Avakian to speak
to Linn Democrats
Brad Avakian, state Bureau of Labor and Industries commissioner, will be the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of Linn County Democrats at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 1, at Albany Public Library, 2450 14th Ave. SE with a social time starting at 5:30 p.m.
Avakian will speak on a number of topics, including how redistricting works and what it can mean for who represents communities and the state in the Legislature and Congress. Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson announced in February the formation of a panel to examine the state’s redistricting process.
Avakian will also speak about the increasing number of wage theft and civil rights abuse cases BOLI is investigating.
Avakian served in the state House of Representatives and Senate before being named labor commissioner by Gov. Ted Kulongoski in early 2008 to replace Dan Gardner, who resigned. Avakian was elected to the office and has been re-elected twice since then.
Avakian and his wife, Debbie, live in Beaverton. They have two grown children.
Artists sought for
Strawberry Festival
Linn County Arts Guild is seeking local artists’ work to display in the Strawberry Fair and Flower Show this weekend, June 2-4, in Lebanon.
For more information, contact Eileen Neuhaus at (541) 259-3039.
Square dancing all
weekend at festival
Lebanon Square Circlers will hold a Strawberry Festival Square Dance Weekend, beginning with a “Trails End Dance” at 8 p.m. Friday, June 2, at the Lebanon Senior Center with a potluck beforehand at 6 p.m.
Saturday events will include potluck at 5 p.m. followed by Round and Advanced Square Dancing at the Lebanon Senior Center. The main Square Dance will begin at 8 p.m. There will be a silent auction at both dances, as well as an “Experienced Clothing” sale for those wishing to purchase western or square dance attire.
The Square Dance weekend will finish with an all-you-can-eat Pancake Breafast at 8:30 a.m. at the Senior Center.
A $5 donation is requested for dances, and a $4 donation for breakfast.
For more information, contact Kaynor Heineck, 38132 Vine St.
Students to stage
One-Act Festival
Three original, student-directed, one-act plays will be featured in Oregon State University Theatre’s annual Spring One-Act Festival June 1-3 on the OSU campus in Corvallis.
Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. June 1-3 and 2 p.m. June 4 in the Withycombe Hall Lab Theatre, 2910 S.W. Campus Way.
The plays are comedies showcasing the creativity of student directors, actors and designers. The line-up includes:
n “The Two Minds of Mr. Coffan,” a surreal look into the imagination of a struggling young writer whose characters come to life to improve his terrible novel.
n “Love Games,” a melodrama about the nature of sex, infidelity and love.
n “Skinner,” a pun-filled parody of 1980s teen-slasher movies depicting a group of naïve high school students on a weekend camping trip that goes wrong.
Tickets for the festival are $8 for general admission, $6 for seniors, $5 for youth/students and $4 for OSU students. Tickets are available online at http://bit.ly/wgmTkJ.
For accommodations related to a disability, contact the OSU Theatre Box Office at (541) 737-2784.
Spaghetti feed fund-raiser
A spaghetti feed fund-raiser will be held for LEAP Therapeutic Wilderness Program at 6 p.m. Friday, June 2, at St. Helens Catholic Church, 815 5th Ave.
To learn more about LEAP, visit http://www.leapadventure.org.
To pre-order for dine in or to-go, call or test Lynn at (541) 401-2019.
Trail clean-up this
Saturday at Foster
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Sweet Home Trails will host a clean-up effort on the North Foster Lake Trail at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 3.
Participants will meet at Gedney Creek boat ramp and will cut blackberry bushes and clean up fallen branches and garbage. A representative from the Army Corps of Engineers will be present to supply rock for muddy areas.
Garbage bags will be supplied. Bring clippers to cut blackberries.
Long pants, boots and gloves are recommended.
Participants will be given a new Sweet Home Trails T-shirt.
RSVP at [email protected].
Divorce to be topic
for genealogists
The Linn Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting at 1:15 p.m. Saturday, June 3, in the Albany Public Library Meeting Room, 2450 14th Ave. SE, Albany.
Karen Wallace Steely will speak on “Bounders, Bigamists and Grass Widows.”
Steely has 30 years of experience in researching, writing and speaking as a technology project manager, a historian and genealogist. Steely will discuss the kinds of records that can be created when divorce occurs and review techniques for uncovering evidence of divorce and other marital mishaps.
For more information, call the LGS Library at (541) 791-1618 or visit http://www.lgsoregon.org.
Website workshop
for small business
Linn-Benton Community College is offering an introductory website workshop for entrepreneurs and small business owners from 6 to 8:50 p.m. Monday, June 5, at the LBCC Luckiamute Center, room 115, 6500 SW Pacific Blvd.
Website Basics is a three-hour introductory workshop on website development, and covers overview of domain names, writing for the web, images and photo basics and more.
Cost is $79.
Register by contacting the LBCC Small Business Development Center at (541) 917-4929.
Little Big Band at
Farmers Market
Sweet Home Farmers Market will open from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 6, in the city public parking lot at 12th and Kalmia.
The Little Big Band will be performing for the opening day. The group plays swing, blues, waltzes, Latin jazz and Americana music.
For information on how to be a vendor at the market, visit sweethomefarmersmarket.org.
LBCC choirs to
perform June 8
The Linn-Benton Community College choirs will perform their spring concert “Horizons” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 8, in the LBCC Russell Tripp Performance Center, Takena Hall, 6500 Pacific Blvd.
LBCC Concert Choir and Chamber Choir will perform a variety of works including Gabriel’s Oboe from the movie “The Mission,” How Can I Keep from Singing, Earth Song, and Cell’s Planets.
Vocal a cappella ensembles Blue Light Special and The Sirens will perform a wide variety of popular favorites including Greedy, Water, 24K Magic, and Death of a Bachelor.
Tickets are $10 general admission, $7 for students, seniors and veterans. Purchase online at http://www.linnbenton.edu/tickets or at the theater box office one hour prior to performance.
Extension food preservation classes
OSU Extension Service Master Food Preservers will offer a series of hands-on food preservation classes this summer to community members.
Each class will focus on a different aspect of safe, healthy food preservation.
Classes are appropriate for experienced and novice food preservers. Classes can be taken individually or as a series and will be repeated in June, July and August, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the OSU Linn County Extension office, 33630 McFarland Road in Tangent.
Cost is $18 per class or $60 for the series.
For more topics, other information and to register, visit http://extension.oregonstate.edu/linn/food-preservation.
Entrepreneurs Pub Talk in Lebanon
East Linn County RAIN (Regional Accelerator and Innovators Network) will host a Pub Talk from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 6, at Conversion Brewing, 833 Main St, Lebanon.
The Pub-Talk is a pitch event where local entrepreneurs and business owners get 60 seconds each to pitch their business ideas/venture to the audience. The audience for the best pitch (best delivery and market opportunity) and the winner will receive $250 cash and in-kind prizes.
For more information, email [email protected].
Avakian to speak
to Linn Democrats
After 5 Connection will present “Sunshine and Health” with dinner and a special program from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 13, at The Lobby, 661 S. Main St.
Gayle Edwards, a certified Health Coach of Corvallis, will speak on “Healthy Choices made simple while grocery shopping.” Her presentation will give tips on how to choose healthy choices.
Shirley Mozena, author and world traveler, will speak. She is a retired music teacher and librarian and learned the secret to a successful marriage in an unusual way.
Cost is $8.50, cash or check only.
For reservations contact Sherri at (541) 258-6414 or [email protected] or contact Nancy at (541) 259-1396 or [email protected].
Avakian to speak
to Linn Democrats
Student athletes needing a sports physical can get one for free on Saturday, June 17, at the Samaritan Lebanon Health Center facility, 675 N 5th St.
Physicans at the clinic will offer the physicals from 9 a.m. to noon on a first-come, first-served basis. Check-in is encouraged by 11:30 a.m.
Students must pick up a sports physical form at their school and bring it to the physical, with the first page completed ans signed by a parent or guardian. No physical will be provided without the completed form and signature. A parent or guardian must be present at the time of the physcial.
For more information, call the clinic at (541) 451-7820.
The Sweet Home High School class of 1977 will hold its 40-year class reunion from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 24, at the Sweet Home Senior Center, 880 18th Ave.
At 3 p.m. there will be a tour of the high school and at 5:30 a meal will be served.
Cost is $25-$35 per person depending on the total attendance to cover building, meal, etc.
RSVP to Lois Shaw at 24592 Stovall Lane, Philomath, OR 97370 or call (541) 760-1529.
Linn-Benton Community College is offering a free “Empower Program” to help adults transition back to school.
Classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 5:30 p.m. from June 27 to Aug. 31.
Classes cover computer skills,
Meals on Wheels
weekly menu
Meals on Wheels, also known as Your Table or Ours, offers 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.
First-time diners are invited to come in and have a free lunch to give it a try.
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, June 2, is chicken chop suey or rice, or beef shepherd’s pie, cut green beans, country coleslaw, potato wheat roll and spiced apples.
The menu on Monday, June 5, is turkey rice bake or chicken pomodoro, peas and carrots, spinach Romaine salad, caraway rye roll and peanut butter bar.
The menu on Tuesday, June 6, is homestyle pork patty with gravy or beef Swiss-style patty, creamed potatoes, broccoli cuts, onion bread and cherry whip.
Volunteers are needed for both kitchen help and meal delivery.
For more information, contact Norene at (541) 367-8843.