Friday is deadline for Jr. Court apps
Applications are being accepted through Friday, May 7, for the Sportsman’s Holiday Junior Court.
Since first-graders last year did not have a chance to participate, this year’s court will be open to both first- and second-graders, who will be randomly selected from each school in the Sweet Home School District. Notification will be made by the month of June.
Participants will need to be available for a yet-unscheduled photo shoot, the coronation cere-mony (evening of July 8) and a rehearsal, which will likely be held some time in the two days previous to the ceremony, the Chips and Splinters Talent Show (July 9) and the Sportsman’s Holiday Parade (July 10) and optional participation in the Logger Olympics, which follows the parade.
Parents will need to dress their children according to prescribed standards. Cost to participate is approximately $50. Although a king or queen will not be crowned, each boy will receive a scepter and each girl will receive a tiara to keep.
Applications, available at the Sweet Home Chamber of Commerce, 1575 Main St., and should be submitted to the applicant’s teacher, or may be scanned and emailed to Karla Burcham at [email protected], or may be photographed and texted to Burcham at (541) 401-3339 or to Kylie Armstrong at (541) 401-7089.
Nat’l Day of Prayer events planned
Local National Day of Prayeractivities are being planned for Thursday, May 6, in Sweet Home.
Small prayer groups will meet at various points throughout the city, focusing on various topics of public interest and concern. The day’s activities will end with a praise and prayer service at Freedom Hill Church. Here is the schedule:
– 7:30 a.m. – School District Office, 1920 Long St. (outside).
– 10 a.m. – Chamber of Commerce, 1575 Main St. (outside).
– Noon – City Hall, 3225 Main St. (outside).
– 5 p.m. – Police Station, 1950 Main St. (outside).
– 7 p.m. – Praise and Prayer Service at Freedom Hill Church, 2470 Main St. (inside).
Blood donation events scheduled
As COVID-19 vaccines become more available and people resume some of their favorite activities, the American Red Cross is reminding the public that the need for blood remains.
Healthy individuals are encouraged to make a blood donation appointment now. But what about those who’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine – can they donate? As long as donors are symptom-free, feeling well and can provide the vaccine manufacturer’s name, there’s no waiting period required after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine currently authorized in the U.S. Additional blood donation eligibility information is available at RedCrossBlood.org/Eligibility.
Donors, especially those with type O blood, are needed in May to help ensure blood products are available for patients now and into summer.
Those who come to give blood, platelets or plasma in May will be automatically entered for a chance to win a travel trailer camper that sleeps five, powered by Suburban Propane. Plus, those who make it in to give May 1-15 will receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card by email, courtesy of Suburban Propane.
Upcoming donation opportunities include:
– May 5 – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The River Center, 3000 S Santiam Hwy., in Lebanon.
– May 7 – 1 to 6 p.m. at Brownsville Baptist Church, 27910 Seven Mile Lane, Brownsville.
– May 13 – 2 to 7 p.m. At Evangelical Church, 1347 Long St., Sweet Home.
To schedule an appointment to donate, simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in.
Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Volunteers needed for Planting Day
The Sweet Home Beautification Committee is seeking volunteers for Planting Day on Tuesday, May 11.
The group volunteers their time to brighten up Sweet Home by maintaining the median on Main Street.
Participants are asked to meet at 8:30 a.m. in front of Key Bank. For more information, contact Susan Thompson at (541) 401-5411.
Volunteers are encouraged to bring a bottle of water, gardening gloves, a trowel or other gardening tools if you have them.
Last chance to join Search and Rescue
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office is recruiting young men and women, ages 14 to 18, to join the Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team and participate in a 10-day summer training program.
This will be the 27th Search and Rescue Training Academy in Linn County and will be held June 18 through June 28.
Those who are interested in becoming an integral part of the Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue mission should have an interest in community service and a desire to be a part of a highly trained and professional life-saving organization.
There is an application process that includes oral interviews, a background check and physical aptitude test. Applicants must attend one recruit meeting at the Sheriff’s office at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 10, to attend the academy. Successful applicants will be eligible to attend the 10-day Search and Rescue Training Academy in June.
The training will include classes in wilderness survival, shelter building, search tactics, first aid/CPR, map and compass reading, rappelling, and many more topics.
For more information about the program contact Lt. Joe Larsen at the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, (541) 812-2272, or visit the Linn County Sheriff’s Office website at http://www.linnsheriff.org. Online applications are available on the website and at the Sheriff’s Office in Albany.
Master Gardeners class on water use
The Oregon State University Extension Service Master Gardener program is offering a series of free virtual monthly classes, The Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series, which will be broadcast via Zoom webinar at 3 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month through November.
The classes are free but registration is required. To make them accessible to those who cannot attend the live session, the classes will be recorded and available at extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/growing-oregon-gardeners-level-series for anyone to watch.
The classes, which include topics as far-ranging as Dazzling Dahlias to Adapting Your Garden and Landscape to Climate Change, are meant for those with a bit of gardening under their belt.
The topic for Tuesday, May 11, will be “Water-wise Gardening.”
Learn a style of gardening that uses little or no supplemental water in your garden, which saves money, time and natural resources. The instructor will go over basic principles of water-wise gardening and offer some examples.
Before the pandemic, this series would have been held in person solely as continuing education for Master Gardeners, but the webinar format allows the sessions to be offered to the public.
Meals on Wheels weekly menu
Meals on Wheels offers take-out lunch at the Sweet Home Community Center to seniors over 60 at noon on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
The Senior Center serves a separate lunch on Wednesdays.
Suggested donation is $3.50. All meals are served with milk, coffee or tea upon request and diabetic desserts are available on request.
The menu on Friday, May 7, is chicken with supreme sauce or ham with raisin sauce, whipped sweet potatoes, green peas and onions, multigrain bread and cherry crisp.
The menu on Monday, May 10, is lasagna cheese roll-up or white bean chili with chicken, Italian blend vegetables, spinach romaine salad, squash roll, and Rocky Road pudding.
The menu on Tuesday, May 11, is Swiss-style beef patty with sauce or breaded fish with tartar sauce, parslied potatoes, broccoli, oatmeal bread and cranberry fluff.
For more information, contact Norene at (541) 367-8843.