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The Family Relief Nursery’s fundraiser at Creswell High School last month was an event to remember. The keynote speaker touched our hearts with a story of heartbreaking self-awareness, wondering to herself whether “I was breaking my kids” during a rough patch in her life. She reached out to the FRN – a life-changing, life-affirming decision.
One thing I learned that night: Not a single child of an FRN client had to be placed in foster care last year. Keeping families together through tough times is a great achievement.
I met a few of the organization’s supporters that evening, including Dale, Kurt, Becky and Jared.
As The Chronicle grows, we continue to meet more people from Springfield. Our senior team had lunch with Amber and Niel recently at the PublicHouse.
Manuel visited his wife at Creswell Wellness Center, and we chatted for a bit.
Kylee, a winner in The Chronicle’s Halloween coloring contest, was a delight to meet. So were her mom and dad, Natalie and Tyler, and brother Parker.
I keep meeting new people at the Cottage Grove Rotary, including Joel and Norma.
We drove over to My Brothers’ Farm last week on an errand and met Aaron.
CHS has a cool new program – an in-house print shop. I met with Ginger and Jack, who lead the initiave.
Yet another positive thing that came out of the CHS volleyball team’s run to the state title game was an opportunity to meet Dave. He provided several photos with our state tournament coverage. I also met his son, Gary.
A little bit of old business here: I wasn’t able to get in everyone I’d met in October. As the high school football season draws to an end, I’m thankful I was able to meet Natalie and Kylie at the Springfield jamboree when they were selling Millers athletic gear. We bought a Millers ball cap.
I visited La Piñata, on the other side of Oregon Avenue from the library, a few weeks ago. Blanca and I chatted about quinceañeras and weddings. Growing up in Miami, Fla., I’m pretty familiar with the quinceañera – the 15-year-old girl’s birthday celebration – and the store was packed with all the latest gowns and trinkets. She said they get good traffic and business from the Springfield area in particular.
We get a lot of foot traffic in the newsroom, and it’s one of my favorite parts of working at the paper. So many people share memories of Creswell and this area, their family members and friends, and favorite childhood memories. I’m here all day for those conversations.
Sandra came by the office with an original copy of the first New Era Times, a paper her father-in-law founded in the 1960s.
I continue to meet more people affiliated with the Intergenerational Reading Collaboration (IRC) at Creslane Elementary school. Nancy, a grandma helping out in a second-grade classroom, is fast becoming someone I rely on for guidance in those duties. And I’ve been remiss in not mentioning two people I see every week in the Creslane office: Paula and Dana. In a sometimes-chaotic office, they remain unflappable and polite through it all.
Met a few people while out listening to local music recently: Russ, Suzanne and Chris are locals who enjoy the local music scene.
Work continues on a new restaurant next door, and Nick has been helping out with the remodeling.
Greg stopped by the newsroom to get a document notarized. Darlene came by to renew her subscription to the paper. It’s gratifying for the team in the newsroom to hear from readers who appreciate hyper-local coverage. Meghan also stopped in and renewed her grandma’s subscription.
Lowell also visited the paper after being featured on the front page for Veterans Day. He’s such a humble guy who has lived such a fascinating life.
Carolyn has been helping me on various business matters. Her patience and expertise have been invaluable.
I’ve met a few people through the past month or so while out and around: Doc, Johnny, Don, Kari and Randy all crossed my path in one way or another.
It’s been my honor to collaborate with Devin, Kristine, Megan, Cayle, Dawn, Luke, Carter and Deron on the Creswell School District’s strategic design team.
We published Emerald Valley Magazine, Winter 2019 edition, this past week. (Be sure to pick up a free copy!) As part of the process, I was able to meet several new faces, including Jason at Jasper’s Tavern and Heather at Coast Fork Brewing.
Finally, a sad and fond farewell to Lola, our 17-year-old dachshund. We adopted the senior dog when her owner couldn’t care for her any longer. She was with us for two years, and will forever be part of our family.

Noel Nash is publisher of The Chronicle.