Party in the Park

I wrote this story for the Sentinel, and it was published August 22nd:

     “We are here to serve the community,” said volunteer and event organizer, Mike Powell, “and to expose them to what Christians really are like. We can have fun too.”

     Ten churches gathered together on Saturday, August 18^th, and coordinated the Party in the Park. This was the second year that a whole group of churches joined to sponsor this program, with a vision to “love people”.

     Years ago, Cottage Grove Faith Center attempted to put on the event alone. Kim Lawless started it, because the youth in her church wanted to bless the community. Every year, they would raise $100 and send it to missionaries to aid with their work. One year, the kids decided they wanted to do something in their own community, and thus began the Party in the Park. It started with ice cream and music, and a speaker from Eugene. There was such a massive turnout, they decided to make it an annual event, and continued to add activities each year.

     Since then, the Party in the Park has become a uniting function for both the community and the churches. This year, each of the ten churches contributed in different areas. Hundreds of volunteers worked on site and behind the scenes to make this possible. Their efforts created a family-friendly atmosphere, where the kids and parents played, ate, and laughed. This unity has made the event “better than I could ever have imagined it,” said Kim.

      Face painting, manicures, pedicures, haircuts, and hair styling were available for all the children, along with two bounce houses and an inflatable slide. 1500 meals of hotdogs, chips, and juice were given out, along with cotton candy and snow cones. The most impressive component was the 400+ backpacks, which were given away to children that needed them. They were filled with the school supplies the School District had listed as necessary for each grade level.

      The Party in the Park took six months to plan this event, but the volunteers claimed it was well worth it. Most of them were dressed in red this year, a “small army of crimson clad Christians,” commented one volunteer. Another volunteer stated that their favorite part of the event was “watching the excitement on the kids’ faces”. They continued to repeat how they had been overwhelmed with thanks from the participants, and how everywhere they looked, there were smiles, both from red shirts and non-red shirts.

      One food-serving volunteer mentioned how she had been touched. Two small children had approached her, and asked with big, sad, entreating eyes, how much the hot dogs cost. The request, coming from such small innocent kids, touched her heart, and made her ever-so-thankful that she was able to tell them, “This is all free for you.”

      The churches had aimed to bless their community and promote unity. It would seem, by the responses of the pastors, volunteers, and participants, they succeeded. Regardless of how many people and hours were needed to put it on, it would seem all the churches would be willing to do it again, simply to see how they had blessed their society. Pastor Hovet of Cottage Grove Faith Center said, “I am proud that Cottage Grove is a community that helps each other and that the churches choose to help too.”

Stearman Fly-in

I wrote this article for the Cottage Grove Sentinel, and it was published on August 8th, 2012:

          What do aviation enthusiasts from Washington, California, and Cottage Grove have in common? A love for participating in the annual “Stearman Fly-In”, a family-friendly event held at Jim Wright Airfield. Pilots from all over the West coast fly in with their planes, mostly Stearman bi-planes, which were used to train WWII pilots. 25-40 planes gather in Cottage Grove the 1^st week of August every year to show off their planes and to “just have a good time”.

          Doug Kindred, President of the Oregon Aviation History Society, has helped organize and run the event in recent years. The Oregon Aviation History Society was founded in the early 80s “to collect, preserve, restore, and exhibit aviation artifacts”. This is actually the 34^th year of the Stearman Fly-In, and Doug says it is simply “a gathering of guys with like minds”. Most of the participants are retired airline pilots, many of which had military backgrounds, and all of whom adore flying.

          Two such retired men, Bob Edmunds and Joseph Iwanowski, were given special airplane trips through Ageless Aviation Dreams (AAD). AAD is a non-profit organization which was founded last summer by Darryl and Carol Fisher from Carson City. Their foundation is dedicated to helping seniors, and specifically US veterans, relive their youthful dreams of flying. Both Bob and Joseph are retired pilots living at Magnolia Gardens Campus of Care in Cottage Grove. They were taken into the air at 11:00 on Saturday, August 4^th, for the first time in years. “I could do this all day,” said Bob after they had landed again, “I would love to do it all day.”

          However, this event was not only for the old and retired. A family of four flew down from Crest Airpark in Washington with three planes. The father, Keith Littlefield, was a military pilot and flying simply became his hobby. He met his wife, Molly, at a fly-in in California a number of years ago. She had been flying since before she could see out of the cockpit, and they continued that tradition as they raised their two sons. They fly as a family “as much as other families watch TV” said sixteen-year-old Ben, the older of the two sons. Keith is retired now and drives a school-bus, while Molly still flies commercially for United Airlines.

          In addition, bi-plane rides were available for the common attendees. Nostalgic Rides pilot, Major Mike Carpentiero, has flown for over twenty years as a Navy, Air Force, and Commercial pilot. He gave rides in his four-passenger New Standard D-25, with a 235hp engine, all weekend (August 3-5). 65 dollars for fifteen minutes in the air sounds expensive, but two of the passengers expressed that it was an unforgettable ride, a rare treat, and a high like no other. No wonder the pilots love flying so much.

          Larry Tobin, another organizer of the Fly-In, explained why Cottage Grove was chosen as the meeting spot for this annual gathering. 1^st, it has become traditional, and it is where the Oregon Aviation History Center is situated. 2^nd, it is about half-way between Washington and California, which makes it a good meeting place. 3^rd, it is “beautiful countryside”. 4^th, it is a slightly “challenging airstrip with squirrely winds” which cause even the veteran flyers to be cautious. Thus, it makes a perfect place to gather. “It is a great event for Cottage Grove,” he stated, “easily accessible and it’s all good”.

The Beginning

I have begun this blog in order to create a digital portfolio. I will post once a week either an article I have written for the Cottage Grove Sentinel, where I am currently volunteering hours, a passage from another story I have written, or else simply some interesting thought I had. My hope is it will highlight my skills and abilities, and showcase them for college and beyond. So, happy beginnings. Let's get started...