By Sarah Brown
Lebanon Local
Moriah Dahlgren, 17, is the daughter of Davin and Emily Dahlgren, and she has one brother, Destin, 21. Her family includes three cats named Sunny, Truly and Mochi.
Moriah appreciates that she gets to be part of a shared experience with a group of girls, namely, the Strawberry Court. She said her “mind is blown” that she’s now a princess and part of a 113-year-old tradition, adding that traditions like the Strawberry Festival keep the city together.
“We’re all connected in this community, and it gives us that opportunity to have a time where we all share this experience,” she said.
What does she like most about the festival? “All of the hoopla,” she said, describing herself as a very busy person who likes commotion. But if she had to pick one thing, it would be the parade because she always liked watching and taking part in them.
Moriah spends much of her free time taking part in theater and film. Since the sixth grade, she has been participating as an actor and tech crew through Lebanon Association for Theatre Arts, Seven Oak Theatre Club and Lebanon High School theater classes, as well as through Brightsword Productions, an independent film group in Sweet Home.
She has also been actively involved in the Scalawags robotics team for seven years. The opportunity has afforded Moriah the chance to learn how to weld, solder and perform electrical and mechanical work. She also acts as the club’s public relations officer and works on the club’s imagery, such as building up pirate gear and themed art pieces.
“When I joined robotics, I didn’t really have an interest in computers and robots and technology,” she said, “but after being around it and going in through art and through outreach, I learned and picked up skills involving the engineering side, and I really like it.”
She finds that her interests in theater and robotics are not only enjoyable activities, but they also help satisfy her interest in 3-D art.
“I’ve made puppets and costumes and big sets and props, even little clay figures,” she said. “Things that I can make with my hands, I prefer doing that a lot.”
But she doesn’t dream of becoming a famous actor, artist or engineer. Instead, she plans to enroll at Linn-Benton Community College to study business, and maybe then transfer to Oregon State University to continue in the field.
“My whole life I’ve been into business and starting my own little companies,” she said.
As a kid, Moriah ran a lemonade stand called The Lemon Fish, a name she derived from her logo of the sour fruit with leaves that resembled the fins of a fish.
“I really admire logos that have double meanings or they’re clever,” she said.
She also likes simply hanging out with friends. She even got to hang out with one who lives in Hawaii when she was in middle school. The two ate shaved ice and went to the beach, taking time in their days to snorkel and surf.
Other vacation memories involve regular trips to Indiana where her grandmother lived. She recalled electric trains in her grandmother’s basement, and trips to a carnival and zoo. Her family also visited monuments and other popular sites in Pennsylvania, New York and Washington, D.C. One thing she hasn’t accomplished yet, though – an activity that remains on her bucket list – is skydiving.
She also wants to see more things and visit more places, but Lebanon will always hold a special place in her heart. She thinks of all the different groups in the city, such as Dala’s Blue Angels, LAFTA, the Strawberrians, and, of course, the Scalawags.
“Everyone in this town, they are willing to come together to make things happen,” Moriah said. “If you want to be a member of your community, there’s several different ways you can do that,” including Strawberry Festival, a huge event that everyone enjoys and so many people make happen.
“People in Lebanon make Lebanon amazing,” Moriah said.
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