Dec 21 2020 thru Dec 27 2020

It was a short season for the arts – and we remember a few memorable concerts, events and performances from the year.

The 2020 holiday season is here and like so many others I have talked to, I’m having difficulties feeling any excitement or joy. We have all been surrounded by so much turmoil throughout the year, dealing with the pandemic, racial unrest, the destruction of homes and families by the wildfires, the major hit to our local, small-business economy and the ongoing, heart-wrenching political dissent with its finger-pointing and blame being laid at the feet of whoever disagrees with us. Depression has been common.

Volleyball, boys basketball and a historic girls wrestling appearance highlighted shortened season.

In the past I have written about many local events that require volunteer help, if not totally operated by volunteers. A few weeks ago I shared with you the story of my special-needs daughter, Susan. I would like to share another part of her life involving volunteers. We go back to the late 1960s in Everett, Wash., my daughter Susan’s birthplace. I recall her introduction to summer camps, all operated by volunteer youth, at Camp Patterson.

Leaders representing a majority of local small- and medium-sized businesses across the region recently sent a co-signed plea for support to Gov. Kate Brown and elected representatives on behalf of their constituent businesses. Vonnie Mikkelsen, president and CEO of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, was a leading force behind the effort.

We received our first Christmas letter the day after Thanksgiving from an old friend whose clock-like efficiency impresses me. Nancy and I are from the wing-it School of cards and letters. If we get something out by July we feel pretty good. That is not so for those who get their year-end-summary out, including photos, recipes, travel diaries, family reunion reviews and real estate transactions by Christmas! If you enjoy sending one of these letters, know that I enjoy reading them and I look forward to seeing and hearing what you have been up to during the year.

Lane County Sheriff Cliff Harrold said his office was awarded a three-year Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Site-based Program (COSSAP) grant to fund the Lane County Jail Substance Abuse and Transition Program. The program provides substance-abuse counseling, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) and recovery support to adults at the Lane County Jail.

PeaceHealth Behavioral Health Services will soon be partnering with researchers at the University of Oregon to help develop targeted treatments for high-risk adolescents and young adults with schizophrenia.

The name of our town has taken a meandering path before being cemented to this locality. It started out in Creswell when Greenbery C. Pearce was awarded the title of Postmaster for the area south of Eugene in 1855. In those days the Postmaster operated out of his or her house. Pearce’s house was a cottage located in an oak grove east of Creswell. The name, Cottage Grove, was affixed to the post office, which was little more than a set of cubby-hole boxes.

More than 20 programs from Lane and Douglas counties schools received grants, which award as much as $1,000 to K-12 educators in communities across the state SELCO Community Credit Union, through its annual SPARK! Creative Learning Grants program, has awarded more than $42,000 to 47 educators across Oregon. The program, which provides money for innovative educational and extracurricular projects, provides grants of as much as $1,000 to K-12 educators across the 27 Oregon counties that SELCO serves.

Letters to Santa are a childhood tradition. Hand-written replies are rare, so four British siblings were charmed to get 20 years’ worth, which still offer holiday cheer and magic worldwide.

SPRINGFIELD — Medical officials called Monday a “historic day”after Springfield hospitals vaccinated their first group of caregivers against COVID-19. A daylong vaccination clinic for frontline caregivers and providers was held Dec. 21, after the first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine arrived at PeaceHealth RiverBend and at McKenzie Willamette Medical Center. PeaceHealth vaccinated about 200 of its frontline workers.

If you’re unemployed, underemployed or simply in need of a more satisfying professional path, you are far from alone. The year provided a lot of reasons to take stock in career choices and realign priorities. Why not begin the New Year with a new strategy for success that more accurately reflects your interests, talents and goals?

Oct. 17, 1952 – Dec. 4, 2020

May 15, 1936 – March 31, 2020

May 18, 1938 – Dec. 8, 2020

Deceased: Nov. 27, 2020

May 20, 1944 – Nov. 29, 2020

May 17, 1944 – Nov. 29, 2020