rewarding parts of my life because I was able to work with so many of the kids and leaders. For more information, contact Jessica Colwell at 458-315-5946.
The Lorane Grange’s Spaghetti Dinner and Bingo is back on Friday, Oct. 19 for a short fall run before the holidays. It begins with dinner at 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., immediately followed by bingo. Lil Thompson wants me to remind everyone to, “Come enjoy a delicious meal and lots of fun and laughs at bingo.”
Applegate Elementary in Crow is hosting this year’s Harvest Festival on Oct. 26th from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The fun will include free carnival games, costume contests, trick-or-treating and a haunted house. If you would like to volunteer your time to help set-up, run a booth or a trick-or-treat door, please contact Marissa McNutt-Cooper as soon as possible.
On Oct. 27, the large fundraiser for Cody Tripp is happening at the Crow Grange at 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will be a Swiss Steak dinner with homemade pumpkin pie ($18 per adult), door prizes, and a huge silent auction. Cody, a 2013 graduate of Crow High School, is fighting a recurrence of the cancer that sidelined him in his senior year. Proceeds for the event will help defray some of the expenses incurred by his family. Loranian Patrick Dearth, is serving as chairman and organizer of the event, and can be contacted at 541-520-5383 if you have items to donate. The Lorane, Creswell and Crow Granges are sponsoring it jointly. Connie Suing, president of the Crow Grange, can be reached at 541-556-2609 if there are any questions about the event. Thank you to all who are working so hard to make this happen!
Halloween will be celebrated in Lorane on Oct. 31 with the annual “Trunk or Treat” for kids and adults alike. It is sponsored by the Lorane Christian Church and all are invited to participate. Cars will be lined up in the church parking lot and treats will be made available to the ghosts and goblins that show up from their decorated trunks. For the adults, there is usually hot chocolate or apple cider, as well as snacks. It’s a great way for country kids to be able to enjoy the fun of the holiday without being on the dark roads in the area.
And, don’t forget… there are always bags of goodies handed out to the costumed superheroes, princesses and those same ghosts and goblins at the Lorane Family Store on Halloween night. It’s been our tradition to do that for the past 41 years.
Congratulations to Lorane’s own Alesong Brewing and Blending for bringing home three medals from the prestigious Great American Beer Festival last month in Denver, Colo.
Be sure to check out my personal website! http://allthingslorane.com
