Tualatin Community Advantage Magazine March 2023

COMMUNITY

Taste

ADMINISTRATION

Matthew Nelson, Publisher Catrina Nelson, CFO

Tara Weidman, Executive Assistant

Donovan Darling, Content Manager

PRODUCTION

Jeremy Okai Davis, Art Director

Stacy Benner, Sr. Graphic Designer

Hilary Berg, Sr. Graphic Designer

Holly Darling, Sr. Graphic Designer

Brittany Jungenberg, Sr. Graphic Designer

Shawn Schmidt, Sr. Graphic Designer

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Tyler Francke Dennis McNabb

David Bates Robert Matsumura

Patti Jo Brooks Olive Gallagher

Angie Helvey Sherry Dorn

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Carly Carpenter Kara Langley

Laurel Bice Hayley Starkey

Malaina Kinne Angie Helvey

Brittney Waterman Henry Schifter

Andrew Sambuceto Tyler Francke

ADVERTISING SPECIALISTS

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 Mary Kay Wiens

COVER FEATURE: CI Bar & Grill

HOMETOWN HERO: Scott Anderson

OREGON HISTORY: Wolfer’s Prairie

The CI Bar & Grill

By Dennis McNabb, Contributing Writer

Photos by Carly Carpenter

Treat yourself to good times and great food at Tualatin’s perennial favorite watering hole, The CI Bar & Grill! This is no flash in the pan, here-one-day-gone-thenext, sort of establishment. The CI Bar & Grill has been a local area landmark ever since the 1930s, when it was originally known as The Spot Tavern. Ownership changed hands in 1974, and it was rebranded as the Country Inn, but as you can imagine, some people were confused by the new name, mistaking it for either a country bar or a hotel. Keeping the initials, they simplified it to CI and since then they’ve consistently provided the best food, drink, and entertainment in the area!

Owner Dave Phillips is exactly the kind of person who should own a popular bar and grill; warm, friendly, personable, but with just the right amount of gruffness. You just know this guy has seen and heard it all. He’s your best friend; the bartender you spill your guts to because you know he’s going to give it to you straight. His natural and sincere affinity for people is a prerequisite for the position, but you also know intuitively that this is a man who commands your respect.

Dave started at CI in 1994 when he was hired as General Manager. He worked there for 20 years before taking over in 2014. Since he’d been there for so long, the transition was seamless, and for all intents and purposes, Dave considers the place to have been under the same ownership all that time.

It’s the same situation regarding the staff. Most of the employees have been with Dave for 15 to 25 years, and he

says he has the best crew in the business! He is so pleased and grateful to have an amazing kitchen staff, too. Everyone works hard and gets along, so it’s just one big happy family!

Dave is exceedingly proud of the fact that the quality of the food they serve is not what you’d typically expect to find at a bar and grill of this sort. First and foremost, everything is made from scratch; they’re not grabbing stuff out of the freezer and tossing it in the microwave here. You’re getting honest-to-goodness real food, made with real ingredients, using recipes that are unique to the CI! Dave put it this way: they run their business, and in particular they design their menu, around their regulars. In other words, he maintains such high standards of quality and provides such a variety, that the people who are coming in multiple times per week can enjoy all kinds of different but equally delicious meals. There’s no single favorite item on the menu because everything is fantastic!

That said, there are a few standout dishes that they are known for and that people come from far and wide to partake of. Their most popular item, one they are consistently lauded for having “the best in town,” is their clam chowder. It’s made from scratch, and people tell Dave that it’s literally better than even the fanciest of restaurants in town. Other favorites include the cod fish n’ chips, their prime rib french dip, huevos rancheros, and their chicken focaccia sandwich.

Breakfast is also fantastic and served all day! For that matter, all meals are available at any time of the day, but on weekends especially, they do breakfast right. Not satisfied to

rest on their laurels, weekends at the CI Bar & Grill deliver elevated breakfast offerings such as prime rib & eggs, garden omelet, and eggs benedict. Whether you’re rolling in at morning, noon or night, you’re going to be feasting like a king!

Dave admits that since the building is so historic, their street appeal is secondary. Their location limits what can be done about that, but rest assured that inside it’s relaxed, cozy, and inviting. In 2017, they had a small grill fire which caused enough damage that they completely remodeled the entire place, so while the building and the bar has been there for almost a hundred years, everything inside is relatively new, and has been upgraded with their patrons’ comfort in mind.

As much as they are known for their delicious meals, the CI is also

known for hosting great live music and entertainment. While COVID-19 put a hold on all of that for a while, it’s making a comeback. As you read this article, Ed Neumann & Friends will be back to playing on a semi-regular basis. They also have karaoke nights with a full stage and lighting to solidify your rockstar status! There is no better place around for a good time than CI Bar & Grill! Kids

are allowed until 9pm, so bring the whole family in for some food and fun. Locally owned and operated for almost 50 years, they’re certainly doing something right, so come on over and see what the buzz is all about!

The CI Bar & Grill is located at 18786 SW Boones Ferry Rd. in Tualatin, at the corner of Tualatin Rd and Boones Ferry. Call 503-692-2765 or visit cibarandgrill.

Universal Language

Scott Anderson celebrates a life of service and making magic

By Tyler Francke, Contributing Writer

Canby resident Scott Anderson grew up dreaming of following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Donald Anderson, a World War II Army hero and member of the famed 41st Infantry Division: “The Jungleers.”

In 1996, he got his chance. Scott enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 17 after graduating from Canby High School. At the time, he felt he “wasn’t mature enough” for college to be a good investment. “I guess I was mature enough to realize I wasn’t mature enough,” Scott says with a laugh.

Though he wanted to be a medic, his initial assignment after basic training was that of a military police officer in South Korea. After five years, he was discharged from active duty, enrolled in college and joined the Oregon Army National Guard in July 2001. A few months later, everything would change with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Instead of classes beginning Oct. 1, as he had initially planned, Scott reported back for active duty. He was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and told he would soon be deploying to Afghanistan. Scott’s first tour in the country was as a flight medic for a helicopter medical evacuation (medevac) crew, which had long been his goal.

“Our job was to make sure folks got home,” he says. “I think people in the military feel the call to serve. It’s like how ministers feel the call to serve; I think those of us who serve in the military feel the same thing.”

One thing he had not anticipated was the number of children he and his crew would transport with devastating and

life-altering injuries, with them either having been wounded in fighting or, more commonly, from accidental landmine blasts — Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, with an estimated one unaccounted-for landmine for every three people.

Tragically, the hospitals soon became de facto orphanages, with the families of many children lost or unable to collect them due to poverty. But it was there that Scott would discover another calling: magic.

“Just imagine being eight years old and you wake up in a hospital full of tubes, hooked up to a giant machine you’ve never seen in your life; you’re in pain and no one speaks your language. How scary is that for a kid?” Scott says. “Magic was just something I could do to help give them a smile.

Scott would later become a Black Hawk medevac helicopter pilot, a position he would serve 14 of his 22 years in the Armed Forces, including service overseas in Iraq and on numerous missions stateside. He also continued to hone his magic skills, going on to perform around the world and for millions of TV viewers on shows like “America’s Got Talent” and “The Go Big Show.”

Scott is a financial advisor and lives in Canby with his wife Stephanie and three children. Their oldest, Anthony, is following in his father and great-grandfather’s footsteps in the U.S. Army, completing basic training during the summer between his junior and senior years at Canby High.

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Scott says of his service. “For me, it was the absolute best possible thing I could have done at the time. I went in at 17, came out as an officer and pilot in command of a Black Hawk helicopter. It provided the maturity and discipline I lacked, and it has opened so many doors for me.”

Scott Anderson, son Anthony and wife Stephanie.

Scott Anderson and his assistants get ready to perform the “Evening of Illusion.”

By Dennis McNabb, Contributing Writer

Photos By Carly Carpenter

With more than 30 years’ experience in the industry, Harry Kaplan CPA offers tax preparation, accounting, and business consulting with honesty, integrity, and a personal touch.

Tax season is upon us, which means many of you are already mired down, knee-deep in your annual contemplation ritual: Do I hire a CPA this year or brave filing on my own? Doing it yourself typically costs less, but there are always lingering questions regarding the accuracy of your documents. So the real question becomes: Is your peace of mind worth the few extra dollars to hire a tax professional? If that tax pro is Harry Kaplan CPA, the answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Harry has been in or around the banking and accounting industries for the majority of his life. His father was an accountant before him. Harry’s first job was as an auditor at a bank and his manager believed so strongly in his innate abilities he encouraged him to go back to school to become a CPA. Harry did so, passing the notoriously difficult exam — the Uniform CPA Examination has a 50% pass rate — on his first attempt. Subsequently, he has worked as a CPA, among other things, in the banking industry and as a partner to his father’s tax practice for many years.

Most recently, in August of 2022, Harry ventured out on his own, opening a local boutique firm catering to both individuals

Taxes with a Personal Touch

and small businesses. His unique approach puts you, the client, front and center as an equal partner in a genuine personal relationship that he intends to develop and nurture over time. Not content to simply run the numbers and submit your returns once a year — although he can do so if that’s all you require — he seeks to become your trusted advisor, assisting with a wide range of services, including tax preparation, bookkeeping, financial coaching, tax planning, and IRS representation. His expertise, combined with a sincere desire to make a positive impact on his clients’ lives, means Harry is capable of supporting your multitude of accounting concerns year-round.

When you take the time to explore your options this tax season, consider H. Kaplan CPA. Warm, congenial, and erudite, he is the kind of guy you can trust with the entirety of your financial situation, the kind of guy who goes the extra mile for you, each and every time.

To explore all the services available, contact Harry via his website: hkaplancpa.com. Or give him a call at 503-739-4029.

Harry Kaplan CPA opens local accounting firm

His expertise, combined with a sincere desire to make a positive impact on his clients’ lives, means Harry is capable of supporting your multitude of accounting concerns year-round.

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Skincare Is Self-Care

As we begin the third month of the New Year, I must ask: Anyone else had a rough start? Is the moon in retrograde or something? Working with so many clients each month, I hear all the ups and downs. For one reason or another, 2023 has been a tad bit of a struggle for a lot of people. Maybe this isn’t you, and this has been YOUR year so far, and that’s amazing! But if you’ve been feeling off, you’re not alone.

The saying “You can’t pour from an empty cup” is so true. We try though don’t we. We end up getting overtired, stressed, and making bad decisions just trying to cope, all while keeping on “pouring.”

As a spa owner, working esthetician, and mom of five boys all under 12 — with our sixth boy due soon — I get being busy, exhausted, and overworked. I’ll admit, I’m guilty of leaning on unhealthy habits just trying to cope — to do life! But I have found a way through skincare to take care of myself in small ways that add up, leading to a full cup so I can take care of everyone else.

For me and my clients, skincare is our thing. We love to use it. We splurge on it. And we see the results. Going to be honest here: Before getting pregnant with our sixth baby, I realized I had been relying on a glass of wine a little too much to unwind. Since I do not drink while pregnant, I had to figure out a new healthier way to relax, or it was going to be a very long pregnancy.

I love skincare, like I said, but I decided to get very intentional with it. At the spa, we brought in a new luxury skincare line from Switzerland called Valmont — I’ll do another article on this amazing line soon. I knew I needed to take care of me and what a better way than with new luxurious skincare to use.

So my cleansing routine was my time — no wine needed. I got a cute headband and a new robe from Amazon. I asked to be alone, played music, and did my double cleansing routine and my new skincare. I got these disposable washcloths (cleanskinclub.com), making the experience even more special. I did every step of my skincare routine with purpose. Telling myself, “I deserve it. I can do this. I’m so proud of myself for...” or whatever else I needed to hear. Spoiler alert! It worked.

I created a routine where I taught myself to appreciate me and purposely choose to relax during that time and give myself an invisible pat on the back. Now while this might seem silly to you, the time I take to be alone to wash my face and do my skincare routine is coveted now. I learned to fill my cup fast and in a healthy way.

During each new conversation with clients at the spa about why they were there for their facial, I remind them that skincare IS self-care and such a great healthy way to care for your wellbeing and skin. It goes the same for throughout the day. For example, I helped one client get the new Valmont hand cream to apply when she was feeling stressed as a way to remember to slow down and be in the moment. For another client, the hydration mist was a great pick-me-up throughout the day. If we look good, we feel better and can do better! That’s what also happened with me. I was so intentional with my skincare routine — using new products, too — my skin got even better! So I learned to relax in a healthy way, take time for me, and ended up feeling better as well because my complexion was glowing.

So if you are feeling overwhelmed like I was or like so many of my clients are, I encourage you to find a special way to take care of you. And if all else fails, get a 90-minute facial here at Divine Complexions.

Brooklyn (2015)

With the screenplay written by powerhouse Nick Hornby (Fever Pitch, About A Boy) and based on the novel by Colm Tóibín, this rich historical drama/ romance is set in 1950s Brooklyn, where an Irish immigrant woman lands and quickly falls in love with a local New Yorker. Her complicated past catches up with her (as it always does), and she is forced to choose between the lives she has built within Ireland and America. Featuring stunning performances from Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen, this emotional love-story will pull you into another world for a solid 2 hours. Rated PG-13 for mature content.

Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959)

Out of long-ago 1959, this Technicolor (full color!) Disney movie is a rare gem set in a small Irish village. Darby O’Gill (Albert Sharpe) is fired as caretaker of his leased farm and he refuses to tell his daughter Katie (Janet Munro), especially when he’s been replaced by a brawny younger man, played by Sean Connery. On his way home from the pub, Darby falls into a portal to a secret land of the little people (leprechauns). He meets the leprechaun king, Brian (Jimmy O’Dea), and accidentally brings him home. As Darby has trapped him (that’s the trick), he demands that Brian grant him three wishes, bringing Darby bittersweet and surprising results. Funny, sweet, and surprisingly thoughtful, this is great for the whole family. Rated G.

Dancing At Lughnasa (1998)

We love an Irish country drama and this is exactly that. This stars the queen of the silver screen herself, Meryl Streep, who plays the oldest of five sisters living together in a quaint house in Ireland in 1936. Kate (Streep) is the only sister with a job, and she does her best to wrangle her sisters’ battling personalities. All unmarried and Christina’s (Catherine McCormack) young boy Michael living with them, the household is a balanced chaos. That is until their foolish brother Jack (Michael Gambon) shows up, followed by Michael’s father Gerry (Rhys Ifans). A stellar cast, atmospheric drama, and gorgeous Irish scenery, this is a fantastic movie flying under the radar. Rated PG for mature themes, so treat it like a light PG-13.

Song of the Sea (2014)

This critically-acclaimed, hand-drawn fantasy was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and also is the second movie from Secret of Kells director Tomm Moore and animation studio Cartoon Saloon. Featuring the voice of Brendan Gleeson (Mad Eye Moody from Harry Potter) among others, this follows an Irish boy (David Rawle) who discovers that his mute sister is a selkie (seal folk) and that she needs to find her voice and release supernatural creatures from a Celtic goddess’s magic spell (Fionnula Flanagan). Steeped in Celtic folklore and myth, narrative depth, and visual beauty, it boldly deals with sorrow and loss with masterful grace and whimsy. A must watch for families. Rated PG.

Stream these movies where available, or rent from your local movie store, library, or rental kiosk.

Irish Soda Bread

INGREDIENTS

4 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup butter, softened

4 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

¼ cup butter, melted

¼ cup buttermilk

Optional: Currants or raisins

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.

2. Mix flour, softened butter, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Add currants or raisins if desired. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on the prepared baking sheet.

3. Combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk in a small bowl; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an ‘X’ into the top of the loaf.

4. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Check for doneness after 30 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

Top with butter or honey butter.

This classic Irish soda bread is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, but you’ll want to make it all year long.

WOLFER FAMILY HISTORY:

THE LOST TALE OF ‘WOLFER’S PRAIRIE’

By Tyler Francke, Contributing Writer

Longtime Canby residents may be familiar that before Canby was officially named “Canby,” the town was instead known as Baker Prairie, a name that lives on today in the likes of Baker Prairie Middle School and Baker’s Prairie Bakery.

But very few will know the tale of the neighboring settlement of Wolfer’s Prairie. Though little known, the story of the Wolfer family certainly deserves to be told and remembered. It’s the story of what was once one of the area’s most prominent pioneer families — and one that dovetails with many of the region’s, and even the state’s, most formative events of their early history.

Our story begins with James F. Shirley, a Missourian who, at the age of 30, joined a wagon train bound for the Oregon Territory in 1847. Along the Oregon Trail, he met and married 17-year-old Luvina Mark. They arrived in Oregon City on October 12, 1847, and soon set their sights on a 596.62-acre donation land claim just south of what would become Mark Prairie, today the home of the still-standing historic Mark Prairie Schoolhouse.

A chilling piece of history that would follow both the Mark and Shirley families — as well as Philander and Anna

Lee, whose donation land claim would later be platted as downtown Canby, and others who traveled the Oregon Trail that year — was that their paths crossed with Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, and their doomed ministry to the American Indians of the Cayuse tribe at Waiilatpu, near modern-day Walla Walla.

In November 1847, mere weeks after the Marks, Lees and Shirleys had wound their way through the Blue Mountains in northeastern Oregon, Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and 11 others were killed by the Cayuse in an infamous episode that history would remember as the Whitman Massacre, the Walla Walla Massacre, and the Tragedy at Waiilatpu.

The Cayuse accused Marcus Whitman, a physician, of poisoning some 200 members of their tribe, when in actuality they were probably suffering from measles the doctor had been unable to treat. The incident led directly to the founding of the Oregon Territory in 1848 and the outbreak of the Cayuse War, which would last until 1855.

In 1856, William Keil, founder of the communal religious society in Bethel, Missouri, purchased land and a functioning mill south of Oregon City, renaming it Aurora Colony Mills after his daughter, Aurora. Ten years later, Keil purchased land from James and Luvina Shirley for $3,000, which he began sectioning off in parcels for colony members who did

Mark Prairie Schoolhouse

not want to reside in Aurora and be a part of communal living.

Rudolph Wolfer, his wife Catherine Vogt Wolfer, and their nine children were among the members of the original Bethel Colony who traveled to Oregon in the second wagon train in 1863 to join the Aurora Colony. Keil sent the Wolfers and several other families out to settle the large tract in the Needy area that the colony had purchased from James Shirley.

Due to the large size of the Wolfer clan — which would continue to grow in the years to come — the area would soon come to be known as “Wolfer’s Prairie.” The Wolfers primarily farmed hops and grain in those years, and records show they were always willing to help neighboring farmers with their threshing and in the Zimmerman tannery, which later burned down likely around 1910.

Wolfer Prairie was a region densely grown over with timber, which the family harvested to build their homes. Before the railroad, lumber was expensive in the open prairie, but when the trains started, Cole’s sawmill was built in Aurora. James Shirley was a skilled carpenter and helped build the original log school at Needy.

One of the most prevalent timbers found on the farm was white oak, a naturally rot-resistant and strong species of

lumber, which made it a good choice for outdoor use. White oak has traditionally been used to make railroad ties, fence posts, ships, and whiskey barrels. The last of these trees were most likely harvested on the back portion of the 130-acre property in the 1950s.

Wolfer family lore holds numerous stories of interactions with American Indians, most likely from the Molalla tribe, who would travel on horseback across Bear Creek and across the area farms trading beads, wild game, and animal skins for chickens, potatoes and other vegetables, and fruit. There was an abundance of fruit trees on the farm, including plum, cherry, apple and pear.

Rudolph Wolfer, great-greatgrandfather of Judith (Wolfer) Aus of Canby, quit-claimed his 130 acres to his son, Benjamin J. Wolfer, on October 24, 1888, for the sum of $2,800. Benjamin carried on farming operations, adding fruit trees along with horses and cattle. Benjamin J. Wolfer died on June 14, 1926, from injuries sustained after falling out of a cherry tree, and left the property to his only child, Benjamin “Benny” Rudolph.

Benny Wolfer worked the fields by hand with his workhorses and plows. Soil aeration was usually done using massive spiked rollers pulled by oxen or horses that could weigh more than 1,100 lbs. When he bought his first tractor in 1954, he found old habits die hard. His son, Leonard, who was working in the adjacent berry field, would later recall

that he heard his father shouting, “Whoa, whoa!” along with numerous expletives. Needless to say, the tractor did not respond to Benny’s verbal commands — and plowed straight through the fence anyway.

Benjamin J. and Benny Wolfer were also well-known for raising champion fighting game fowl, strikingly colorful and notably aggressive birds who would occasionally chase the grandchildren if they happened to escape their cages next to the old farmhouse. While illegal in Oregon, the Wolfers found a market for good fighting gamecocks in southeast Asia.

Today, part of the Wolfer Prairie property on Zimmerman Road serves as one of the main research and testing sites for Pure Seed, a global leader in grass seed research, production, marketing, and services based in Canby.

A 15-acre portion was deeded to Benny’s son, Leonard G. Wolfer, and his wife Hazel Swartout Wolfer, on January 9, 1945, for $10. The property had a sheep shed at the front of the property, which Leonard converted into a two-story house with wood floors and no insulation. He established a berry farm with six varieties of berries that was later converted to Christmas trees.

When Leonard George Wolfer passed away on January 22, 2004, his death ended a deep heritage on the same soil — 140 years of Rudolph Wolfer’s ancestors residing on and working the rich soil of Wolfer Prairie.

Leonard George Wolfer