Community, Creswell

Community Blessings – The Donley’s

I am thankful to be part of the Creswell Painted Rocks group. The members of the group inspire me daily, and painting rocks brings me so much happiness. It has been wonderful to see how our group gives people encouragement and causes many to spend more time together as a family while painting and hiding rocks. This year we had a free paint party at the library for kids and adults. We also got together on the night of July 3rd to ”Paint the Town Red, White and Blue,” so all the visitors could have fun finding our patriotic rocks along the parade route. I love our Creswell community and am so glad to be a part of it!
Jenni Donley, Creswell

I was born and raised in Iowa. I fled to Oregon after graduating high school and only returned sporadically for the required weddings and funerals. Much of my family still lives in the small town (population 250) of Brandon, Iowa. You’ve probably heard of Brandon because it’s home to the largest frying pan in Eastern Iowa — not, all of Iowa, per say, just Eastern Iowa. Anyway, this summer I got the wild hair to take my kids and bride back to Iowa to partake in the breathtaking extravaganza known as “Brandon Days.” Prepare to be overwhelmed: Brandon Days kicks off with a parade of as many as 15 to 20 partly restored “classic” cars (mostly 80’s Trans-Ams) on a Saturday morning, followed by all day softball and horseshoe tournaments in the park. At night there is an auction at the town hall where if you’re lucky you might win a bid on as many as 6 to 8 quarts of homemade jam or an assortment of John Deere themed lawn furniture. (If you’re unlucky you’ll get 8 quarts of beans and a Duck Dynasty bandana.)
After the Saturday morning parade festivities, my son and I played softball all day on the same field I grew up playing on, while my wife and daughter toured the town on my grandpa’s tricked out golf cart. After the auction that night, we had a barbeque at my cousin’s trailer down by the river and went night fishing with my uncles. Now I’m not a real emotional guy, but I’ll have to admit I got a little choked up with Thanksgiving watching my wife and kids swatting away hordes of mosquitoes just like I used to every day of my childhood. You see, Brandon Days will do that to a man.
Aaron Donley, Creswell Sanipac

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