5 minute read
Welcome to Dallas
DALLAS IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS
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Walk down the streets of downtown Dallas, and you might think that the pandemic spared this little town.
That isn’t to say that Dallas hasn’t suffered its fair share of struggles due to COVID-19. While the business landscape has changed, but it hasn’t been decimated.
There are several notable additions to downtown that have opened since the beginning of the pandemic, adding variety to the shopping and eating choices in Dallas.
Two prominent, and formerly vacant corners, have been filled by new businesses.
At the corner of Main and Mill streets used to be Pressed, a gathering place where people could enjoy a cup of coffee, live music, a game of trivia and the company of others. Sadly, a victim of the pandemic, Pressed closed in December 2020.
In early May, the space was given new life when New Morning Bakery opened its doors at 788 Main St. This is the second location for the bakery, originally from Corvallis. Serving more than baked goods, it is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so you can stop in whenever your appetite prompts you
Just a block away is The Blue Lady at 904 S. Main St., which is also home to an expanding business.
Kevin and Krista Conzo, operators of Kevin’s Daily Bread, a home-based business that made and delivered home-baked goods to eager — and numerous — customers recently decided to open a brick-and-mortar location in downtown Dallas.
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On the menu this time are favorite family recipes Kevin has perfected over time. This all began when the Conzo’s started a private Facebook group, Kevin’s cousins, to sell their bread. Krista designed a “blue lady” carrying bread to let them know where to go for comments and place their orders.
“So, when we were thinking about opening up this place, we wanted people to know we had other things besides bread. So, we’re calling it Kevin’s Daily Bread — Blue Lady,” Conzo explained
The menu will feature everything he loved from the East Coast.
“Everything I’ve stuffed my face with the last 35 years,” Conzo elaborated. “My wife has a particular palate. In the Pacific Northwest they like spicy. But I’m not used to that. Back East, it’s more savory. So, we’re trying to spice up our sauces a little bit more with garlic and stuff like that.”
If you enjoy a glass of wine, you can explore some of the best the Willamette Valley has to offer in one place at Radius Tasting Room on Mill Street. Radius carries wines from in and around Dallas, and often has winemakers visit for tastings.
If beer is your thing, look no further than West Valley Taphouse at 957 Main St. With 65 choices of beer, wine and cider on tap, you will find something to your liking.
Stop in and see what is on the menu in either place. Here’s betting it won’t disappoint.
If you have a craving to be outside, Dallas has you covered there, too, with a system of parks and the Rickreall Creek Trail.
Dallas City Park is home to the quiet and educational Delbert Hunter Arboretum and a 18-hole disc golf course, as well as playgrounds and picnic areas perfect for a family outing.
Welcome to Dallas
Population: 16,979. Elevation: 325 feet above sea level. City Hall: 187 SE Court St., 503-623-2338, www. ci.dallas.or.us. Visitor Services: Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce/Dallas Area Visitors Center, 119 SW Court St., 503-623-2564. Schools: Dallas School District — Lyle Elementary School (K-3), Oakdale Heights Elementary School (K-3), Whitworth Elementary School (4-5), LaCreole Middle School (6-8), Dallas High School (9-12), Morrison Campus (alternative high school). Parks: The city of Dallas has eight community parks and a trail system: Dallas City Park — Dallas City Park is the largest park in the city at 35 acres. The “new” entrance is located on Levens Street near Lyle Elementary. The “old” entrance near the Delbert Hunter Arboretum is on Academy Street. The park has facilities for gatherings large and small, including two shelters, two fireplaces, numerous barbecue pits, horseshoe pits, basketball hoops, a disc golf course and paved trails. Roger Jordan Community Park — Located next to the Dallas Aquatic Center on Southeast LaCreole Drive. It consists of soccer fields, a baseball field, a skate park, two tennis courts and a picnic area. Birch Park — Intersection of Birch and Stump streets. New playground equipment recently was added, and the park also has two basketball hoops. Gala Park — Intersection of Uglow Avenue and Hankel Street. It features a basketball court, playground and a grassy area with a gazebo. Kingsborough Park — 101 SW Wyatt St. It features lots of wide-open spaces as well as two basketball hoops, walking paths and a playground. Restrooms are open during the summer. Rotary Park — 300 NE Fern Ave. The city has joined forces with the Dallas Rotary Club to upgrade the park with new playground equipment, walking paths and a basketball court. Walnut Park — 501 SE Walnut Ave. It is a small wooded area with a shaded creek and a bench. Central Bark — 920 SE Juniper St. behind the aquatic center. It is the city’s newest park and the only off-leash park for dogs. It has an enclosed area with a picnic table, water and mutt-mitt stations. Rickreall Creek Trail — The Rickreall Creek Trail will eventually run the length of the city east to west following the course of its namesake creek.
Three must-do activities in Dallas:
1 — West Valley Taphouse: Looking for a beer you haven’t tried yet? Here’s betting West Valley has something new on the tap list. Owner Sam Dufner and his staff are more than knowledgable on the beer front if you need assistance to find something to your taste. Wine and cider are on the menu, too.
2 — Radius Tasting Room: Check out wines
from the Dallas area in one place, and even meet the winemaker during special tasting events. 3 — Rickreall Creek Trail System: The trail follows Rickreall Creek, flowing through the middle of the city. While not yet finished — the goal is to have the system span the city east to west — the completed sections offer beautiful views.
