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Percussion in Plan!t, and more
OREGON ROUTS RIVERDALE IN REGIONAL BASKETBALL, B1
A9, A11-12
TELEGRAPH
Thursday, February 25, 2016
SERVING DIXON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1851
DIXON FULTON
Board appoints member
Lifelong lover of parks eager ‘to see park district flourish’ BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
Photos by Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Vivian Baker, 5, of Fulton plays and sings a rendition of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” on a ukulele Tuesday afternoon at Awesometown Music/Video Production in Fulton. She and her sister, Anya, 7, just took up their instruments a couple of weeks ago. Anya picked the violin during a Music Discovery event they attended at the nonprofit. “It’s so fun to see them find something like this that speaks to them,” their mom, Maria, said. She doesn’t play an instrument, but is considering taking one up herself.
Awesome inspiring A Fulton non-profit has been instrumental in inspiring a love of music in kids, and inspiring a love of teaching in adults
Anya Baker, of Fulton is learning to play the violin from instructor Kendra Swanson, Awesometown’s program director. BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN cheimerman@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5523 @CHeimerman_SVM
FULTON – What began as a way to give kids a chance to discover love for a musical instrument has become, appropriately, a collaboration of artists who didn’t previously have a chance. Sure, Vivian Baker, played “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” on the ukulele Tuesday at Awesometown Music/ Video Production, 1001 Fourth St., her feet dangling a long way from the floor as she sat in a big, comfy brown chair. The 5-year-old from Fulton girl can melt your heart, just weeks after picking up the instrument. But her teacher, Kendra Swanson, the nonprofit’s program director, and a uke champion herself, said everyone who has walked in the door – musicians young and old, hopeful
volunteers, piano movers, bloggers – has become part of a grand mission. “We’re like an artistic soup kitchen,” Swanson said. “We’re a nonreligious ministry. We just want to share love and opportunities with anyone who walks through the door.” Bob Whitten and Charlie Crider, both retired and both boasting hearts bigger than average men’s chests could accommodate, opened the doors of the haven for artists last March, and received their nonprofit status in June. They knew there was a need, but they grossly underestimated just how many people from the community would show up hoping to take lessons. “We stepped on the gas, and there was a huge outpouring from the community,” Whitten said. “It was like, ‘OK. Pump the brakes. Maybe even put it in reverse a little, can we?’” INSPIRING CONTINUED ON A3
Online extra
Click on this story on saukvalley.com to watch youngsters play instruments they picked up less than a month ago.
Inside
He learned his lesson, now he’s teaching them, at Awesometown. Page A5
More info Awesometown Music/ Video Production offers lessons, recording, discovery sessions, classes and much more. Go to awesometownmvp.com or find it on Facebook to learn more.
DIXON – Dixon native Paul Campbell has been using the parks in town for as long as he can remember. Now, he will help oversee those parks. The Dixon Park Board unanimously voted Wednesday to name Campbell as their newest member. He’ll replace Nicole Pritchard, who resigned from the board in December. Campbell will serve out the remainder of her term, which runs through April 2017. “I’m very excited,” said Campbell, 58. “I’ve considered this for a long time. I have some ideas I want to bring to the board and I want to see the park district flourish.” “I’ve used the park district a Paul lot,” Campbell said. “I used to Campbell play softball, I’ve played in the flag football program and I’ve played in the basketball leagues. I always use the park system.” Campbell was one of three people who showed interest in the position. “He is eager,” Board Chairman Ron Pritchard said. “You want people who want to be here. You want to be here because you love the park district and you want to make it as good as you can possibly make it for the community. That is what I see in him.” MEMBER CONTINUED ON A5
OREGON
Police outgrow City Hall HQ Chief proposes plan to move offices to former storage area BY VINDE WELLS vwells@shawmedia.com Shaw Media
OREGON – A former storage area could be just the ticket for the Oregon Police Department’s space needs. The City Council agreed Tuesday to look into what the cost would be to renovate the former ambulance storage area at City Hall into offices for the police department. Oregon Police Chief Darin DeHaan told the council that his department’s portion of the building no longer is adequate to serve the city’s needs. The biggest problem is that his administrative assistant is not readily accessible to the public, he said. Because the assistant and police officers are in private offices on the north side of City Hall, anyone who wants to talk to them must first go to the city clerk’s office, where staff then page police department employees. He also has no good space to conduct interviews in private. During a recent investigation, for example, people waiting to be questioned were lined up in the halls, he said. POLICE CONTINUED ON A3
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TODAY’S EDITION: 24 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 164 ISSUE 210
INDEX
ABBY ................... A8 BUSINESS ........... A7 COMICS ...............B6
CROSSWORD....B12 LIFESTYLE ........... A8 LOTTERY ............. A2
PLAN!T ... A9, A11-12 OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6
Today’s weather High 38. Low 22. More on A3.
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