March 8, 1951
A snow storm left nearly 16 inches of the white stuff in the city, appearing in about four layers in as many days. The snowfall, believed to be a record for this time of year – at least, since the fire patrol has been keeping track – was not serious enough to close many schools, but high school absences did double. Snowballs accounted for two broken windows. In town, a wooden awning broke under the snow’s weight, power line fuses blew, and one youngster was in tears while moving his snowman to the porch in hopes of preserving his shrinking masterpiece
Wallace and Allen Wodtli, father and son, joined forces to head the Fern Ridge Lumber company, the only logging-mill operations in the Fern Ridge district. They purchased the mill from the Oregon Timber Products corporation and moved it from the Green Peter area to its present site about two and a half miles west of Sweet Home.
March 4, 1976
Activities at the Oak Heights Elementary School carnival are expected to net about $600, which will help fund new recreation and playground equipment for the school. Games included a fish pond, wheel of fortune, cake walk and Bingo.
Fir Lawn Lutheran Church became a full-fledged member of The American Lutheran Church after paying off debts which had formerly relegated the congregation to mission church members. Charter members lit their papers of indebtedness with a torch in a special burning ceremony.
March 7, 2001
The first Santiam Mountain Mud Festival didn’t get the rain they wanted – despite organizers trying a rain dance – but drivers seemed nevertheless to enjoy getting their rigs stuck in the stickier mud of Mark’s Ridge. An estimated 2,500 people attended the event that replaces the Foster Lake Mud Flat Races.
Work on the new Sweet Home Police Department building is nearing completion, funded by a $950,000 bond passed by voters in 1998. Meanwhile, Safeway held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new building, drawing in about 250 people to go through the new checkstands in the first hour.