The Applegater

2 Spring 2016 Applegater From the Heart of the Applegate Anthology of original essays, poems, and short stories contributed by Applegate Valley writers in support of the Applegater. Available now for $16 at: Amazon.com and www.applegater.org Applegate Valley Realty, Jacksonville Bloomsbury Books, Ashland Oregon Books, Grants Pass Terra Firma, Jacksonville As a benefit for the Maslow Pr o j e c t , t h e s e c o n d a n n u a l Southern Oregon Smoked Salmon Festival was held in October 2015 at the Britt Gardens in Jacksonville. "Maslow Project is a nonprofit grassroots organization based in Medford, Oregon, providing street outreach and basic needs, crisis intervention and advocacy, and essential support services to homeless children and youth—ages 0 to 21—and their families throughout Jackson County," according to their website (www.maslowproject.org). Its mission is "to offer every homeless child and youth the probability of success and the opportunity for a better life. e Maslow Project does this by providing resources for basic needs, removing barriers to education and employment, and fostering self-sufficiency in a collaborative and empowering environment." Mar y Ferrell, founder and executive director, started out on her own in 2000 doing what she could, then founded the grassroots organization in 2006. e organization has been a nonprofit since 2009. Two Jacksonville residents, Frank Kukla and Ted Trujillo, started the Smoked Salmon Festival two years ago to benefit the Maslow Project and to challenge and reward the talents of those who enjoy making smoked salmon. Contestants in 2015 hailed from all over Oregon; there was even one entrant from Alaska who flew in for the event with his tribe's entry! Each contestant provided three pounds of smoked salmon, then a half dozen or so judges from local restaurants and food-related occupations sampled a three-ounce portion for judging. e rest was brought out for the attending crowd and served in paper trays filled with little cups of samples of each entry identified by number. As usual, Maslow Project benefit Paul Tipton awarded first place at Smoked Salmon Festival everyone got to vote for their favorite in the People's Choice award. This year the People's Choice Award, a Big Chief smoker donated by Smokehouse Products of Hood River, went to Bret Hildebrand of Klamath Falls. ird place and $200 went to Peter Mendell of Bend, while second place and $500 went to Luke Grim of Portland. e first place prize of $1,000 was awarded to an "astounded" Applegate resident, Paul Tipton. Paul entered the contest "because lots of people told me they liked my smoked salmon, probably because I was giving it away," and the fundraiser was for an organization that he strongly supports. Beer, wine, and food tastings are included in the ticket price for attendees, and a good crowd was on hand for the festivities. Watch for news of the 2016 festival at www. southernoregonsmokedsalmonfest.com, then come out next October to enjoy an afternoon of smoked salmon tasting and good libations—and see Paul defend his title. In the meantime, Paul says, "If you can afford to do so, send a check to Maslow Project to support its work making our community a better place for everyone." For more information, contact Paul Tipton at ptipton@frontier.com. From left to right: Ted Trujillo, along with sponsor Scott Jensen, Frank Kukla (foreground), and Mary Ferrell, announces the winners: Bret Hildebrand, Paul Tipton, Luke Grim, and Peter Mendell. Photo: Gene Rimmer Photography. Paul Tipton cooks up the winning smoked salmon for the 2015 Smoked Salmon Festival at Britt Gardens. Historic home and garden tour: 'Unique Jacksonville...Enjoy our past, savor our present' Join the Jacksonville Boosters Club for this year's Home and Garden Tour on Saturday, May 14, and Sunday, May 15, between 11 am and 4 pm. In addition to four historic homes, one modern- day Craftsman-style home, and two gardens, a very rare and interesting tour of the backstage areas of Britt Festival will be included. To top off the tour and leisurely day in Jacksonville, there will be a complimentary tasting of three wines at Daisy Creek Vineyard. Transportation around the entire route will be by trolley. A brochure containing a complete listing, pictures, and descriptions of all the properties on the tour will be provided when tickets are purchased. ere will also be a map showing the location of the properties and the trolley route. People will be able to start the tour at any location they choose. Tickets are $20 and are available by calling Judy at 541-899-4070 or Linda at 541-899-1666. Tickets will also be available on tour days outside the Jacksonville Post Office and Visitor Information Center on Oregon Street. e Visitor Information Center (541-899-8118) will be able to answer questions as the event draws closer. See the historic Minerva Armstrong house on tour in mid May. Woodland Charter School invites you to attend its Fourth Annual Spring Soirée auction and dinner on Saturday, April 16, 2016, from 5:30 to 11 pm at the Josephine County Fairgrounds Floral Building in Grants Pass. is festive event is a fundraiser f o r Wo o d l a n d C h a r t e r S c h o o l , a tuition-free public school in Murphy, Oregon. Highlights include dinner and dessert catered by local favorite, e Haul, live music and dancing to the original vaudevillian folk band Intuitive Compass, and locally crafted beer and wine. The silent and live auctions feature a multitude of fantastic items, including a Club Northwest membership, Disneyland getaway, and organic farm shares. Woodland Charter School opened in 2012 with 60 students in first through With Fire Chief Brett Fillis retiring at the end of March, the Board of Directors (BOD) of our Applegate Fire District is pleased to announce that we have signed a contract with his successor, Michael S. McLaughlin. Mike has been a captain with the San Bernardino County Fire Department for the last ten years and has been in the fire service for 24 years. is past fall the BOD undertook a comprehensive campaign to find the right individual to become our next fire chief. We received ten applications for the position, and a small committee whittled those down to six possible applicants who met our basic requirements and needs. We ended up with five applicants attending an all-day "assessment center" at our new Community Center in early December. A 17-member committee, who would observe, evaluate and ultimately recommend the top candidates, was comprised of district volunteers, captains, officers, BOD members, three members of the community at large, a Rogue Valley fire chief, and representatives from the US Forest Service and the Oregon Department of Forestry. After a full day of six different types of tests, challenges and interviews, the group identified the top three candidates for final BOD consideration. After personal interviews with each of those candidates, and a thorough background check, the BOD signed a contract with Mike McLaughlin as our new fire chief. Those of us on your BOD are very pleased with our decision, and we look forward to working with Mike. Mike will begin working with Chief Fillis on March 1 to help smooth the transition. He will take over as our Fire Chief on March 30, 2016, when Chief Fillis retires. We will introduce Mike and his family to the Applegate community in the Summer Applegater! Sandy Shaffer Board of Directors Applegate Valley Fire District #9 A changing of the guard: New fire chief appointed sixth grades. It currently has 135 students in first through eighth grades. Woodland is a Waldorf public charter school that seeks to kindle a lifelong love of learning by providing a developmentally appropriate, arts- integrated curriculum that engages the whole child: head, heart and hands. Its unique approach to classical academics includes Spanish, woodworking, music, and handwork. Tickets are available at www. woodlandcharterschool.org or by calling Erika Fey at 541-659-3267. Tickets are $28 each or $190 for a table for eight. The funds raised will support campus development, artistic aspects of the curriculum, and other crucial needs of the school. To make a donation, please contact Erika Fey at 541-659-3267 or wcsparentcouncil@gmail.com. Woodland Charter School Spring Soirée

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