The Canyon Weekly
September 4, 2014
Volume 5, Issue 36
Your local news source for the North Santiam Canyon
Serving the communities of Lyons, Mehama, Elkhorn, Mill City, Gates, Niagara, Detroit, Breitenbush, Idanha and Marion Forks
Detroit strengthens vision
Dozens of people gathered last Saturday at the old Detroit High School to join in the discussion of creating a community center. The planning team led by the Detroit Lake Recreation Area Business Association (DLRABA) utilized envisioning boards where everyone could brainstorm ideas and communicate their individual desires. Possibilities for the center include an indoor event venue from the gym space and locker rooms, incorporating year-round tourism events, creating rentable office space and the hopes of creating employment opportunities. It also would be the headquarters for the Detroit Lake Foundation and could be used as storage for equipment and supplies for all
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sorts of community events. An estimate of $50,000 is projected as the needs for pre-developement costs and the group is actively seeking volunteer help from individuals with specialized abilities. The list includes: a grant writer, attorney, appraiser, architect, developer, landscapers, contractors, graphic artist, marketing/ PR specialists and someone to head up fundraisers and events. If you would like more information please contact Yvonne Messmer at yvonnelitke@aol.
Teenage tourists rescued from middle of river Last Sunday was a beautiful day to be on the river, but for two teenagers visiting from Alaska it turned into a frightening one. A call had come into Mill City Fire Department that two young women were stuck in the middle of the river on a snag holding onto a small inflatable raft and wearing infant sized lifejackets on their arms. The crew from MCFD tried to convince them to return to their raft and float downstream, but the girls, both aware of their poor swimming abilities and afraid for their lives, refused. Tim Widmer, a local kayak instructor and trained white water rescue guide for eNRG Kayaking, happened upon the scene and offered to help as more emergency vehicles and crew gathered. “Both were on a slippery log that was wedged in front of a rock. The depth in front was 4 to 5 feet deep where they were, but deeper in the eddy by the rock. The current was moving very fast, making rescue a bit tougher and was naturally flowing into a hazardous sweeper/strainer that had branches sticking every which way,” said Widmer. Widmer ferried across in a 2 person inflatable kayak first delivering the young women life vests, then using a rope technique he utilized their own raft to lower them through an eddy and onto a small island. From there he was The girls found themselves stranded on a small slippery able to take each, one by one, via Widmer’s kayak, back to safety at the shore. log surrounded by deep water and dangerous strainers.
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