 by Helen M. Davis There’s something about watching a model train traverse a track that captures the imagination. From the small cars that meander through miniature scenes of mountain passes studded with tiny trees and over little trestles spanning artificial rivers, it is like glimpsing another, more tranquil, less harried world. For members of Willamette Cascade Model Railroad Club, model trains are a passion and as, club president Walt Mulford puts it, “A very pleasant escape from real life.” The club has been in existence since 1978 and originally met in the old EWEB (Eugene Water & Electric Bureau) building by the Willamette River. When EWEB moved its headquarters to west Eugene, the Willamette Cascade Model Railroad Club began holding its monthly meetings at EPUD (Emerald Peoples Utility District) before settling into a room at Springfield Utility District. Occasionally, a scheduling conflict will arise, but the club is not deterred by this and will simply meet in the parish hall at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Veneta. During the meetings, members, numbering currently at 68, and ranging in age from 10 on up, gather to share their love of model railroading and will hold a “Show & Tell” where old railroad movies are viewed and things such as scenery techniques, tools and materials are discussed as well as home layouts. As President, Mulford runs the meetings, and at every meeting a raffle is held with tickets being sold at a price of five for a dollar. Prizes include scenery, rolling stock such as cars, wheels, and couplers, car kits and buildings. Money earned helps pay for the club’s annual picnic, which is always held at a venue that is, of course, railroad related. The club is more than just meetings, however. The club sets up layouts at Valley River Center, the Lane County Fair, the Benton County Fair, Drain, and at the Logging Conference that is held at the Lane County Fairgrounds where wood product hauling trains are set up. It is the club’s way of bringing model railroading to the public and sometimes they even get paid for doing what they love. Putting on these displays is the task of the module committee, one of several within the club. They are responsible for the set-up and determining what the layout will look like as well as the maintenance of the modules, as the scenes are called. There is also a communication committee that oversees the club’s website and newsletter and emails, a construction committee that builds new modules to replace ones that have worn out and a financial committee that is overseen by the club Treasurer. A Vice President and a Secretary who records meeting minutes round out the positions held by club members. Mulford says the club’s committees are active and strong, as is its Board. He agreed to run for President as he admits to being more of a facilitator. He was elected in February. For the past thirty years, the club has held a swap meet at the Lane County Fairgrounds that hosts vendors from Idaho, Southern California, Nevada, Washington, and, of course, Oregon, who rent space. The club also charges admission and money earned from the swap meet goes into the coffers. Vendors, as well as family members, also sell model trains at club meetings. To become a member of Willamette Cascade Model Railroad Club, one must merely possess a love of model railroading. Nobody is expected to be an expert as it is a learn as you go sort of organization. There is a strong sense of camaraderie and personal along with political interests are left at the door. This is a place where people come to enjoy themselves and forget about the stresses of life for a while. It is a place where friendships are formed over a shared interest and memories are made. It is a place where laughter is shared, and men become little boys once again. Women are welcomed, though no members are presently female. Model railroads grab one’s attention in a way that other things don’t. A world within a world, they challenge the creativity of the ones who construct the modules and provide a sense of accomplishment when track is laid out, scenery set up and the train is buzzing along in its own wee world. It’s a way to bring joy to those who come to see the setups and a way to bring people together who otherwise might never meet. It’s model railroading. It’s a calling, it’s a life, its joy.  Club President Walt Mulford By
Helen M. Davis While driving on Oaklea Road at the western edge of Junction City, one cannot help but notice the building taking place. Homes of all sorts seem to be going in and it makes a person wonder when it is going to stop. Junction City, after all, is a small town and people like it that way. They don’t want the ambiance to change, and they fear all this building will change what they love about the city they call home. There are concerns that the infrastructure will be taxed by the additional dwellings and about the impact of the additional traffic. These concerns are all valid and to be expected as the city grows. Jason Knope, Administrator for Junction City acknowledges these worries and explains what is being done to keep things livable for residents old and new. The housing going in on Oaklea, he says, is a mixed-use development comprised of single-family homes, townhouses, duplexes, and apartments on land that is owned by the city clear down to High Pass Road. The townhouses are already occupied, having filled quickly. Some of this acreage is comprised of 80 acres of wetlands that the city is intending to turn into a wetlands park, based on what the city of Forest Grove has done with wetlands of their own. This will involve the construction of walking trails and the installation of gazebos where people can enjoy themselves watching wildlife. This will work will then be turned into wetland credits for when a sewer upgrade for the city is done. Normally, Knope says, the city would buy mitigation credits, but by creating their own, there will be savings of $3-5 million for the community, making this project a winning one. Already, during the summer of 2015 or 2016, improvements undertaken at the water treatment plant took into consideration upcoming expansion and when the Roundtree subdivision near Prairie Road went in, new water treatment production wells were added, and the sewer system was determined to be fine. The work at the Oaklea location is being done in reserve phases and a traffic impact analysis was conducted that is hopefully going to lead to less crowding when other entrance points are added at 6th and at 10th Streets so the existing entrance at 15th Street is not the only one. All in all, efforts are being made to ensure that life in Junction City stays livable and that Junction City remains a place that people are pleased to call home. At the same time, it is the city leader’s desire to welcome those who wish to have a place to live that is a little bit country, a little bit city, a little old, and a little new. It has much to offer, such as a theatre that regularly puts on productions of such shows as Willy Wonka, Annie Get Your Gun, and Shrek, to name but a few, and a variety of shopping and dining experiences, and places of worship. It’s a place that celebrates its Scandinavian heritage and its classic cars. It is a place that goes from urban to rural in a matter of minutes. With any luck, it can also be a place where residents say welcome to those who wish to join the community and make them feel like the move to Junction City was a good one. That they are where their children can be safe and form the connections that can only be fostered in a small-town environment, and that they, too, can find a community that is supportive of them. It is unique, this place called Junction City, right to the history behind its name and it is hoped that it will retain this uniqueness, this little bit county, little bit city and always be a place where it’s not too big, not too small, but just right.
by
Helen M. Davis Rumors have been swirling around tiny Monroe with the intensity of a small tornado. Word has it the South Benton Food Pantry is going to begin feeding the homeless and many are worried about the impact the arrival of the unhoused en masse may have on their town. It is a fear that is unfounded as employee Janeece Cook explains what has really taken place. Due to the dilapidated state of the old building, last November, the food pantry purchased the United Methodist Church. However, it was not done to invite homeless people to come and stay in Monroe. Rather, it was done with the intent to offer community meals for seniors, provide classes via an extension service and to be able to rent the kitchen out to the community. Currently, the food panty has been hard at work remodeling the kitchen and they plan to begin the senior dinners in June. The church building has been renamed Heritage Hall and while people do still attend church services in it, there is the potential for concerts to be held. Cook stresses that the food pantry does not house the homeless, though the pantry did have to pay $500 for the towing of the car of a homeless woman who had taken up residence in the food pantry parking lot. The woman was assisted by being moved the property of a local landowner after getting it okayed, and the pantry took steps to secure the additional help she needed as well. Cook, who says the food pantry follows the Monroe School District’s definition of homelessness, which includes couch surfing and the nearby travel trailer park, says they are seeing many more families in need of assistance with 50 families a week being given food. Food boxes are also distributed to the homebound once a month. The South Benton Food Pantry also opens the doors to their facility for others to use such as Sheba, which helps seniors understand medicare, Samaritan Health Services, which does a survey to get a picture of food insecurity in the area, and Cardva, the Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence, which has an advocate at the pantry to meet with clients in a safe location. Upstairs, Alcoholics Anonymous meets twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The pantry also purchased the parsonage on the church property, but it needs a lot of work. Once this is complete, the goal is to have it available to rent below market value come June. Fundraising is currently in progress to aid in achieving this purpose and the food pantry will be sponsoring Art in the Park, to be held at Monroe Elementary this year. It’s a busy place, this food pantry, and Cook wants the rumors put to rest once and for all where the homeless are concerned. This is a place that helps, and does so willingly, but no shelter is planned, and people do not have to be concerned about the flavor of their town changing as this most certainly is not the case. Rather, the South Benton Food Pantry wants to enhance the experience of living in Monroe and to help those who need it make it through the month without going hungry. If others can use their facility to help make life better for those who are less fortunate, then so much the better. It could be any one of us who is in need, and we should be grateful for the presence of a food pantry that is there to help in a myriad of ways.
|
Contact Us Here.
News articles regarding Junction City, Monroe, Harrisburg, Veneta and the surrounding area. Archives
August 2023
Categories |
RSS Feed
|
Website created by RD Meyers & Co.
Please email us here for questions or internet marketing inquiries. Terms of Use © 2022 RD Meyers & Co. LLC |
|