Interceptor project to clog intersection
Flaggers are in place at the intersection of 12th and Oak streets to help alleviate traffic congestion for motorists accessing Oak Street to Highway 34 during work on the Westside Sanitary Interceptor Project, the Lebanon Engineering Department has announced.
The intersection will be monitored closely, and flaggers will remain in place during peak traffic times, as necessary.
Airport Road is currently closed to through traffic from 12th to the intersection of Denny School Road and Oak Street to allow Interceptor project contractor Emery & Sons to install a new 30-inch sanitary sewer pipe.
The closure is anticipated to last two weeks, with Airport Road opening to traffic on or about March 18. A detour route is in place.
Additionally, Stoltz Hill Road will remain closed through April 15 to through-traffic between
Walker Road and Vaughan Lane for the construction of a new 30-inch sanitary sewer pipe.
A detour route currently guides motorists around the work zone.
Affected residents will have reasonable access but should expect periods when access to individual driveways may not be possible in addition to periodic delays and other construction-related inconveniences.
For updates, visit www.ci.lebanon.or.us/gis. Direct questions or concerns to Engineering at (541) 258-4923 or [email protected].
Climate change focus of forum
The local League of Women Voters will hold a Zoom forum on “Fire, Floods, Famine? How Climate Change May Affect Linn County, and What We Can Do About It” from 7 to 8 p.m. Monday, March 14.
Panelists will be Erica Fleishman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute; Linn County Commissioner Will Tucker; local farmer Peter Kenagy; and Megan Kemple, co-director of the Oregon Climate and Agriculture Network.
Register on the ”League of Women Voters of Linn County, Oregon” Facebook page. The event will also be streamed on the “League of Women Voters of Oregon” YouTube channel.
For more information about the forum or about the League of Women Voters, contact Linda Ziedrich at (503) 707-1539.
‘Stand by Me’ Day T-shirt contest
Brownsville’s Stand By Me Day Committee will host a T-shirt design contest for the 2022 Stand by Me Day, to be held July 23.
Committee members, in consultation with a professional graphic artist, will choose two designs to be made into T-shirts for this year’s event. The winning artists will each receive two free T-shirts, a $50 gift certificate towards Stand By Me memorabilia and extensive bragging rights. Their name will be included on the graphic.
All art must be original – no scenes from the movie or its promotional materials may be used. No copyrighted images may be used. Suggestions for success: Clean lines and simple colors, remember the art will have to show up when printed on a T -shirt. The committee reserves the right to make alterations needed to create the best image on a T-shirt.
Images must be given a name and be signed by the artist. The name needs to be referenced on the e-mail subject line and on the entry form as well. Multiple entries are permitted, but each must include its own entry form. Scanned images (jpg format preferred, but tiff, eps, pdf, png or psd formats accepted) must be submitted by e-mail to [email protected] by midnight Monday, March 14. Each image transmission must include a name and contact phone number.
If you are unable to scan an image you have created on paper please send the original to Linn County Museum Friends, Box 607, Brownsville, OR 97327. Include your name and a contact phone number. Originals will not be returned.
Entry forms are available at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScIjqoHwihwVVCXrasWWfylDkaeat-5rLUKXxlXHLQiMauRbA/viewform.
Winners will be announced on April 8 on Facebook – Linn County Historical Museum & Stand By Me Day and at linnmuseum.com.
Science Pub looks at dance, research
Heather Masson-Forsythe, recent doctoral graduate of Oregon State University who won a national contest for using dance to communicate her research, will be the speaker at Oregon State’s Science Pub from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 14.
The free event will be broadcast on YouTube Live. Registration is required and can be completed at beav.es/wPv.
Masson-Forsythe, who earned her doctorate from Oregon State earlier this year, will speak on “Investigating how COVID-19 proteins stick to viral RNA and taking research from the lab to the dance floor.”
Masson-Forsythe’s thesis research centered on the nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the current pandemic. Using a variety of biophysical and biochemical techniques, Masson-Forsythe, along with members of Elisar Barbar’s lab group in OSU’s Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, characterized the nucleocapsid phosphoprotein and protein-RNA interactions.
The nucleocapsid protein, or N protein, is a prime target for disease-fighting interventions because of the critical jobs it performs for the coronavirus’ infection cycle and because it mutates at a comparatively slow pace. Drugs and vaccines built around the work of the N protein carry the potential to be highly effective and for longer periods of time – i.e., less susceptible to resistance.
Throughout the research project, Masson-Forsythe used the app TikTok to document what it’s like to be a scientist trying to make research contributions to the ongoing global pandemic. With the handle @heycurlytop, she accumulated more than 50,000 TikTok followers and created videos that received hundreds of thousands of views.
She also turned her COVID-19 research project into a dance and submitted it to the 13th annual Dance Your Ph.D. contest organized by Science Magazine. She won in the newly created COVID-19 category and the video has been viewed approximately 40,000 times on YouTube.
Training program offered for youth
Linn County Sheriff’s Office is recruiting young men and women, ages 14 to 18, to join and participate in a 10-day summer training program for its Search and Rescue Team. The academy will be held June 17-27.
Search and Rescue team members often work alongside deputies of the Linn County Sheriff’s Office. Young men and women build resiliency and gain valuable leadership and professional skills impacting their future personal and professional lives.
The application process includes oral interviews, a background check and physical aptitude test. Applicants must attend one recruit meeting at the Linn County Sheriff’s Office in Albany, at 7 p.m. on March 14, April 11 or May 9. Successful applicants will be eligible to attend the 10-day Search and Rescue Training Academy in June. Training will include classes in wilderness survival, shelter building, search tactics, first aid/CPR, map and compass reading, rappelling, and many more topics.
For more information about the program contact Lt. Joe Larsen at the Linn County Sheriff’s Office (541) 812-2272 or visit the Linn County Sheriff’s Office website at www.linnsheriff.org. Online applications are available on the website and at the Linn County Sheriff’s Office in Albany.
LAFTA back after COVID-19 hiatus
Lebanon Association for Theatre Arts is resuming operations after a hiatus forced by COVID.
A Zoom meeting is planned at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 15, to discuss options.
LAFTA board members Patty Crenshaw, Janet Crossan Nortune, Adam Mah, Emily Latimer, Pam Nervino and Marla Gessford want to hear from anyone who is interested in helping with staging (directing, choreography, music direction -vocal, lights, sound, props, scenery, set building, stage manager, makeup, hair/wigs, costuming, tear-down after shows), publicity, website, photography, concessions, drama camp – as well as actors.
For more information or to express interest, email [email protected].
‘Losing My Sight’ talk March 16
Rebecca Piros will speak on “Losing My Sight” at the Wednesday, March 16, meeting of the Mid-Valley Low Vision Support Group at the Brookdale Grand Prairie, 1929 Grand Prairie Road, Albany.
Meeting time is 2 p.m.
In 2015 Piros was stricken with a rare fungus disease which caused her to develop meningitis which put pressure on her optic nerves. After being unresponsive for more than a week, she woke up to her present condition of extremely limited eyesight. In her presentation she recounts how she overcame her then-seemingly dauntless affliction and is now successfully living with her new-normal.
All are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served.
For more information, call (541) 974-6233.
Strokes focus of March 16 seminar
Samaritan Health will offer a free virtual seminar, “Save Time, Save Brain,” from noon to 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, March 16.
Learn how to identify the signs and symptoms of a stroke and what to do if you suspect that you or someone you know is having a stroke. Stroke Coordinator Jodie Andrews, RN, BSN at Samaritan Albany General Hospital will explain the meaning of “BeFAST” so you know what to look out for.
Registration is required. To register, visit www.samhealth.org/health-services/classes-and-events and scroll to the above class.
Parenting classes offered in March
Parenting Success Network and Samaritan Health Services are offering three free online classes this month.
♦ “Effective Black Parenting: Raising Proud, Confident and Healthy African-American Children,” 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, March 17 through June 23. Participants will learn basic parenting skills from the history and perspective of African-American culture, with skills taught through African proverbs. Information/registration: (541) 497-4358.
♦ “The Incredible Years,” 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, March 30 through June 8. For families with children aged 2 to 10. The series will explore ways to use play and praise to build more cooperative relationships, establish clear family rules, create a more pleasant and enjoyable home life, prevent and reduce behavior problems and improve social skills. Information/registration: (541) 917-4884 or [email protected].
♦ “Make Parenting a Pleasure,” 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, March 31 through June 2. For parents with children aged 10 and younger.
Topics include stressing less and having more fun, self-care during the demands of parenting, more effective ways to talk and interact with family and positive techniques for disciplining and guiding school-aged children. Information/registration: (541) 917-4884 or [email protected].
The remote sessions are available to anyone with Internet access, plus a camera and microphone.
Book sale set for March 19
Friends of the Lebanon Public Library will hold their Monthly Book Sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at the Lebanon Senior Center, 80 Tangent St.
The public is invited to select books from the main bookstore as well as check out the vintage book art available for purchase.
Donations are the heart of the Friends’ fundraising. Clean, undamaged books published on or after 1990, audio books and movies on disk may be donated to the Used Bookstore inside the Lebanon Senior Center weekdays between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Proceeds from sales are used to help fund programs at the Lebanon Public Library including Summer Reading and Take & Make Crafts, Storytime and activities for ’Tweens and Young Adults.
The Friends can be contacted at (541) 730-3602, or by email at [email protected]. Follow them on Facebook or Instagram @lebanonlibraryfriends.
Arts Guild hosts March 19 class
Linn County Arts Guild will host a Tree of Life Wire Wrapping Class from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at 605 Main St.
Cost is $25. Participants will wire wrap heart-shaped stones. Stones will be available for purchase or participants can bring their own.
For more information, call (541) 497-0386.
Spring break camp set for children
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Greater Santiam will hold Spring Break Camp for children aged kindergarten through sixth grade from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, March 21-25, at the Lebanon club, 305 S. 5th St.
Participants will spend a week doing science experiments and do-it-yourself projects. Breakfast, lunch and snacks are provided.
Cost is $25 for a full day or $100 for a full week.
Register at www.bgcgreatersantiam.org. For more information, contact the Lebanon club at (541) 258-7105.
Nurses, ministers invited to meet
The Faith Community Health Network of the Mid-Willamette Valley meets from 4 to 6 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month – March 23.
Check the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce Calendar, email [email protected], or call Deb at (541) 248-0595 for info on upcoming meetings.
Rock show returns to Sweet Home March 26-27
The Sweet Home Gem & Mineral Show returns this year, running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 25, in the gym at Sweet Home High School, 1641 Long St.
The 72nd annual event features various dealers, displays, demonstrations, door prizes, a raffle, a snack bar and disabled parking.
Admission is 50 cents for general admission, free for children under 12 when accompanied by an adult.
For more information, call (541) 451-2740 or (541) 451-1577 or email [email protected].
Lebanon Blue event scheduled
Dala’s Blue Angels will host Paint Lebanon Blue starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 26.
Volunteers will place blue ribbons and balloons throughout the town in preparation for April’s Child Abuse Awareness Month observances.
Interested in participating? Contact Dala Johnson at (541) 619-0606.
First Friday goes with ‘D&D’ theme
Lebanon’s First Friday event on Friday, April 1, will feature a Dungeons and Dragons theme.
The event runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Journey with your party on our valiant quest! Retrieve your scroll from the Council of Many located at 680 S. Main St.
For additional quest information, download the Distrx app in Apple or Google play store, or while using the phone option on your mobile device, scan the QR code in the discussion to download Distrx.
Walk a Mile event scheduled April 2
Dala’s Blue Angels will host their 10th annual Walk A Mile for a Child 5K from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 2, at Academy Square Gazebo Area, 55 Academy St.
Registration is at 8 a.m. The 5K starts at 8:45 and the walk at 9. Cost during March is $15 for the walk, $20 for the run. Prices go up $5 on April 1.
The event is a fundraiser for Dala’s Blue Angels, whose mission is to promote the well-being of children and prevent child abuse and neglect.
For more information, visit dalasblueangels.com or contact Dala Johnson at (541) 619-0606.
BLT announces Family Bug Crawl
Build Lebanon Trails will hold a Family Bug Crawl starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 9, at Riverview Park, 1025 Mountain River Drive.
Registration runs from 8:30 to 9 a.m.
Elite Volunteer Jessica Ruef will lead. Children of all ages, including the adult variety are welcome. Furry-footed friends should be left at home. Listening devices will be available.
Participants are encouraged to bring a magnifying glass and a bug collection box, plus sunscreen and a hat: Masks and social distancing will be required if state mandates are in place.
Easter Bunny to visit Lebanon
The Easter Bunny will make an appearance from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 9, at Krake Home Sales, 794 S. Main St.
The event will include face painting, a coloring contest, hot cocoa and cider and photos with the Easter Bunny.
Scratchboard art class set April 9
Linn County Arts Guild will host a Scratchboard Art Class from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 9, at 605 Main St.
Cost is $30. Bring an Exacto or similar knife to create a scratchboard horse. Scratchboard will be supplied. For details, call (541) 497-0386.
#GrowingOregon contest announced
Oregon Farm Bureau invites FFA students to participate in its second-annual #GrowingOregon video contest for a chance to win at least $400.
To participate, FFA members should create a video up to a minute long that features the #GrowingOregon hashtag and something interesting about Oregon agriculture.
Video topic ideas include an overview of an FFA project or program, what’s happening on the farm or ranch, or highlighting an Oregon agricultural product.
Students have until April 30 to submit their videos to [email protected].
The contest winner will be determined by which video gets the most likes and views on OFB’s social media platforms by May 31. The winner will receive a cash prize that will be donated to their FFA chapter. The prize amount will be at least $400.
For more information about the #GrowingOregon video contest, visit www.oregonfb.org/growingoregon.
Fire academy set for girls in county
Girls aged 16 to 19 are invited to attend the Linn County Young Women’s Fire Academy June 23-24.
The two-day event is a free, hands-on opportunity to learn from female firefighters at Lebanon Fire Station 31, 1050 W. Oak St.
Applications are available at Lebanonfire.org. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/LCYWFA.
In-person graduation ceremonies return to OSU
Oregon State University’s campuses in Corvallis and Bend will hold in-person commencement ceremonies this year, the university has announced.
The Corvallis ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 11, at Reser Stadium. The OSU-Cascades ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 12, on the Oval Green at the Bend campus.
COVID-19 canceled the 2020 ceremonies. Virtual events were held last year for both 2020 and 2021 graduates. Both campuses also hosted in-person celebrations for them.
“We’re thrilled to be able to celebrate our graduates’ success by again being able to hold in-person commencement ceremonies,” interim Oregon State president Becky Johnson said.
Students graduating between summer 2021 and summer 2022 are invited to participate.
The Corvallis and Bend commencement ceremonies are planned to align with state and local health guidelines and Oregon State’s COVID-19 vaccination program requirements, the university said. With both taking place outdoors, proof of vaccination or a negative test will not be required.
The university will continue to monitor risks in the coming months, announcing updates or new information at https://bit.ly/3pCFXud (Corvallis) and https://bit.ly/3ILxjB0 (OSU-Cascades).
