‘Tis the season of giving. Jennifer is looking forward to supporting charitable causes again this year. She’s a bit hesitant, however, since a friend recently lost money to a scammer pretending to be a charity. The program looked legitimate at a glance. After the charity asked her to donate with gift cards, she knew it was a scam.
Here are some steps to take to make sure your donation doesn’t go to a scammer:
Research a charity’s ratings to make sure that it’s legitimate by using resources like CharityWatch.org, GuideStar.org, Give.org, or CharityNavigator.org.
Always pay using a credit card or check. Many scams request payment in the form of gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.
Watch for charities that try to mimic or look like the names of well-known organizations. This may be an attempt to scam folks who don’t spot the fake name.
DirectLink has developed a resource library on their website to help their members gain a better understanding of how to spot scams and stay safe online. Visit www.DirectLink.coop/Support/Scams for tips and tricks on staying vigilant against online security and scam threats.
Let’s get into the spirit of giving and show our community what we’re capable of!
Since 1958, the entire Canby community has joined together to provide food and toys for neighbors in need. The DirectLink lobby at 190 SE 2nd Ave. is one of many places in town that will have a toy donation bin from November 7th through December 9th.
In addition to food and toy donations, the Canby Kiwanis Club is asking for monetary donations to purchase food gift cards to Cutsforth’s Market, along with additional gifts. Donations are tax deductible.
For families that need assistance, application forms will be available the first week of November at the Canby Center, Canby Public Library, Kiwanis Thrift Store, and the Canby Adult Center. Applications can be returned at any of the locations mentioned and are due December 9th.
The pick up day for donations will be December 16th at the Clackamas County Fairgrounds.
Donations that are not picked up at the fairgrounds on the 16th will be delivered the next day on the 17th.
Visit www.CanbyKiwanis.org for more information.
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When I was younger, summer was always my favorite season, mostly because school was out and we could play until dark with our friends. As I have gotten older, I find myself gravitating more toward fall.
The changing color of the leaves, rainy days, and slightly cooler temperatures are much more enjoyable to me now than the excessive heat, dusty roads, and threat of wildfires.
As we wrap up our November issues, the rains have finally returned. There is something
soothing about the sound of rain hitting the roof and the smell in the air after the rains recede. Navigating through the changing seasons and all the upcoming holidays, we would like to wish each and everyone of you a happy and safe autumn. We will see you next month for our winter holiday issues.
Angie Helvey Sherry Dorn
Carly Carpenter Kara Langley Laurel Bice Hayley Starkey Malaina Kinne Angie Helvey
Brittney Waterman Henry Schifter Andrew Sambuceto
Don Ormsby Bill Kistler
Stephanie Baker Jim Belan
Peggy Jacobs David Long Chris O’Brien John Zobrist Brad Marti Shelley Zeman Tina Toney Darren Dwyer Ashley Berotte
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HI! MY NAME IS LIZ BALDERSTON and I have lived in the Pacific NW my entire life - growing up in SW Washington and then living in the Portland and Beaverton areas for the past 35 years. With deep roots in both Oregon and Washington, I am a licensed Realtor® in both states.
I started my career in high tech sales, management, deal negotiations and operations in the Silicone Forest and made the move to Real Estate and Ellison Team Homes in 2017. I have helped clients buy and sell homes all over the metro area, SW Washington and even the Oregon coast. My husband of 25 years and I have a family with two boys who have both started their college careers; and two pups (who still live at home).
We love OSU sports, camping, and traveling to see our boys perform in each of their college activities of theater production and wrestling matches. My Real Estate career with Ellison Team Homes has been a wonderful opportunity to help friends, family and new clients who have become like family. Our philosophy is to make sure our clients know they are like family to us and to take amazing care of them ... every step of the way.
Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
of your choice
Raisins, Craisins, Mini Chocolate Chips
In a small bowl, beat the first five ingredients until blended. Stir in peanuts. Serve with apple slices. Refrigerate leftovers.
in raisins, craisins, or mini chocolate chips if desired
One of the easiest ways to update the look of a piece of furniture is to change out the hardware. It’s an easy way to make an ultra modern, straight lined piece look a little less stiff with a new knob with scrolls and curves. Nice when you’re doing the mix and match decor in your home. Or to make a dated Early American piece feel less like your Great Aunt’s living room - change the knobs and pulls to be more modern - something nice and sleek and with a little bit of bling. Such an easy change for not a lot of time or money.
I’m always picking up vintage hardware to update a dresser’s look so Retro always has a cabinet of knobs and pulls hanging out waiting for a new piece of furniture. We also carry some reproduction antique style glass knobs when you want to add some sparkle to an antique piece.
Come by and tell us about your current project. We love learning new ways to use the hardware we have hanging around.
OPEN DAILY: 10-6 MONDAY-SATURDAY & SUNDAY 10-5
D I D Y O U K N O W
Mike Harms, the Canby native and legendary local largeanimal veterinarian universally known as “Doc,” has worked most of his career doing pretty much the same stuff he grew up doing — in pretty much the same place he grew up doing it.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.
Doc was born in 1937 and raised on a 90-acre farm on — where else? — Harms Road near Macksburg. His paternal grandfather, a cook on a sailing vessel, jumped ship in Portland and drifted south, starting his homestead on what would become Harms Road in the early 1870s.
Meanwhile, his mother’s family, the Gribbles, had settled some two miles southwest 15 to 20 years earlier, having been on one of the first wagon trains to complete the Barlow Trail.
When the Depression hit, Doc’s father and uncles survived by doing what came naturally to them: relying on the land.
“They made a living during the Great Depression raising and exhibiting purebred sheep,” Doc says. “They would get in box cars in Canby, and the train would take them from fair to fair all across the country.”
Doc and his brothers followed in their footsteps, raising pigs
and sheep and exhibiting with Future Farmers of America at the Oregon State Fair and other events. Doc was a statewide FFA officer his junior year at Canby High School and earned the prestigious American Star Farmer award as a senior.
He credits much of his success to Mr. Ray Reif, who would later become a prominent attorney in Canby, but at that time was one of the finest high school agriculture teachers in the state, as well as Doc’s FFA adviser.
It was at the state fair where he’d meet his future wife, Dixie, who grew up in Eugene. That’s also where he’d pop the question.
“I proposed to her at the state fair,” Doc recalls. “My normally steady hands were shaking a bit, and I dropped the ring and had to pick it back up.”
“I still got it,” Dixie quips. In January, the Harms’ will celebrate their 62nd wedding anniversary.
The couple started dating in college at Oregon State University, where Doc was a senior and Dixie a freshman. They married shortly after Doc was accepted to veterinary school at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.
“I like to tell people I got my DVM [Doctor of Veterinary Medicine], and Dixie got a PHT: Putting Hubby Through school,” Doc jokes.
Asked what she did for work during this time, Dixie quips, “Whatever I could find.
“Going to veterinary school was what he really wanted to do, what he had always wanted to do,” she says. “Why wouldn’t I want him to do that? Of course I supported him.”
After school, Doc started work for Clark Veterinary Clinic in Corvallis — but soon felt the pangs of homesickness.
“We came home for Christmas in 1969,” Doc recalls. “And driving up Lone Elder Road, there was Mount Hood in all her glory. I said, ‘Man, I miss that old mountain.’”
Fate would smile on him that holiday season, when a neighbor came round on Christmas Eve and told him he had bought a property on Lone Elder — one that he wanted to become the home of Doc’s new veterinary clinic.
“He said, ‘Mike, I’ll build you a vet clinic,” he said. “And I thought it was too many Tom and Jerries talking, so I didn’t pay much attention. But he was serious.”
They sketched out plans for a “little clinic” and soon had the bids in hand. He picked his opening date — June 1, 1970 — because that was the day the new phone book would come out.
The Harms’ worked together to run the clinic and raise their two children, Kelly and Scott.
“We were a partnership in the clinic down there,” Doc says. “She’d answer the phones, do the books, help with surgery, help with everything.”
Their home was located behind the clinic, and while the couple would often have to work late hours doing operations and other procedures, they were always able to keep tabs on the two kids thanks to intercoms that were
surreptitiously installed between the clinic and the home.
“The kids never could figure out how we always knew when they were getting in trouble,” Doc says with a laugh.
In the early days, Doc’s practice ran the full gamut: large and small animals alike. Dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, geese, even a stump-tailed macaque one time.
“One of the dentists called me, said I’ve got a client that wants me to pull the canines out of this stump-tailed macaque they want to have as a pet,” Doc recalls. “He said, ‘I want to do it at your place. I don’t want people at my
clinic seeing a monkey coming out of the operating room.”
But in the mid-’80s, Doc made a decision that would change his career. On a typical busy day, he got a call from a local rancher with a valuable cow that was calving and in trouble. Doc popped his head into the crowded waiting room and told them that he had an emergency call and would be back in an hour.
“This elderly lady stood up and said, ‘Excuse me, but I had an appointment to have my cat’s nails trimmed,” Doc says. “When I got back from the call, I told Dixie, ‘I’m going to work for the people I can help make a living.’ So we sold the small animal practice. I don’t say it was the best financial decision I ever did, but I was a farm boy at heart, and that’s what I wanted to do.”
In addition to his large animal practice, from which he retired in 2018, Doc’s been a longtime fixture at the Clackamas County Fair and Canby Rodeo, serving as rodeo vet and a buyer at the Junior Livestock Auction.
He also served on the Canby School Board for 35 years, spending decades on the sidelines at Cougar football games running the time clock. He is also a longtime and still-active Canby Rotary Club member and former president.
Doc has been honored multiple times as a top-five finalist for the Zoetis Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Veterinarian of the Year. And, in 2019, the Canby Rodeo launched the Mike “Doc” Harms Scholarship Fundraiser to honor Doc’s more than four decades of service to the Canby Rodeo.
This kit contains a pattern, high quality wool felt, stuffing and all the supplies needed to get to work. Contains two pieces –male and female poses.
Inspired by “The Night Before Christmas,” this illustrated coloring and transfer book features beautiful scenes on bright and colorful rub-down transfer sheets.
This friendly puppy is the friend of Fiep Puppy and is sure to be a favourite of all dog lovers. This kit contains quality 100% cotton yarn and all of the materials needed to get to work (excludes crochet hook).
Say goodbye to all those same-old action figures, mind-numbing video games and boring sweaters. Surprise your child with an ultra-fun, ultra-educational play set!
A graphic designer for many years, I longed for a more tactile form of expression which manifested into creating mosaic art and sculpture. After taking a class on micromosaic, I began to expand on those techniques to create unique jewelry pieces.
I create my one-of-a kind jewelry by hand crushing recycled glass into frit and add layer upon layer into my wire design until I am satisfied with the texture, color and sparkle. I often add natural elements such as crushed shell, pearls, semiprecious stones as well as found objects into my pieces.
My designs often have recurring ocean/ beach themes (who doesn’t dream of being a mermaid?) and the mountains and rivers of the Pacific Northwest also find their way in.
Catching a beautiful moonrise or just endless fiddling with wire can also inspire my unique pieces. I make my jewelry to speak to every woman’s creativity, playfulness and style; and hope the joy I find creating shines through in every piece!
Pumpkin Pie is perhaps more American than Apple Pie, but where on Earth did this spiced and crusted orange squash custard come from? Pumpkins were first grown in Central America in 5500 B.C. and were one of the first foods brought back from the New World by European explorers. The first mention of pumpkins dates back to 1536, and they were regularly grown in England within a few years and called “pumpions,” based on the French word “pompon,” the derivation of “pompom” which refers to a chrysanthemum or dahlia’s rounded flowers.
Current data suggests pumpkin pie dates back almost 400 years. A French cookbook from 1653 has a recipe that instructs chefs to boil a pumpkin in milk, strain, and place in a crust. In the 1670 edition of “Gentlewoman’s Companion”, English writer Hannah Woolley suggests a pie be filled with varied layers of apple and pumpkin, sweet marjoram, thyme, and spiced rosemary. A crust, however, sounds like it was optional. One New England recipe detailed using a hollowed-out pumpkin, filling it with sweet spiced milk, and cooking it right in a fire; an English variant recipe included sliced apples.
England’s pie culture is legendary, known for making complex pastries for centuries. It’s likely that the Pilgrims who sailed for America on the Mayflower in 1620 were familiar with pumpkins, both as fruit and dessert, as well as the Indigenous tribe of the Wampanoag, who helped these Pilgrims survive their first year in the Plymouth Colony. A year after their arrival, on what has become known as the first Thanksgiving, 50 colonists and 90 Wampanoag celebrated the harvest for three whole days, and pumpkins were likely part of that meal.
By the 18th century, pumpkin pie was a common dish for Thanksgiving, as the holiday had become important in New England. The Connecticut town of Colchester famously postponed Thanksgiving a whole week because they lacked the molasses to make pumpkin pies. Later in 1796, Amelia Simmons’ cookbook
“American Cookery” included two pumpkin pie recipes, one which is very similar to the custard version we know today.
Interestingly, pumpkin pie gained political significance when abolitionists, for whom pumpkin pie was a common dish in New England, featured it in their novels and poems. Abolitionist Lydia Maria Child ended her 1842 poem about a New England Thanksgiving with the line: “Hurra for the pumpkin pie!” Abolitionist Sarah Josepha Hale rallied for decades for Thanksgiving to become a national holiday, featuring pumpkin pie in her 1827 anti-slavery novel Northwood: “yet the pumpkin pie occupied the most distinguished niche” among a table full of desserts.
When Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, many Confederates saw it as a further imposition of Yankee traditions. Following the Civil War, Thanksgiving and pumpkin pie spread across the country and was written about in many women’s magazines.
Libby’s, a Chicago meat-canning company, began producing canned pumpkin in 1929, which became essential to every household on Thanksgiving and replaced the labor-intensive task of roasting and straining fresh pumpkin. And the rest was history. Grown for 7,500 years and baked for nearly 400 years, pumpkin pie has come a long way to arrive in cans on pantry shelves and in grocery store bakeries. When enjoying a delicious slice of pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, consider its long and winding history and the countless individuals who had a hand in its creation: French and English pastry chefs, early colonists, the Indigenous, magazine editors, housewives, abolitionists, and even Abraham Lincoln.
The first American cookbook, published in Hartford in 1796.
Lydia Maria Child
And we’ve got your back — actually your SIDES — for your Thanksgiving menu planning! King’s Farm to Table Canby Market can satisfy your culinary needs with a wide assortment of side dishes to complement your turkey or ham. Potatoes, stuffings, lots of veggies, cranberry sauce, and even soft rolls. Everything you need to make the holiday easy and delicious! Choose from our deli case or pre-order, and we’ll have your items ready Wednesday, Nov. 23, between 9 am and 4 pm. We’ll be accepting pre-orders Nov. 14–18, 9 am to 5 pm. Give us a call: 503-263-2433. No payment at time of order. The menu will be available at the market and posted on Facebook on Nov. 7. Not sure how much to order? We recommend at least one pound of any item for a party of two to three people.
Avoid the drudgery of planning and shopping. Instead, relax, enjoy your family, watch football, and let YOUR PERSONAL CHEF do the cooking!
For those of us living in the Canby area, Langdon Farms is a familiar name. Even for those who are just driving through on I-5, you will recognize the beautiful, award-winning golf course and charmingly rustic red barn buildings peppering the property off to the east side of the interstate. What you may not be as familiar with is Langdon’s Grill, the amazing little hidden gem that is tucked away inside!
The Grill features a family-friendly, American style restaurant, bar, and grill that highlight fresh, affordable, regional cuisine served in a delightfully casual atmosphere. And this is absolutely not your typical private country club. This one is all-inclusive; open year round to the public whether you’re a golfer, someone who simply enjoys great atmosphere and a great meal, or someone looking to hold a special event at one of their beautiful facilities. The Golf Club, of course, has a long and storied history, and was originally a working farm owned by the Langdon family. It remained as such for 63 years before being transformed into the peaceful and idyllic venue that it is today, and Langdon’s Grill is just one piece of that rich history.
Executive Chef Pancho has a genuine passion for food, and he works tirelessly to present a diverse menu catering to all tastes. Not only will you find the standard fare of delicious burgers, sandwiches, and salads, but there are always a wide variety of multicultural entrées and Chef’s Specials to choose from as well. Local favorites include the Chicken Teriyaki Bowl, Brisket Street Tacos, Halibut Fish Tacos, Halibut Fish & Chips, Prime Rib Dip, and their Grilled Salmon, but everything is fantastic.
Their soup is made fresh daily—another frequently requested item—and the Creamy Tomato Basil in particular is one people can’t get enough of. Paired with a grilled cheese sandwich and a
us, call 503.825.2111
drink from their full bar, and you might as well set up a tent outside because you won’t want to leave! Their menu does change seasonally though, so there is always something new and exciting on the horizon.
There is never a bad time to visit this beautiful, historical establishment, but Friday nights have the designation of being Prime Rib night, and it’s not to be missed! Not only will you relish in your juicy 10 oz. cut of Prime Rib, seasoned to perfection and served with housemade soup or salad, baked potato, fresh vegetables, and a warm chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream for dessert, but you can also sit back and enjoy some live jazz from 6 to 8 PM courtesy of Rebecca Hardiman & Friends. Every night offers something unique and special, but you’ll have to keep coming back to discover which nights you prefer!
And let’s not forget breakfast! While a limited menu is offered all week long–bacon, eggs, and potatoes, omelets, and more–they have a spectacular full breakfast
menu which they offer on weekends. This expanded menu also brings in people from far and wide and includes classics like benedicts, scrambles, biscuits and gravy, steak and eggs, and even chicken and waffles! Of course, your traditional pancakes and french toast are always available, but for the more adventurous, they offer a Chorizo Breakfast Burrito, which is perfect for those on-the-go or eager to get out to the course. Order it up with one of their amazing Bloody Mary’s, and those bogeys won’t hurt so badly!
Of course, all of the best food and entertainment in the world can still disappoint without equally superior
service. At Langdon’s Grill, they pride themselves on treating every customer like family. It’s their number one priority, and it’s obvious the moment you step inside. Whether you’re a golfer, a spectator, or just someone in from a long drive on I-5, their warm and friendly staff will welcome you with open arms. With such a friendly atmosphere, Happy Hour is truly that, and runs from 3 to 6 PM Monday thru Saturday, and noon to close on Sunday.
When you’re looking for a restaurant with a wide variety of options and a beautiful setting, Langdon’s Grill is the place to eat! They are open 7 days a week, Monday-Thursday 9am-8pm, Friday 9am-9pm, Weekends 7am-8pm. Langdon’s Grill is located at 24377 NE Airport Rd #1 in Aurora. Check out their menu at langdonfarms.com/langdons-grill, or give them a call at 503-678-1101 or email at grill@langdonfarms.com.
It’s the time of year again when Canby residents and businesses alike band together to support Kiwanis Canby Community Food & Toy Drive. This annual event relies upon the efforts of the community to collect and distribute toys and funds to families in need who live within the Canby School District; and is not affiliated with television toy drives or other efforts in the metro area.
“There is no other event that happens in Canby that brings so many different individuals, groups, businesses, and neighborhoods together, all working for the same cause, as the Kiwanis Canby Community Food & Toy Drive,” relates Sharon Schneider, Board Member for Canby Kiwanis Club and an event organizer. Schools and local businesses get very creative in finding ways to help with contests and toy drives. Children have even used their birthday parties for fundraising and toy collecting. Community-wide cash donations may be made on their website, canbykiwanis.org, or mailed to Canby Kiwanis Foundation (F&T), P.O. Box 1004, Canby, OR 97013.
Collection barrels for new toys (infants through teens) are conveniently located around town at the Library and many local businesses, including Cutsforth’s, Les Schwab, Gwynn’s Coffee House, Book Nook, and Art-O-Maddic. Businesses that want a barrel to gather toys can contact canbykiwanisclub@gmail.com to see if one is available. Applications to receive food and toys are at Canby Kiwanis Thrift Store, the Public Library, Canby Adult Center, and Canby Center.
Since COVID, Kiwanis has given food gift cards instead of food boxes. The cards can only be used for food (not alcohol or tobacco). “In this way we cut down on handling other people’s food, and families can buy the groceries they want that are in line with their dietary needs and preferences,” says Luana Hill, a committee lead for the Drive.
Volunteers make the Food & Toy Drive wheel turn, and the Canby Rotary is always there to help. Clackamas County
Fair Board, the Rodeo Court, Boy Scouts, local churches, and Bridging Cultures all pitch in, too. Families have participated from the time their kids were little and now those kids are adults. Volunteers distribute and collect barrels, sort toys, fill donation bags, and organize donations by family. Volunteer opportunities are posted throughout early December on Facebook and the website. Recipients pick up their toys and gift cards Friday, Dec. 16 at Clackamas County Event Center. Items not picked up will be delivered Saturday, Dec. 17. Volunteers are invited to help.
Amy Vidan, President of Canby Kiwanis Club, shares the spirit of the Canby community: “Our community members are willing to donate items, funds, and the incredible gift of their time to ensure local children and their families have a special holiday season. We are deeply grateful year after year to see the generosity of Canby and how this community takes care of its own. It really is in line with the Kiwanis mission: Serving the Children of the World.”
To volunteer, donate, or find more info on the Kiwanis Canby Community Food & Toy Drive, contact them via email at canbykiwanisclub@gmail.com, their Facebook, or canbykiwanis.org.
S to provide food & toys for our neighbors in need during the holidays. Last year with your support we helped 400 families with food, and put toys under the tree for about 1,000 kids! can shop for the holiday food they need. (The cards can’t be gaps in age groups for toys we collect in the community can be recognized in at least one social media post, on our website, and, if received by November 20, on event posters and publicity
you ever wanted to join a book club?
The Book Nook can ship directly to you from the warehouse (faster) or ship to the store for pick-up (free shipping).
One of our top picks of 2022, “Our Missing Hearts” is a deeply suspenseful and heart-rending novel about the unbreakable love between a mother and child in a society consumed by fear. It’s a story about the power — and limitations — of art to create change, the lessons and legacies we pass onto our children, and how any of us can survive a broken world with our hearts intact. Join us to discuss this novel on Nov. 15 at 6pm at The Book Nook.
Are you a “new adult” between the ages of 18 and 30? Join The Book Nook’s New Adult Book Club on Dec. 5 at 6pm, when we will discuss “Belladonna.” Starring 19-year-old Signa, this deliciously deadly, Gothic-infused romance is brimming with poisonous deeds, spectacular secrets, and dark mysteries.
Our favorite new middle-grade graphic novel is a fun “Breakfast Club” remake revealing how things are not always what they seem and assumptions can cause harm. “Invisible” by Christina Diaz Gonzalez & Gabriela Epstein follows five very different students forced together to complete community service. They find they may just have more in common than they thought.
By Tyler Francke, Contributing Writer
Naval Air Reserve veteran Rodger Busse wasn’t sure what he wanted to do in his career when he joined in 1965, but he was grateful for the opportunity the military afforded him to learn more about a subject he was passionate about: electronics.
“I was interested in electronics, and they had an opening for an electronics technician,” Rodger recalls. “I worked on the radios and various electronics in naval aircraft. I had about five and a half months of electronics training at the naval air station in Memphis. I really learned a lot.”
Needless to say, even the most advanced technology of the time was very different from the wonders we enjoy today.
“It was at the transistor level back then, nothing very sophisticated,” Rodger says. “It was radios and that sort of thing. We would go out to the planes, pull out the equipment, take it apart and replace the components, then put it all back in. I had already been starting to fool around with transistor radios on my own, so I enjoyed it.”
After basic training in Memphis, Rodger spent five and a half years as a Reservist in California, usually attached to the Alameda Air Station, where he would report for one weekend a month to repair and maintain naval equipment
and systems. During one of his yearly two weeks of active duty, he was assigned to the Naval Air Station in Hawaii, working aircraft electronics.
“That was tough, but we got through it OK,” Rodger jokes.
He got his discharge after six years in the service. “I feel good about it,” he says of his time in the Naval Air Reserve. “I know I took some things away from there that were helpful to me as I went on in life, things like respect, humility, and learning how to listen to and work with people.”
His military service, along with the experiences gained during an impactful five-month trip to Europe, set Rodger’s life on a different path.
“I was going to community college, and I was in a fraternity there,” he explains. “Three of my brothers were going on this trip to Europe, so I decided I wanted to go with them. We sold everything we had, and we ended up spending five months there. Seeing the Coliseum and these stairs that were worn down by thousands of feet over the centuries. All that, combined with my military experience, I came back really wanting to finish college and learn things.”
He eventually became a teacher at Rogue Community College in Grants Pass before starting a business offering consultant services and training programs to various companies. Fourteen years ago, he also developed Rust Doctor, a unique topcoat product that can be painted onto rusty metal to convert the rust to black magnetite, protecting the base metal from rust without the need for sanding or grinding.
Rodger also wrote a book aimed at teens that taught the importance of listening and communication skills, based on his years teaching night classes and working with college students. And, in his earlier days, he co-operated what might have been one of the most unique businesses in the state of Oregon: a building that was part real estate office, part hot dog stand, and part motorcycle repair shop.
“I guess I never could figure out what I wanted to do,” Rodger says with a chuckle.
He was right. Now 10, the Lee Elementary School fifth-grader has stuck with Ridge’s team — and the sport of BMX racing — and has become one of its fastest-rising young stars, with a growing collection of gold medals from various big-time Oregon and West Coast races under his belt.
Some of Elliot’s most impressive performances have come on the sport’s largest stages, including a first-place and second-place finish in his two events (cruiser and class, respectively) in the USA BMX Oregon and Washington State Finals at Emerald Valley BMX in Eugene in September.
In June 2020, local preteen Elliot Metz was in a predicament familiar to millions of other kids around the country and the world: facing a summer in which their usual sports and other pastimes would not be available due to the pandemic.
A three-sport athlete in soccer, basketball, and baseball, Elliot instead turned his attention to something new. For fun, he headed to the Chehalem Valley BMX track in Newberg — the only USA BMX-sanctioned track that was open in the state at the time. His riding there happened to catch the eye of Harold Ridge, head coach of the Ridge Brothers BMX Racing Team with more than 20 years of experience.
“Ever since I first saw him that day, I just liked the way he rode,” Harold recalls. “I remember going up to him at the track and saying, ‘Just keep it up, man.’ I could tell right away, he had the potential to be something special.”
“He’s really on a tear right now,” Harold says. “He’s phenomenal, and he’s a really good kid. I like kids like him who don’t speak much and just go out and take care of business. He’s also a very humble kid. He gets it: It’s 45 seconds of hard work, win or lose.”
Earlier this summer, Elliot had carried himself well on the national stage of BMX racing, making it to the finals in three out of four events and finishing fourth, seventh, and eighth against the country’s best riders.
“It was really fun to watch,” his father, Joe Metz, says. “In less than two years, he’s gone from novice to intermediate to expert, and now one of the top racers in the country. It’s crazy to me. It’s exciting to see his passion unfold before our eyes. He’s driven and passionate about racing, and as a parent it’s exciting to see it come together for him. We’re very proud of him.”
“It’s really exciting to see his progression,” his mother, Noel Metz, adds. “He gives everything he has to riding. He trains all winter by going to the lumberyard in Portland or just riding his bike outside whenever he gets a chance. He watches past nationals on his iPad to study people’s racing habits. It’s a lot of hard work, and he lives for his racing. It’s just a really cool
“He’s phenomenal, and he’s a really good kid. I like kids like him who don’t speak much and just go out and take care of business. He’s also a very humble kid. He gets it: It’s 45 seconds of hard work, win or lose.”
Harold Ridge, Ridge Brothers BMX Head Coach
thing to watch your child have such a love for something, and it turns into our passion as well.”
Harold Ridge, who got into BMX riding with his brother when they were kids growing up in San Francisco and started the team to give their own kids an outlet, said Elliot’s attitude is one of the things that impresses him the most. His intense focus is what earned him his nickname: The Hammer.
“He’s a very quiet kid,” Harold explains. “He doesn’t talk much, but once he gets on the track, he’s mean. That’s where he got the name Hammer: just putting it down. Just being ruthless on the track. But he’s always very sportsmanlike as well.”
The Metzes are not the only Canby family that has come up through Ridge Brothers Racing. Brothers Rizdin and Chance Miller, who also excelled in more traditional sports at Canby High
School including football, were also on the team in their day.
Elliot’s most recent major race was the fourth weekend of October
The Vietnam Era Veterans Memorial in Canby represents many things: a community’s appreciation for the service members and veterans who have helped keep our country safe, a promise to protect oppressed people, fight for freedom and independence, and above all, hope for a better tomorrow.
For longtime Canby-area resident and United States Army veteran Michael Breshears, one of the driving forces behind the memorial, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, it represented something else: a chance for healing and reconciliation for so many Vietnam-era veterans, like himself, who were not given the heroes’ welcome they deserved.
When Breshears separated from the military in 1968, he was so disenfranchised that he actually threw away his Army uniform. “I was done with the military,” he told The Oregonian in 2011. “I was angry at the way we were treated and we weren’t thanked for what we did when we returned.”
His perspective changed in 1986, when he and his wife, Irene, saw a traveling version of the Vietnam Memorial Wall
monument in Washington, D.C. “I have no idea why seeing the wall was a turning point for me, but it was,” Michael Breshears recalled. “My anger at the military and the way I was treated stopped. After seeing the wall, I ended up joining and being active in several veterans’ organizations.”
The Breshearses were so moved that they, along with a large group of other veterans, civic leaders and volunteers, worked for 12 years to fundraise, design, and build another spectacular memorial in Canby, alongside Highway 99E.
“From individuals to businesses, everyone had a hand in making this happen,” said Randy Carson, former Canby mayor. “It could not have happened if it weren’t for the dedication of countless people.”
The committee raised more than $1 million in in-kind and monetary donations from countless businesses, organizations, and individuals to make the ambitious project a reality. The land was donated to the city by The Holland Inc., which owns the neighboring Burgerville.
Hundreds of letters and notes, phone calls, and emails they received over the years inspired them to push forward, the Breshearses recall. “Even though it hasn’t been easy, we just kept going,” Irene said.
“We once got to a point when we didn’t know how we were going to raise the last $40,000 to complete the project,” said Michael, adding that he’s thankful to the Canby Rotary Club and the Knights of Columbus for hosting fundraisers in February that brought in the last dollars for the bronze statue. This final fundraising push included–among other efforts–a campaign collecting thousands of bottles and cans (worth a nickel apiece) to furnish the bronze statue that was the monument’s finishing touch.
The plaza’s most distinctive element is “Little Orphan Annie,” the real 1970 Bell UH-1 “Huey” helicopter refurbished to look like a MedEvac chopper that hovers over the memorial, as if about to continue its life-saving work of airlifting wounded service members to hospitals.
The Huey, which is believed to be (theoretically, at least) still in working order, was acquired from the Ohio National Guard and personally delivered across the country by two Oregon National Guard members: Sgt. Leslie Larios of Canby and Spc. Kevin Magsayo of Milwaukie, members of Alpha Company, 141st Support Battalion, who accompanied the apparatus on the nearly 2,500-mile journey on a lowboy trailer from Ohio to Oregon.
It takes a lot of paperwork–and patience–to get a surplus chopper from the Department of Defense, and Breshears had been trying to snag one for three years before finally locating the one that now serves as the centerpiece of Canby’s memorial.
Opportunities to get a Huey from California and Idaho National Guard units fell through, but the Canby committee got approval to borrow a Huey from the Ohio National Guard. The helicopter is on permanent loan from the federal government.
“She’s a good old bird,” Michael Breshears said at the time. “We’re thrilled to death to get her.”
The Huey is more than just a flying machine to Breshears, whose life was saved by a crew flying a similar model while he was serving as a combat photographer in South Vietnam. During a vicious battle on Veterans Day in 1970, Breshears’ shoulder and right leg were pierced by shrapnel, but heavy fighting kept the rescue helicopters away until the following day when the Hueys appeared, hovering inches off the ground, to lift the injured soldiers from the battlefield.
“Angels from heaven,” Breshears recounted to The Oregonian in 2003.
The plaza, which is also a Blue Star Memorial, is also dominated by the bronze statue known as “A Hero’s Prayer,” which depicts a wounded soldier being carried by another soldier, with a Vietnamese girl holding the wounded soldier’s hand.
The wounded soldier represents Army Spc. Warren E. Newton, of Canby, who was only 18 when he went missing
in action on Jan. 9, 1968. The soldier carrying Newton represents Marine Pfc. Gary W. Martini, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for rescuing two other Marines during a firefight that killed him on April 21, 1967.
Other elements (like the bell) celebrate Vietnamese culture. The plaza is in the shape of the Asian character “Shou,” which means “long life” or “longevity.” The plants surrounding the memorial also hearken back to the Southeast Asian country, including palm trees and bamboo.
Michael said he wanted the memorial to be a place of peace and healing, a place to remember the men and women who served their country
in all wars. “This is a humanitarian memorial, not a war memorial,” he stated. “It’s about hope. The people in the bronze statue will be looking up at the helicopter that is coming to help them or they could be looking up at the sky in prayer.”
The site is overseen and maintained by the nonprofit Vietnam Era Veterans Memorial committee, with the support of the Canby/Aurora VFW Post 6057 and other local veterans’ groups.
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