Scott Swanson
Of The New Era
After years of selecting other people to be the grand marshal of the Sportsman’s Holiday Grand Parade, it’s now Larry Blem’s turn.
“I guess I’ve always helped select them,” Blem said last week. “It’s kind of different to have somebody select me. But it will be fun.”
Blem, 64, who retired from Cascade Timber Consulting at the end of December 2004, spends his summers in Oregon and his winters in Arizona and New Zealand.
Despite being retired, he’s still active in a variety of local causes and boards, such as the Boys and Girls Club, the Linn-Benton Community College Foundation Board of Directors, the Knights of Columbus, the local Rotary Club and the 4-H, though he said, with a chuckle, that he’s not on any 4-H boards and “I don’t need to be either.”
Though not officially involved in the chamber leadership now, Blem served as president for 10 years before stepping down last year.
He also enjoys golf.
He said travels to New Zealand frequently because he has friends there and likes the climate, but also because he’s involved in a project growing Douglas firs there.
“It’s a lot like Oregon,” he said. “But it rains year round, unlike here. It has a better overall growing season.”
Chamber Director Billie Weber was among those who selected Blem to be grand marshal.
“We were just looking for somebody who’d done lots of good deeds in the community,” she said. “Larry has helped out with the chamber, with the Boys and Girls Club, with the East Linn Museum. He’s always there when you need him.”
Karla Burcham, one of the chaperones for the Sportsman’s Holiday Court, said Blem has dedicated himself to improving the quality of life in Sweet Home.
“He’s a great supporter of anything that’s going on in Sweet Home,” Burcham said. “He’s helped build Sweet Home into what it is.
“He’s just an awesome guy.”
Blem grew up in Forest Grove, served in the Army, then finished a degree in forestry at Oregon State University in 1968. He said he considered a number of job opportunities after getting his degree, but settled on a forest management position with Timber Service Company, a predecessor to CTC.
“I liked the small community,” he said. “I’ve been here for 38 years since then.”
In his years with CTC, he saw it change names twice and grow from a three-person operation to some 45 employees.
He and his wife, Marda, have two grown children, Jennifer and Christopher, who live in the Portland area, two grandchildren and one more on the way.
Blem said he thinks the Sportsman’s Holiday and the chamber in general are moving in the right direction.
“We haven’t grown tremendously,” he said of the festival, “but we have quite a few events. (Chamber Director) Carla (Claasen) has been excellent.”
The key to making things happen in Sweet Home is getting people to help out, he said.
“Volunteers is what we need,” Blem said. “We don’t have a lot of money, but we have enough to keep things going. If we get volunteers, we’ll get things done.”
Community spirit is one of the things Blem said he likes about Sweet Home.
“This community is much more responsive to what’s happening,” he said.
“People gather together to do things. In other commnities you have this group and that group. People don’t see eye to eye.”