Category: Uncategorized

The Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) Program was founded in 1994 as a way to bring service-learning to Oregon and to offer the skills, experience and idealism of University of Oregon students to many of Oregon’s depressed rural communities. The timing was uniquely appropriate. In the mid-90’s, “service learning” was gaining attention and support across the country, and the year of RARE’s inception saw the beginning of the nationally recognized AmeriCorps program. It was also a time of significant federal investment in the Northwest in response to the mandates of the Northwest Forest Plan and the Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative.

Since its inception, RARE AmeriCorps has placed over 400 graduate level participants in countless rural communities across the state.  RARE AmeriCorps’ mission is to increase the capacity of rural communities to improve their own economic, social, and environmental conditions.  To achieve this mission, every year RARE AmeriCorps places trained graduate level participants in communities across the State of Oregon where they work for public agencies, special districts, and non-profit organizations on issues of rural community building. RARE AmeriCorps impact is two-fold, both building capacity in rural communities with limited resources while also providing participants with invaluable field experience in community development and planning… A true “win-win” situation!

This year RARE AmeriCorps will celebrate its 20^th anniversary of service to rural Oregon communities. For those of you who aren’t familiar with RARE AmeriCorps, the work we do is truly unique and distinctive among community development and service learning programs across the country.  The fact is we really have something special going here.  Giving back to the community by directly linking graduate-level students from the University of Oregon and around the country into community development efforts in rural Oregon communities is something we have and always will take pride in. In the initial 19 years of operations RARE AmeriCorps participants have taken lead on a variety of city, community, and regional initiatives, including such projects as watershed enhancement, community and economic development, parks and recreation development, sustainable food systems, main street programming and natural resource development. In the process, the program has developed a strong reputation in rural Oregon and enhanced university outreach and service to these communities. The 20^th anniversary of RARE AmeriCorps provides both a milestone and an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of this wonderful organization.

About the Author: Titus Tomlinson is the Program Coordinator at RARE AmeriCorps Program. He served as a RARE AmeriCorps Participant in 2006 and 2009. Titus earned a Masters in Community and Regional Planning Graduate Program from the University of Oregon between his stints as a RARE Participant. During his free time he enjoys basking in the glory of Oregon via mountain bike, rope or boat.

I have worn a few different hats while studying, working, and now serving under the umbrella of the Community Service Center (CSC) at the University of Oregon. Currently, I hold the RARE (Resource Assistance for Rural Environments) position of Community Development Coordinator at the City of Creswell, Oregon; an eleven-mile hop, skip, and jump south of the Eugene-Springfield Metro area. As I transition into this position, I have had a chance to reflect on the colorful road I’ve traveled with the CSC. In the words of our Co-Managing Director Bob Parker, I’ve managed to work on projects that have been “not just one, but two or more standard deviations from the mean;” To those of you scratching your head, that means they’ve been pretty darn interesting. What I have realized, however, is that these projects have allowed me to thrive, each one testing my stamina, to which I will credit my capacity as an aspiring planning professional. No matter what type of work or challenge I find out here, beyond the walls of Hendricks Hall, I will surely revisit those formative moments with fondness (and maybe a smirk).

Professional development is a significant element of the RARE (Resource Assistance for Rural Environments) experience.  Most recently, RARE AmeriCorps participants gathered in Portland for AmeriCorps Kickoff and RARE Training.  The thought of gathering in Oregon’s largest municipality for RARE training always raises brows.  I mean really, why would a program focused on serving rural Oregon gather in the bustling metropolis of Portland?  To start, Portland is the home of Oregon Volunteers, Oregon’s statewide entity to volunteerism, civic engagement, and AmeriCorps.  As such, Oregon Volunteers takes forefront of organizing the annual AmeriCorps Kickoff; an event that gathers all AmeriCorps participants in the State of Oregon to officially “kickoff” the year at Portland State University.  This event offers up an opportunity for RARE AmeriCorps participants and their counterparts to enjoy a day of training; gain a better understanding of AmeriCorps; and, network with other AmeriCorps participants serving in the State.

It’s “ready, set, grow” for the new community gardens going in at the site of the former senior center at Kingwood and Airport Road in Florence. Last Friday about a dozen volunteers teamed up to do some of the heavier work, installing 17 garden beds as well as half the fencing. More volunteers were expected over the weekend to complete the fences. Soon there will be two gated entrances, too.

The garden project was proposed at a city council meeting in April by a group of local gardeners, including Joann Henderson, representing Florence First Harvest. Florence First Harvest was also involved in the community gardens that were built near the United Methodist Church. That program has proved so popular in the community that food-centered groups started looking for more options for garden sites.

Katya Reyna, a RARE participant who has been a key coordinator of this project since its inception, said that everything about the community gardens will be volunteer-driven and funded by donations, to ensure minimal cost to the city. RARE, Resource Assistance for Rural Environments, is a graduate student program funded by AmeriCorps that allows participants to live and work in rural communities to help improve environmental and economic conditions. A number of other RARE students were at the gardens hauling lumber and helping with the installation Friday.

The project has big designs, ultimately to hold 80 raised beds within two 40-feet-by-90-feet sections.

Getting the project to this stage has taken some hard work, but lots of hands are digging in. Katya said that Habitat ReStore has provided some building materials; the Boys and Girls Club are supporters and have given the group a 100-foot hose; and Kurt Sanders, who helped build the gardens at Kingwood and 10th streets, was on site showing crews how to set fence posts. Florence Rotary has donated starter funds.

For the complete article see the 07-31-2013 issue.

Originally published in Siuslaw News
148 Maple Street
Florence, Oregon 97439
Phone: 541-997-3441

How to improve food delivery to those who need it was the focus of a workshop April 3 in Reedsport.

It was hosted by Oregon Food Bank and NeighborWorks Umpqua.

“I work all over the state as a community organizer on rural, community food systems,” Sharron Thornberry, community food systems manager at Oregon Food Bank, said to open the meeting. “FEAST is a program we developed in 2009. It stands for food, education, agriculture solutions together.”

She says, while Oregon Food Bank is a huge resource in the state, it can’t do everything.

“We can’t feed everybody,” she told the group. “More and more people are coming to the emergency food systems. We want to get on the front end of this and actually start working with communities to strengthen their local food systems so that there’s lots of emergency food and people have access to food.

She says they’re also concerned that people who need it have access to healthy food.

“We want to try to build up those assets in rural communities throughout the state,” she said.

The goal of the meeting, said Thornberry, was a list of the community’s assets, challenges and opportunities.

Assets included community gardens, the fishing industry, soup kitchens and senior lunches and local food banks.

Joe Coyne, of the Winchester Bay Merchants Association, said the community is involved in a number of ways.

“If you go see the play, you bring a can of food,” he said. “If you go to the basketball game …”

“So, solid community support,” Thornberry concluded.

Challenges include limited economic resources, not enough community-supported agriculture, transportation.

“I’m not just talking about low income,” Thornberry said. “I meant in general.

One of the concerns was access to fresh local produce for people in need of emergency food boxes.

“You can go to Coos Bay,” said a woman who identified herself as Sitka, who is involved in the community garden. “You can go to Florence. No, you can’t get it here.”

She said it’s an economic issue.

“If you have enough money, you can order it online,” she said. “You can become part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). You can have access to food.”

“Are there a lot of seniors here who might have transportation issues,” Thornberry asked, “who don’t have as much access?”

Allen Chaney, with the Lower Umpqua Ministerial Association, says they try to provide as much emergency food as they can through the two local food banks.

“It’s set according to the quantity of food that they’re able to stock,” he said. “Over the years, it has fluctuated. Right now, individual families come the Project Blessing six times a year.

“AARP (a local food pantry operating out of Henderson Park), they can go once a month,” Chaney said.

“The need for some of these people is more than once a month,” Coyne commented. “If it was possible to have more access, open availability. That’s a supply issue.”

Chaney said they’re currently working to improve a city building that may allow Project Blessing to increase hours. He said a grant, from Oregon Food Bank, is currently allowing them to re-roof the building.

“We’re hopeful that, when we get that facility up and running,” Chaney said, “that, not only can we expand the quantity of times per year (a family may receive food boxes), but also the quantity of times per week. But, at the end of the day, it’s all economic.”

He said, in the past few years, they’ve seen a significant increase in the number of people coming to the food pantries.

Another challenge is growing enough fresh produce.

“At Great Gardens we provide garden plots so people can grow their own food,” Sitka said. “But, then, I also use half the garden for growing produce here, for the community. We usually take it to food banks.”

She also says they teach people how to harvest produce from the garden. She pointed out, however, in some years she can’t grow enough to meet the demand.

Among other challenges identified by the group were more access to fresh fish from Winchester Bay fishing boats, fresh crab from the docks and freezer space for local food pantries.

“If we could put a nice, big walk-in freezer in that new building,” Chaney said, “we could then really increase the quantity of food that we could bring in here.”

Opportunities

A farmers market or mobile market might be an opportunity for the Reedsport area.

“Would people be interested in having a farmers market, if you could attract farmers here to do that?” Thornberry asked.

Sitka said there isn’t really a farmers’ market, per se, in Reedsport.

“It’s a go over to Roseburg and buy stuff and bring back over here and sell it market,” she said.

“It isn’t a true farmers’ market,” Laura Stroud, of NeighborWorks Umpqua, said. “It happens on Saturday in the summer.”

That sale, said Stroud, is a fundraiser for the Senior Transit System.

Sitka said “gleaning” local farms and orchards is also an opportunity. Some farmers leave a portion of their crops for people to glean at the end of the harvest.

Thornberry said she will take the comments she heard back to Oregon Food Bank to develop ways to further help the community.

Originally published in The World
350 Commercial Street
Coos Bay, Oregon 97420 
Phone: 541-269-1222

I’m not the most up-to-date person. I don’t know who Justin Bieber is dating, if Oregon is progressing in the NCAA basketball Final Four tournament, or what strife is happening in the Middle East.

What I DO keep up on is which movies are coming out. I love movies and TV shows. I will forsake all else and do marathon viewings of my favorite shows. I have spent whole weekends watching episode after episode of “Downton Abbey,” “Game of Thrones,” “Mad Men,” or “Breaking Bad” (just to name a few).

But I have been very disappointed by what is showing up on the silver screen. Yeah, there are one or two movies that have come out worth my $9, but they are few and far apart. Sometimes my favorite part of movies is the previews before the feature. I love movie trailers so much that one of my hobbies is to go on to a website that has previews of all the new movies coming out and just watch whatever looks good one after another. Usually there is at least a couple that I take note of and eagerly anticipate, but it hasn’t been happening for a while. There are no good stories coming out of Hollywood anymore! Everything is so predictable and predictable is boring, and boring is boring. You know what isn’t boring? Real life!

Lucky for me there is a whole genre of movies made about real life that are a solution to my media malaise: documentaries. I know, I know, that sounds super slow, dry, and possibly has subtitles, but the right ones have all the ingredients to the best emotional dramas, pee-your-pants comedies, gripping thrillers, political intrigues, and testosterone pumping action flicks. The villains and heroes in documentaries are everywhere and are regular people and could be you or I. The subjects are on the most remarkable and fascinating topics or people and I not only get entertained but I also learn something.

Last weekend I found myself fresh out of new episodes of my favorite TV shows and not having the energy to find a new favorite. It just so happened that fate had dropped an email in my inbox earlier in the week about a new movie on a topic near and dear to my heart premiering that weekend in Portland. Friday night I drove myself to the Hollywood theater and bought my tickets to see “A Place at the Table,” a well-made documentary (subtitle-free) about hunger in the United States.

I have long tried to explain the existence of hunger in the U.S.A. and the necessity of my work at the food bank to friends and family, but am left feeling like I hadn’t quite explained it well. As I watched this film I felt the producers had nailed it spot on and really touched on the important aspects of the whats, whys, hows, and whos of hunger in America.

This isn’t the first time a film has been made on major food issues. Other great sources of information on the food issues are movies like “Fresh,” “Food Inc.,” “My Father’s Garden,” “The Vanishing of the Bees,” “Dive!,” “The Botany of Desire,” “Forks Over Knives” and many more. If TV is more your style, PBS made a series of shows about innovators around the country called “Food Forward.” British superstar chef Jamie Oliver had a few seasons of “Food Revolution” with the goal of showing the feasibility and challenges of serving healthy food in schools. And there are a scads of well-written books like “Eating Animals,” “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” and “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life,” which gets you thinking about what you’re putting in your mouth, what it does to you and where it came from. If you’re interested in the subject of hunger, but oddly dislike the moving pictures, there is also a companion book to “A Place at the Table” available for your reading pleasure.

I feel the film version of “A Place at the Table” did such a good job that I have set up viewings all of the major communities of Columbia County during the month of April so people may have an opportunity to learn about this dirty little secret we have in our country and what we can do about it. Keep your eyes peeled for more information about when and where the film is showing in your town and save a place in your calendar for it.

Originally Published By: St. Helens Chronicle
195 S 15th Street
St. Helens OR, 97051
Main: 503-397-0116  

The city council recently approved the formation of a new committee to improve economic, social, and environmental conditions in Coburg, with a focus on local history. The Historic Preservation Committee is a group of five community members that were appointed by the city council at a February meeting.

The city’s project manager, Laura Comstock, has been organizing the committee since she stepped into office last September. Comstock is an AmeriCorps member that works through the Resource Assistance for Rural Environments program administered through the University of Oregon’s Community Service Center with her term ending in July. In the meantime, she’ll be promoting economic development and preserving local history by working as the city staff person assigned to the Historic Preservation Committee, which will continue after she leaves. “The overarching goal of why I’m here is to help the city protect its historic resources,” Comstock said.

In 1986, a significant part of Coburg became recognized as a National Historic District, so by applying for Certified Local Government (CLG) status, the city will be eligible for grants supporting local history. The CLG application process requires that a city supports a Historical Preservation Committee.

Comstock presented the idea for the committee to the council in January and on Feb. 12 it was approved by resolution. She then filed a formal application for Coburg to become a certified CLG. Although it’s a federal program that’s part of the National Park Service, the CLG program is administered by the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). This affiliation provides local governments with access to the expertise and resources of state and federal agencies to address local preservation issues.

The CLG program was designed to promote historic preservation at the local level, with certified cities becoming eligible to receive grants from SHPO that can be used for a variety of preservation projects. The grants run between $5,000 and $20,000, but require local governments to participate in a 50/50 match. Potential grant projects include surveys of historical properties; National Register nominations; public education; city preservation planning with ordinances, design guidelines, and preservation programs; studies for rehabilitating historic properties; rehabilitation work on National Register buildings; and staff training.

“The committee itself will be responsible for identifying, recognizing and preserving significant properties, but also encouraging the rehabilitation and viability of historic buildings,” Comstock said, “and strengthening public support for historic preservation efforts,” and increasing community historic awareness. Future committee projects include applying for grants for outreach and education that include placing identification plaques on historic sites and also updating the walking tour map of historic buildings in town, as Coburg currently has about 20 historic homes. The committee will meet at least four times yearly and is working on a schedule now.

Originally published in The Tribune News
225 W. 6th Ave
Junction City, Oregon 97448 
Phone: 541-234-2111

From now on I will only respond when people address me as Master Walker. I’ll insist on this because, not only am I the newest member of the Columbian Toastmasters and enrolled in a master’s program at Portland State University, but by the end of March I will be one of 26 newly minted Master Gardeners scattered all over the county who will have completed the 11-week Oregon State University Master Gardener program. You will be able to spot us by our snazzy, eye-catching orange Oregon-shaped nametags. You can grab any one of us and ask your puzzling questions regarding things that grow (or frustratingly won’t grow) in our beloved region and together we’ll tackle the mystery.

Once upon a time Columbia County had a vibrant farming community. We had dairies, butchers and grew a whole slew of things that would make any foodie drool. The times have changed, though. Granges were social and political hubs. Once FFA (Future Farmers of America) clubs were present in all of the schools and had healthy participation where only Rainier has the last remaining group. Many people still raise their own livestock for meat but it was much more commonplace.

Growing one’s own food has not only been a necessity for millennia but also a source of pride that has been lost relatively recently. According to the US Census, 32 percent of Americans were in the farming biz back in 1916. In 2010, almost 100 years later, we couldn’t even muster 1 whole percent. Thanks to the magic of science we can now produce more food on less land and kill pests with a simple spray freeing up millions of would-be farmers. The results of which are extremely controversial and I won’t touch the conversation with your hand holding a 10-foot pole.

But while things have changed drastically from the farming past of our grandparents I’m here to tell you that farming is cool and getting cooler! And that’s why I wanted to become a Master Gardener. There are still farms scattered around the county if you squint and look real hard. Folks from the city are moving into the county to live out their “Green Acres” fantasies. There is a healthy 4-H presence that one can see every year at the county fair. Schools are figuring it out and trying to buy from local farmers and starting their own teaching gardens. Vernonia has turned lemons into lemonade by taking advantage of its clean slate by placing the new community garden front and center on the new school campus so folks can have a regular reminder of where our food comes from. The family pet may be out in the yard scratching for worms and laying eggs for breakfast even in developed neighborhoods.

This is all to say that gardening is a magical activity that speaks to the deep primal recesses of one’s soul and is making a comeback, but getting started can seem so daunting. I was initially very intimidated by the prospect of assuming the title of “Master” gardener. But if you can muster the courage to ask you’ll learn that Master Gardeners are friendly, enthusiastic, curious people who are happy to help you figure out how to rid yourself of scourges like the dreaded black spots on your roses (pick off the infected areas and get rid of them but steel yourself to the possibility that it’s a lost cause. Sorry).

There are few things as satisfying as planting a wee little seed in the dirt and nurture it, watch it grow into a vital plant which produces a delicious fruit that, one fine day, you’ll pick and relish with unbridled pleasure. This is the time of year to be thinking seriously about what you want to grow and the OSU extension office is an amazing, yet woefully under-utilized resource. The employees and volunteers know how to set you straight on the path to the spoils of gardening before, during and after harvest (OSU Master Preservers is next on my list of Mastery). So, remember there is free, region specific, research-based, not-just-trying-to-sell-you-something, help close to home.

And what sort of food bank employee would I be if I didn’t encourage those of you with green thumbs to grow a row for the hungry? As you plan your garden think of popular fruits and veggies that you can grow and donate to your local pantry. Your bounty will be happily accepted at the pantry and by those receiving an emergency food box who could use a hug on the inside from a juicy homegrown squash. Eating food you grew yourself tastes amazing and knowing a neighbor is enjoying it too may be even better.

Originally Published By: St. Helens Chronicle
195 S 15th Street
St. Helens OR, 97051
Main: 503-397-0116

The welcome was warm at the Cobalt Building Open House last week, in spite of the frigid temperatures during two of the three events hosted by the Creswell Recreation Advisory Committee (CRAC) with partners Willamalane Park and Recreation District and the Creswell School District.

Area residents were offered cookies and coffee as they perused the empty rooms of the vacant building last Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, talking amongst themselves about their hopes and dreams for the unformed recreation and community service space.

The Cobalt Building has been an open-ended question for the City of Creswell since the mid-2000s, when the 9,000 square foot, light-industrial building on a 1.2 acre lot was donated to the city by local developer, Ross Murry, as part of a parks and open space requirement associated with the nearby residential development.

Located a short distance northeast of the high school at 364 Cobalt Lane, the former torque converter reclamation facility has been the subject site of several events designed to get public input, including an open house and the completion of a feasibility study in 2008-2009 to provide initial assessment and a conceptual plan with an emphasis on the values and needs of all age groups and the 2011 development of a Capital Campaign.

Members of the CRAC team and Steve Dobrinich, Creswell’s Resource Assistance to Rural Environments (RARE) intern, coordinated the Open House, ensuring that everyone had ample opportunity to explore and discuss the community center.

Acting as hosts for the Open House events, representatives of the Creswell Recreation Advisory Committee, Willamalane, the school district and the city were on hand to greet the approximate 75 individuals that traipsed through.

Sophomore Dylan Hubbard, a school district representative and Creswell High School Kiwanis Key Club Member, also assisted with hosting duties at all three events and made a point to communicate the hope of Creswell’s young people: they want to be invested in by their city, and they want to contribute.

Hubbard talked excitedly with visitors about future classes, games and activities at the Cobalt Building, indicating that he understood it might take some time to get the building into shape but that he was eager to play a role in developing a recreation center for Creswell.

Beth Levine, Willamalane Program Manager, met with Creswell residents at Tuesday night’s event, speaking with families and individuals as they toured the building. Levine said that Willamalane sees the Cobalt Building as “…an opportunity to extend community services down to Creswell… and to provide the value of recreation to the community.”

“We all have to start somewhere,” Levine said in support of Creswell’s current efforts to utilize the Cobalt Building. She went on to discuss recent recreational successes in Creswell in which Willamalane played a part: the Movies in the Park summer series for everyone, partnering with the school district on the Summer Fun Program for school kids, and last fall’s Creative Movement Class. The class’ performance at the 2012 Tree Lighting Ceremony is remembered as a highlight of the evening, with the audience delighted by the dancing of grade-schoolers.

The South Lane Family Relief Nursery also had a table at the Open House event. Perla Trujillo, Latino Services and Outreach Specialist, Heather Murphy, Executive Director, and Erin Helgren, Northern Douglas County Teacher/Interventionist, hosted the Nursery’s table in hopes of increasing support and awareness of the efforts to establish a Creswell Family Relief Nursery satellite facility.

Murphy likes the idea of the Cobalt Building and Relief Nursery partnership. “The Cobalt Building has tremendous potential for organizations supporting youth and young families,” said Murphy as CRAC members and other community representatives mingled throughout the building.

CRAC member Christopher (“Doogie”) Douglass utilized past Ford Foundation training, utilizing two walls for compiling public input. One wall was dedicated to the “Appreciative Inquiry” practice of identifying past accomplishments (and subsequently appreciating the ability to accomplish goals) when embarking on long-term projects.

Items listed on the Appreciative Inquiry wall included blood drives (Creswell has repeatedly broken its own blood drive records in the recent past), the playground equipment in Harry Holt Memorial Park, the Community Sharing office hours at the Community Center, the Fourth of July Celebration, the Tree Lighting Ceremony, the new Middle School, the new overpass and Harvey Road improvements, the new Library, City Hall building and water treatment plant, improvements at Garden Lake Park, our airport, new murals, and the Creswell Food Pantry.

One of the options under consideration for the Cobalt Building is the use of a portion of the Cobalt Building for the Creswell Family Relief Nursery satellite facility. A large room on the northern portion of the building is being discussed for conversion to the nursery facility, and this room includes access to a covered outdoor area and the Cobalt Building’s generous backyard that is bounded on three sides by fenced residential yards.

At last week’s open house events, attendees were encouraged to list activities they would like to see encouraged at the future Community Center. Listed were ping pong, a Senior Center during weekdays, a woodworking class, pickle ball in a gym, health and healing classes (including yoga), folk dancing, basketball, teen dances, karaoke, knitting classes, art exhibits, foosball, pool and air hockey tables, pottery classes and kilns, sewing classes and a rock climbing wall.

A list started on this board with young kids in mind also included 4-H classes, Girl and Boy Scouts, play groups, gymnastics, music and science classes and other activities.

The committee’s next goals likely will focus on preparing a set of recommendations to present to the City Council in the near future, including updated costs estimates, a tour of the Willamalane facility for community members and a list of desired activities harvested during the open house.

A sign-up list at the Open House gathered email addresses to be used for postings and updates on news regarding the Cobalt Building project (email Dobrinich to get on the list).

Input is always welcomed, and interested parties are encouraged to find the City of Creswell on Facebook to view Cobalt Building-related videos on the City of Creswell website (www.ci.creswell.or.us), or to contact Steve Dobrinich, Creswell’s Resource Assistance to Rural Environments (RARE) intern, at 541-895-2531 or sdobrinich@creswell-or.us.

Originally published in The Creswell Chronicle
PO Box 428
Creswell, OR 97426
Phone: 541-895-2197 Fax: 541-895-2361

The Tillamook County Quilt Trail Coalition (TCQTC) is undergoing growth spurts. Fourteen new blocks will be painted this spring, adding to the trail both north to Manzanita and south to Cloverdale and places in between.

The TCQTC is also undertaking a new development thanks to the help of Terra Wilcoxson, an urban designer working with the City of Tillamook. She is also a new addition to the board of the Quilt Trail Coalition. Wilcoxson is heading up a project to paint a quilt-themed mural on the repository at the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center. While she is pursuing grant monies for funding, the Coalition is looking for a design for the mural.

For this they are turning to the community. Tillamook County boasts a goodly amount of artists of all ages and TCQTC is asking anyone interested to submit ideas for a 10-foot by 12-foot mural to be painted by a professional muralist.

There are certain requirements. The quilt trail began in 2009 with the idea of promoting and preserving the county’s rural and coastal heritage through the tradition of quilting, honoring the rich history of dairy farming and increasing tourism. Any design should reflect these ideas. Visit tillamookquilttrail.org for more history about the trail.

This should not be a formal completed work of art. TCQTC needs clean pencil sketches depicting the idea/design. These ideas will be given to the muralist to formalize for the completed painting.

The name of the chosen designer will be painted on the final mural.

Design ideas should be submitted no later than March 1. Design will be selected by the TCQTC board by March 15. Designs should be mailed to Tillamook County Quilt Trail, P.O. Box 1165, Tillamook, Oregon, 97141. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the August.

Special awards are planned for the winner. Watch for details on the TCQTC Facebook page and our website. For more details, call Terra at (503) 842-2472 x3462 or email her at twilcoxson@tillamookor.gov.

Originally published in Tillamook Headlight Herald
1908 Second Street
Tillamook, OR 97141
Phone: 503-842-7535