City leaf pickup
through Dec. 13
The City of Sweet Home is now collecting leaves from residents.
The program will continue through Friday, Dec. 13.
The city asks that residents put loose leaves in piles on the street, away from parked cars and a foot away from the curb to allow for water drainage. Leaf piles must not contain limbs, yard debris or any type of bagging materials.
City crews will collect the leaves upon request. To schedule leaf pickup please submit a work request through the city’s Mobile311 Citizen Portal or call Public Works Maintenance at (541) 367-6359.
Sharing Tree
deadline is Friday
The Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District’s Christmas for Kids Sharing Tree Program and Sweet Home Emergency Ministry’s Christmas Food Basket program have kicked off for the 2019 holiday season.
In the Sharing Tree toy program, names of children and families are written on tags that are then placed on the tree, located at the Fire Station, 1099 Long St. Anyone wanting to help those in need should come to the Fire Station and choose a name or names from the tree. Donors can contribute for an entire family if they so choose.
Purchase the item(s) on the tag, wrap the gifts, and then return them to the Fire Department by Dec. 13. The tags that are left on the sharing tree will be taken by the local fire department personnel who will purchase gifts to fill those requests. Those requesting gifts will be able to pick up their gifts from the Fire Department beginning Dec. 16.
Individuals or families who wish to have a child’s name placed on the “Christmas Sharing Tree” need to fill out a request form available at the Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District office at 1099 Long St.
The deadline for returning forms to the fire department is Friday, Nov. 22.
Cash donations to the “Christmas for Kids Sharing Tree” toy program may be made at the Fire and Ambulance District office located at 1099 Long Street, between the hours of 8 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday. All cash donations will be used to purchase toys and needed clothing for local children.
The names of children and families needing assistance can be placed on the “Sharing Tree” at the Fire Department.
Forms for the Christmas Food Basket Program need to be picked up at SHEM, at 1115 Long St. SHEM will prepare food baskets for delivery in time for Christmas. For those who would like to donate to the Food Basket Program, SHEM accepts cash, clothing and non-perishable food items. Contributions to this much-needed program are much-appreciated.
Deployed military
parents sought
Do you know of a student in the Sweet Home School District who will have a parent deployed in military service over this Christmas?
Trisha Van Eck, scheduling secretary for the school district, is organizing an effort, Operation Happy Hearts, to provide Christmas gifts for students to send to their parents who won’t be home for the holidays.
A meeting for those interested in helping with Operation Happy Hearts will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, in the SHSD Administrative Office Board room, 1920 Long St. (Enter from the east side of the building.)
The effort is restricted to parents – not siblings – and the military personnel must be deployed over Christmas.
Anyone who knows of a student in this situation, or wants to volunteer, is asked to contact Van Eck at (541) 367-7119.
Dec. 3 deadline for
Master Gardeners
Master Gardener Volunteer Programs of Linn and Benton Counties are accepting applications for the 2020 program through Dec. 3.
Class dates will be March 5-Jun. 25, 2020 (about 70 hours).
Participants will learn about gardening in the Pacific Northwest from regional experts, discover how to research garden problems, and share their knowledge to help others succeed with gardening. Volunteers learn through a combination of classroom activities, online sessions and hands-on garden labs.
Participants do not need to maintain a formal garden. Master Gardener volunteers grow everything from balcony tomato plants to formal gardens to urban farmlets to tiny bonsai trees – in community plots, containers on windowsills and home gardens.
Cost of training is $150; a limited number of partial scholarships are available. Volunteers are required to give 45 hours by Oct. 31, 2020. To learn more, visit extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/linn-benton or contact [email protected].
Monday deadline
for police gifts
Sweet Home Police Department is accepting applications for its Shop With A Cop program and Teen Sharing Tree.
Deadline is 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25.
Shop With a Cop gives children, ages 4 through 12, who are students in the Sweet Home School District, an opportunity to go Christmas shopping with a local police officer.
The Teen Sharing Tree provides gifts for teens, 13 through 18, who are students in the Sweet Home School District.
Applications are available at the SHPD Dispatch window, at 1950 Main St., or by or emailing CSO Gina Riley at [email protected].
Author to speak at Brownsville library
Author Maureen “Mo” Robeson will discuss her latest novel, “The Homefinders,” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, at the Brownsville Library, 146 Spaulding Ave.
Participants will have a chance to discuss the heroes in their favorite books during the free event.
For more information, call (541) 466-5454.
Gingerbread Man
at SH Library
Sweet Home Library’s weekly storytime for children will feature a Gingerbread Man theme at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 22, at 1101 13th Ave.
After story time (the “Gingerbread Man” story), children can join Cynthia Fox on a short walk to businesses on Long Street in a quest to find the Gingerbread Man. Walkers will get a treat when they return to the library.
For more information, call (541) 367-5007.
Decorating for kids
in Brownsville
Brownsville Library is hosting a Children’s Decorating Day from 11 a.m. to noon Friday, Nov. 22, at 146 Spaulding Ave.
After a fun story about decorating a tree for the wildlife, children will get an opportunity to put peanut butter and seeds on pinecones that will be placed on a tree to be sold during the community’s Festival of Trees. That event is a fundraiser for the Friends of the Library.
For more information, call (541) 466-5454.
Free piano concert
this Saturday night
Pianist Carmen Wolthuis Hall will perform a doctoral recital at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1155 22nd Ave.
The concert is free. The public is welcome. Hall, who grew up in Sweet Home, is a Ph.D. candidate for Doctor of Musical Arts in the School of Music at the University of Utah. She is a student of Dr. Vedrana Subotic.
Her program will include Sonata No. 2 in A Major by Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor by Frederic Chopin, popularly known as “The Funeral March,” and Sonata No. 7 by Sergei Prokofiev.
SafeHaven offers
Santa pet photos
SafeHaven Humane Society will hold a Santa Paws fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at Coastal Farm and Ranch store, 1355 Goldfish Farm Road SE, Albany.
Another will be held during the same times on Sunday, Dec. 8, also at Coastal Farm.
Get your pet’s photo taken with Santa for $15 to $20, depending on how big you want to go.
For more, visit safehavenhumane.org.
Meals on Wheels
weekly menu
Meals on Wheels 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, Nov. 22, is scalloped potatoes and turkey ham or beef Spanish rice bake, Brussels sprouts, tossed salad, rye roll and frosted chocolate cake.
The menu on Monday, Nov. 25, is turkey apple meatballs with apple berry sauce or vegetable a la king, garlic whipped potatoes, green beans, squash bread and pineapple.
The menu on Tuesday, Nov. 26, is a Thanksgiving special of roasted turkey or Salisbury steak, both with gravy, whipped potaoes, mixed vegetables, bread dressing with cranberry sauce and baked pumpkin custard with whipped cream.
Volunteers are needed for both kitchen help and meal delivery.
For more information, contact Norene at (541) 367-8843.