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Willamette Valley FRE
E!
EVERYTHING GREAT ABOUT THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY Volume 10 Issue 2 - March/April 2019 WillametteValleyLife.com
Celebrating Oregon’s Newest A VA Page 6
Explore History, Geography and Art in the Southern Willamette Valley Page 8
Lonely Newberg orphan grew up to be President Page 10
Plus
Valley Floor Events Entertainment SALEM/KEIZER • EUGENE • PORTLAND • MCMINNVILLE • SILVERTON • ALBANY • CORVALLIS • DALLAS • NEWBERG • MT. ANGEL • STAYTON March/April 2019 • Willamette Valley Life
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Great design is great business. Logos | Website Design | Compact Disc Posters | Advertising | Publication Design
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Willamette Valley Life • March/April 2019
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Willamette Valley Life... Connecting the Willamette Valley Community
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Willamette Valley Life is published quarterly. Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Willamette Valley Life. This publication cannot be reproduced in any form without written consent from Willamette Valle Life. Although we have made very effort to insure the accuracy of the information in this publication, due to the passage of time and the anomalies inherent in the publishing process, we cannot be responsible for errors or incorrect information. Please contact the individual establishments to confirm information. Copyright 2019 by Willamette Valley LIfe
Willamette Valley Life... Everything Great About The Willamette Valley! March/April 2019 • Willamette Valley Life
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valley floor
Our top Willamette Valley event picks!
Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival: March 23 - April 29
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he Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest is an invitation from the Iverson family to yours to enjoy all things spring in the Northwest. Stroll through 40 acres of stunning tulips, experience expansive views of vineyards and distant mountains, and jump over (or in!) a few mud puddles. Eat your own picnic lunch or purchase food onsite and make it a day. Fresh flowers, food and fun for the entire family, including well-behaved dogs on leashes! Only 45 minutes from Portland and 30 minutes from Salem.
March 23-April 29 Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm 33814 S. Meridian Road Woodburn, OR 97071 woodenshoe.com
Oregon Ag Festival April 27-28
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ome learn more about your food, fiber, and flora at the Oregon Ag Festival! This two-day family event provides a unique learning experience, with handson exhibits that make learning about Oregon’s agricultural industry educational and entertaining. At the fest, children can ride ponies, plant seedlings, watch sheep get sheared, pet farm animals and more! Last year over 21,000 people attended Ag Fest to touch, taste and experience the incredible world of Oregon agriculture, in a fun-filled, festive environment. Kids 12 and under are free. April 27-28 Saturday, 8:30 a.m-5:00 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Oregon State Fairgrounds 2330 17th St. NE Salem, OR 97301 oragfest.com
Junction City Daffodil Festival March 16-17
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affodils are popping up throughout wine country! Cruise the country roads around Junction City to see the bright blossoms, then park your car at Conser Quarry and take a shuttle to the Long Tom Grange for the largest daffodil festival in the state! Buy armfuls of daffodils, browse local vendors, enjoy live entertainment, take a wagon ride and admire antique cars. March 16-17 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Long Tom Grange 25823 Ferguson Road Junction City, OR 97448 junctioncity.com/news/daffodils/
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Willamette Valley Life • March/April 2019
Mariachi Herencia De Mexico Mariachi Herencia de Mexico, an ensemble of student musicians from the Mexican-American barrios of Chicago, released their first album with unanticipated success. Now the group has toured North America, from Mexico’s mariachi capital of Guadalajara to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Their recently released follow-up album, “Herencia de la Tierra Mia” (“The Heritage of My Land”), landed at the number two spot on the Latin Billboard charts. Enrich yourself in the vibrant musical and cultural traditions of Mexico with this performance at the Hult Center that will renew or add to your appreciation of world music.
March 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Hult Center for the Performing Arts | Soreng Theater | 1 Eugene Center | Eugene, OR 97401 | hultcenter.org
Sick Town Derby Dames
Banff Mountain Film Festival
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ome to the Banff Mountain Film Festival — for adventure, for excitement, for the inspiration of mountain stories. Experience the exhilarating beauty of mountain landscapes. Meet the world’s top adventurers, listen to their stories, relive their challenges and reconnect with adventure. All proceeds for this event benefit Adventures Without Limits and their mission of making outdoor recreation accessible for all.
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he Sick Town Derby Dames bring their hip checks, body blocks and awesome jamming to a home bout. This is an allages, family-friendly event. Enjoy food vendors, a beer garden, a Sick Town merch table, half-time fun and more!
April 22 Doors, 6 p.m.; show, 7 p.m. Elsinore Theatre 170 High St. SE Salem, OR 97301 elsinoretheatre.com
March 16 5-8 p.m. First whistle at 6 p.m. Linn County Fairgrounds Santiam Building 3700 Knox Butte Road E. Albany, OR 97322 sicktownderbydames.com
John Mellencamp: The John Mellencamp Show
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McMinnville Wine & Food Classic – Sip!
March 8-10 Friday, 3-9 p.m.; Saturday, 11 .a.m-8 p.m.; Sunday, 12-5 p.m. Evergreen Aviation Museum 500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way McMinnville, OR 97128 macclassic.org/wine-food-event/
CHARLES HILLESTAD PHOTOGRAPHY
2019 marks the 26th year that Mac Classic has assembled 75 of the region’s best wineries as well as a variety of chefs, bakers, breweries, distilleries, artists, artisans and musicians. The 2019 event combines a lineup of fresh offerings with tried-and-true favorites, all to support children’s education at St. James School.
ohn Mellencamp’s career in music, spanning more than 35 years, has seen him transition from pop star to one of the most highly respected singer-songwriters of a generation. Mellencamp is incredibly acclaimed; he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is a recipient of a Grammy Award, John Steinbeck Award, the ASCAP Foundation’s Champion Award, the Woody Guthrie Award and the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Recently, he also received the Founders Award, the top honor assigned by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He was also recently inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also one of the most successful live concert performers in the world. April 22 8:00 p.m. Hult Center of the Performing Arts Silva Concert Hall
1 Eugene Center Eugene, OR 97401 hultcenter.org March/April 2019 • Willamette Valley Life
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Celebrating Oregon’s Newest A VA The Van Duzer Corridor Becomes Oregon’s 19th American Viticultural Area
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ust northwest of Salem lies an area known as the Van Duzer Corridor. Here, climate and soil create a distinct environment for growing wine grapes – distinct enough that in December 2018 the area is was recognized as the Van Duzer Corridor American Viticultural Area. The Van Duzer Corridor AVA is Oregon’s 19th AVA overall and the seventh sub-AVA of the Willamette Valley region. While Van Duzer Corridor vintners have long recognized the unique microclimate that makes their wines special, the new designation brings more prestige and likely more visitors. The Van Duzer Corridor AVA spans a nearly 60,000-acre triangular swath of land, flanked by the EolaAmity Hills AVA on the east and the McMinnville AVA to the north. The AVA is home to 1,000 acres of grapes, 18 commercial vineyards, and nine wine brands: Johan Vineyards, 6
Willamette Valley Life • March/April 2019
Chateau Bianca, Namasté Vineyards, Firesteed Cellars, Andante Vineyard, Left Coast Cellars, Holmes Gap Vineyard, Havlin Vineyard and Van Duzer Vineyards. To be designated as an AVA by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, wine growers must demonstrate their region has legitimate geographical boundaries and that the soil, climate and other characteristics of the area are unique. The Corridor’s primarily marine sediment soil is distinctive, but what really sets the area apart is the climate. The Van Duzer Corridor is an anomaly in the Coast Range that allows mild, oceanic winds to funnel through the valley. “From the winds that blow through the corridor, the area receives a cooling effect that begins around 2 p.m. each day [during the growing season],” says Florent-Pierre Merlier, winemaker at Van Duzer Vineyards. Growers in the Van Duzer Corridor assert that this cooling effect is ideal for growing
PHOTO BY CAROLYN WELLS KRAMER
PHOTO BY E. CRILLEY
BY KARA KUH
Van Duzer Vineyards, foreground, and Huntington Hills, midground, are in the new Van Duzer Corridor American Viticultural Area in Oregon.
BLOOM SPRING
Van Duzer Vineyards.
Pinot Noir because it forces the grapes to develop thicker skins – which results in richer, darker wines. The Willamette Valley AVA is recognized as a world-class wine region, having earned Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s Wine Region of the Year in 2016. The approval of the new Van Duzer Corridor sub-AVA is expected to bring more prestige to the area because wineries can now label their wines as products of the Van Duzer Corridor. “It provides consumers with a stronger sense of place,” says Merlier. “They will know that the wines come from a distinct microclimate within the larger Willamette Valley AVA,” he added. In addition to elevating the status of the wines produced in the Van Duzer Corridor, the AVA designation is likely to draw more visitors who want to experience the wines and wineries first-hand. “The afternoon winds are not only good for growing grapes. The pleasant breeze also makes late afternoon wine tasting really enjoyable in our area,” points out Merlier. As the Van Duzer Corridor AVA becomes more well-known, expect to see more headlines about this upand-coming area for both its awardwinning wines and appeal as a visitor destination.
Where to Sip Wineries in the newly recognized Van Duzer Corridor AVA with tasting rooms open to the public include Andante Vineyards, Havlin Vineyard (both open by appointment), Chateau Bianca, Firesteed Cellars, Johan Vineyards, Left Coast Cellars and Van Duzer Vineyards. Where to Eat Left Coast Cellars serves up wood-fired pizza on weekends. In nearby Independence, the newly opened Valkyrie Wine Tavern offers tavern-style food in a fun, eclectic atmosphere. Finish the day with dinner at Latitude One, a finedining restaurant in Dallas. in
Where to Stay Airlie Farm Bed & Breakfast offers a cozy stay on a 226-acre working horse farm outside Monmouth. The Little Luckiamute B&B in Falls City offers relaxing accommodations and a creekside view. The Grand Hotel and Century House B&B are both located in the heart of Salem and make ideal home bases from which to explore the Van Duzer Corridor AVA. March/April 2019 • Willamette Valley Life
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O U T
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A B O U T
Explore History, Geography and Art in the Southern Willamette Valley A diverse landscape lies between the Coast Range and the Cascade Mountains
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s early spring showers bring the Wilamette Valley back to life, you might be looking for family-friendly interactive entertainment, fuel for conversations, or maybe quiet contemplation. In the Eugene-Springfield area, reconnect with our Valley by getting inspired by the history of the living cultures that first set eyes on this land and the creators who are changing how we see the world today. Find inspiration in the diverse landscape that lies between the Coast Range and the Cascade Mountains. Take in the creativity of artists from Oregon and around the world.
Geography
Experience the geography and ecology of the Willamette Valley firsthand at the Mount Pisgah Arboretum. Walk trails through varied landscapes, and use interactive learning panels 8
Willamette Valley Life • March/April 2019
Mural by Eugene artist, Ila Rose on the Elevation Bouldering Gym
In the Eugene-Springfield area, reconnect with our Valley by getting inspired by the history of the living cultures that first set eyes on this land and the creators who are changing how we see the world today. and nature-inspired art to make habitat exploration even more exciting. Wander through distinct ecosystems including an ancient incense-cedar forest, oak savannas and wetlands teeming with life. Stewards of the 209-acre reserve use ecological burn techniques similar to the traditional practices first used by the Kalapuya people. Controlled fires on the prairies and meadows allow the beautiful bluepurple camas flower to flourish, the bulbs of which were a dietary staple for Native communities across the
PHOTO BY BY JANELLE BREEDLOVE
Visit Eugene’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History for a captivating all-ages experience with hands-on exhibits, artifacts of great cultural significance, and fascinating displays of long-extinct Valley creatures. Visitors can also get a glimpse into the traditional practices and lives of the Kalapuya people who still call the area home. The first Friday of each month, pair a visit to the Museum of Natural and Cultural History with a stop at the nearby Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art for free family fun. Stop into the Lane County History Museum to trace Oregon history. Learn about historic Lane County buildings, the struggles of Native Americans from 1870-1950, and Oregon veterans’ stories from World War I – all part of the permanent collection. You can also learn surprising stories in the temporary “Would You Believe It?” exhibit that delves into curious facts and happenings in Lane County’s past. Ready for more? Take a free visit to the Springfield Museum. An interpretive center for the city, the museum’s exhibits include information about the city’s early history through period pieces and ever-changing showings.
PHOTO BY BY COLIN MORTON
History
Museum Of Natural And Cultural History
Visit our annual
Iris Bloom Season PHOTO BY BY COLIN MORTON
Open House!
Mural by Franco Jaz Fasoli on the Mcdonald Building
Bring the Family! Parking $5/car Open Daily 9am - 6pm
May 10th through May 31st, 2019 Display Gardens,
Gift Shop & Cut Stems
For a list of events visit:
SchreinersGardens.com/iris-bloom-season 3625 Quinaby Rd. NE, Salem, OR 97303 503.393.3232 2/5/19 1:46 PM
PHOTO BY BY HAYLEY RADICH
Willamette Valley Life 2019.indd 1
Dorris Ranch orchard.
Pacific Northwest. Visit in late spring to experience the fields bursting with camas. One-day parking is $4 and strolling the grounds is free. Nearby, the Dorris Ranch natural historic site combines a living history farm and a public park, complete with walking trails and beautiful scenic views among hazelnut trees. Follow the Middle Fork Path, a four-mile paved route leading to Clearwater Park.
Art
Although the area has many wonderful art museums, the University of Oregon’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is one of the finest in the state. It has an extensive collection of Asian art and large exhibits which often
feature current local artwork. The beautiful and elaborate brick building itself is on the National Register for Historic Places and includes an elegant interior courtyard. Enjoy a coffee and pastry in the Marché museum café and discuss the exhibits with a friend. Continue the art appreciation outside where sculptures surround the museum. The museum also sponsors the 20x21 EUG Mural Project which brings some of the finest artists from around the world to leave their mark on the city of Eugene. Grab a 20x21 map and enjoy a self-guided tour of Eugene’s street art. Check the calendar of events for exciting ways to get involved!
The Voice of the Santiam Canyon • WWW.KYACFM.ORG March/April 2019 • Willamette Valley Life
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H I STO RY
Lonely Newberg orphan grew up to be President
He left Oregon for good to go to college at Stanford when he was 17. But Herbert Clark Hoover remained a member of the Salem Quaker church until his death. BY FINN J.D. JOHN
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ne cold November day in 1885, a passenger train pulled into the Newberg depot. A lone, plain-dressed Quaker boy stepped off. He was ten years old, with a serious, unsmiling face that already knew the deepest kind of grief. He looked like a well-regimented orphan – which, in fact, he was. This was young Bertie Hoover, just arrived from the town of his birth, West
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Willamette Valley Life • March/April 2019
Branch, Iowa. He’d been living there with an aunt for nine months after the death of his mother; his father, a blacksmith and inventor, had died four years previously. Now he’d been sent to the western edge of the continent to stay with his uncle John Minthorn, a physician and land developer in Newberg. Bertie Hoover would spend most of his teenage years in Oregon before leaving for college at 17. Although he never came back to live, he remained a member of the Salem Friends (Quaker) Meetinghouse throughout his life. Many of the people he knew from his time in Oregon remembered him for many years after he left. And most of them would later vote for him — twice — for president. Herbert Clark Hoover, the 31st President of the United States, is the closest Oregon has to a native-son president. (Historian Kyle Janssen calls him “Oregon’s native stepson.”) He was also the first president born west of the Mississippi River. His running mate, Charles Curtis, was a member of the Native American Kaw Nation, the first (and so far only) non-White vice president in American history. On the way to the presidency, Hoover saved hundreds of millions of people in war-ravaged Europe from starving to death, essentially inventing modern industrial-scale humanitarian relief. He still holds the world record for the most people directly saved from death by starvation (although, depending on your definitions, fellow Iowan Norman Borlaug may have him beaten). Hoover’s Oregon story started with that rainy winter of 1885, at his uncle’s house. Uncle John Minthorn believed in the therapeutic value of hard work and plenty of it, especially for little orphan boys who chronically feel sorry for themselves. Before arriving at the farm, Hoover was often referred to as “poor little Bertie”; after a year or two of constant toil in the fields and in the school, he called himself Bert. He attended the local Quaker institution: Friends Pacific Academy, known today as George Fox University. But when Hoover was 13, he and his uncle moved to Salem and opened the Oregon Land Company, Bert dropping out of high school to take the role of office assistant. For the next four years, Bert helped with the real estate business, picking
clients up at the railroad station and chauffeuring them about to view properties, keeping the books, and typing up documents. In the spring of 1891, at the age of 17, Bert was looking at college. Although he’d been out of school since age 13, he’d taken nightschool courses and probably done some homeschooling with his uncle. Everyone assumed he would go back east to a Quaker liberal-arts college — Earlham, perhaps, or Guilford. But a client told him about the new university being endowed by Leland Stanford in memory of his son. Impressed by the vision, Bert set his heart on Stanford. And although his academic preparation turned out to be woefully inadequate, he spent the entire summer studying at Palo Alto, squeaked past the entrance exams, and got in. He never returned to Oregon. Graduating three years later with a degree in geology at the height of a terrible recession, Hoover got a menial job pushing ore carts in a mine. From that lowly gig, he worked his way up over two decades to become one of the preeminent mining engineers in the world. By 1914, Hoover was running a lucrative consulting firm and managing mining investments on multiple continents. He and his wife, fellow Stanford alumna Lou Henry Hoover, circumnavigated the globe at least half a dozen times and been under fire together during the Boxer Rebellion in China. Now in their early 40s, they contemplated semi-retirement and had even investigated the possibility of buying the Sacramento Union newspaper. But all Hoover’s life plans, and much of his fortune, went up in smoke on one fateful August day when the Imperial German army invaded the neutral nation of Belgium, sparking the first battles of World War I. It would be World War I that would really define Hoover’s life and contributions to the world, even more than the presidency. And his adopted home state of Oregon played an important role in helping him with that work: keeping an entire nation fed despite the efforts of two belligerent foreign powers, whose leaders thought starvation riots there would serve their war aims.
F I N I S H
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P H OTO
Kirt Edblom | Purple Blast | A purple crocus in all its glory in Avery Park in Corvallis, Oregon.
March/April 2019 • Willamette Valley Life
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HAPPY TOGETHER
Tie-Dye Dance Party Friday, June 14, 2019 6:00 pm-9:00 pm $15 at the door, $10 advance tickets Live Music By “The Big Time” Tie-Dye Outfit Contest
Must be 21 years & older Small Plate Meal Included With Ticket Wine, beer & soft drinks available for purchase
Pull out those bell bottom jeans and tie-dye tee shirts and hustle on down to the Center 50+ first “Happy Together Tie-Dye Dance Party.” The food, music, and fun will be worth the trip. Opportunity to do the Hustle, the Bump, YMCA dance and more...Fun! Fun! Fun!
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2615 Portland Rd NE, Salem, OR 97301 (503) 588-6303