strawberry festival 2012

Pancakes, eggs andham are on the menufor the LebanonOptimist Club’sa n n u a lS t r a w b e r r yBreakfast. Itwill be servedfrom 6:30 to10:30 a.m. onS a t u r d a y ,June 2, in theBing’s Kitchenparking lot, atthe corner ofWalker Road andSouth SantiamHighway.

“All hands will be on board,” saidclub member Lynda Palmer.

The club’s 38 members signed up

for shifts, starting with Fridaynight set-up and continuing

through Saturday after-breakfast clean-up.

Palmer said this willbe her family’s 13thStrawberry Festival.They attended theirfirst just before herdaughter Haylieturned 1 year old.

“I don’t think we’vemissed the parade

since,” Palmer said.Breakfast costs $6 for

adults and $3 for childreny o u n g e r

than 12.All proceeds

go to programsand activities

for Lebanon youth.For more information, call Doug

Phillips at 541-451-4000.

The Legion also serves abreakfast during the festival

The American Legion will host abreakfast from 7 to 10:30 a.m. onThursday, May 31, at 480 S. Main St.in Lebanon.

The breakfast includes eggs,bacon, biscuits, gravy and frenchtoast for $5.

For more information, call 541-451-1351.

2 Lebanon Express, Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Welcome to the103rd annualStrawberry

Festival!The Lebanon Strawberry Festival brings out the best in

Lebanon. This year, the festival begins on Thursday, May31, and runs through June 3.

The four-day celebration has many opportunities forfriends and families to gather and have a good time.

People come into the community for the weekend toenjoy the festivities, and of course, for the free strawberryshortcake.

Organizations and nonprofits spend countless hourspreparing floats for the Grand Parade, which will begin itsmarch down Main Street from the River Center at 11 a.m. onJune 2. This year’s theme is Strawberries Around the World.

Service club members serve breakfasts, lunches and din-ners to raise money for philanthropic endeavors through-out the year.

Read more about the events going on during the festivalin this special section, dedicated to all things StrawberryFestival. Also, read more about the Strawberrians and eachprincess.

This year is particularly exciting for the Lebanon Expressstaff, as the newspaper is celebrating its 125th anniversary.We’re honored to have been part of the Lebanon communi-ty for so many years, and look forward to the next 125 years.

As part of the celebrations, the Express has assembled afloat for the Grand Parade — a working newsroom sur-rounded by strawberries (of course). Clocks represent var-ious time zones from around the world, keeping with thetheme.

From parade set-up, through the parade route, and evenduring the early afternoon at the festival fairgrounds, theLebanon Express staff will live blog the events.

Join the fun on your mobiledevice by scanning the QRCode, or at www.Lebanon-Express.com/liveblog; or onyour tablet or personal com-puter at www.Lebanon-Express.com.— EMILY MENTZER, EDITOR FOR

THE LEBANON EXPRESS

This special section, dedicated to the LebanonStrawberry Festival, was produced by theLebanon Staff: editor Emily Mentzer, reporterMatt DeBow, reporter Audrey Gomez, reporterJake Rosenberg, reporter A.K. Dugan and officecoordinator Debby Bowles.

The cover photo of the Strawberry Princesseswas taken at River Park by Albany DemocratHerald photographer David Patton. The cover was designed by MJ Stalnaker.

Start the day optimistically withbreakfast at Bing’s parking lot

Show off your creative skillsThe Lebanon Garden Club is host-

ing the annual flower, quilt and artshow, a perennial event at the festi-val.

The show is free and open to thepublic from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on June 1and from noon to 4:30 p.m. on June 2at the annex to the EvangelicalChurch of Lebanon, 75 E. Ash St.

In the spirit of this year’s“Strawberries Around the World” fes-tival theme, the garden club addedsome translations to the flower and artshow program: fraise, fragola, fresa.

A strawberry by any other name isstill delicious.

Copies of the program are availableat the Lebanon Express or online atbasonsigns.com//2012%20Flower%20Show%20Schedule.pdf.

Enter the flower showSee the program for a complete list

of flower show rules and categories.Entries will be accepted from 7 to 9

p.m. May 31 and from 7 to 9 a.m. June1 at the annex.

Judging begins at 10 a.m. on June 1.For more information, call Elsie at

541-154-2345.

Workshop for kidsThe Lebanon Garden Club is host-

ing a workshop for kids at 4 p.m. onMay 31 at the show location.

Kids may enter their creations inthe youth design competition at theshow. The classes for three differentage groups are: Hans ChristianAnderson, Aladdin and DisneyWorld.

For more information, call YvonneCastillo 425-343-5827.

Enter the quilt showA peoples’ choice award will be

presented in the following cate-gories:

Heritage quilt, contemporary quiltand traditional.

Entries for the quilt show will beaccepted from 7 to 9 p.m. on May 31at the annex.

For more information, call Peggyat 541-481-4910.

Enter the art showArtists may submit paintings,

drawings, photography and sculp-ture for the nonjuried show.

A youth category is open to LinnCounty students in grades fourthrough 12.

Entries for the art show will beaccepted from 7 to 9 p.m. on May 31at the annex.

For more information, call theLinn County Arts Guild at 541-497-0386.

By Emily MentzerLEBANON EXPRESS

The Rollin’ Oldies carclub will lead the GrandParade this year as GrandMarshals, honoring one ofits founders, Harry Carter.

“I think Harry would beelated,” said Carol Carter,Harry’s wife.

“He would be humbled,surprised and amazed,”Wanda Frenzel, Harry’s sis-ter added.

The club and Harry werechosen for a number of rea-sons.

“One of the most notablecontributions Harry and

the Rollin’ Oldies havemade to the festival hasbeen providing the con-vertibles for the dignitariesin the parade,” said BobbiBirch, chair for the GrandParade. “They also raisemoney for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, and ascholarship, and they bringin people from all over totheir car shows.”

The club does a lot for thecommunity, Shelly Garrettsaid.

“Everyone who has anevent and wants to add piz-zazz to it invites the Rollin’Oldies,” she said. “They’realways fun. They’re just

good folks and they love oldcars.”

She is not a member ofthe club herself, but herhusband is.

“I’m so happy they madethem the grand marshals,”Garrett said.

The club is unique fromother car clubs in that it isfor car enthusiasts and col-lectors.

“Even if you didn’t have a

car, you had to have aninterest in cars,” said CarolPeck, who, with her hus-band Mike, helped Harryfound the club about 20years ago. “The youngestcar we would allow is 1970.”

Whereas other clubs havespecific requirements ofcars before accepting am e m b e r ,the Rollin’Oldies wille m b r a c eany car, aslong as it’sold enough.

The clubs u p p o r t smany char-ities, fromtoy drives tos c h o l a r -ships forlocal youth.

“The clubhas one or two $500 schol-arships to Linn-BentonCommunity College for anyautomotive field,” MikePeck said. “They’ve alwaysgot a motion on the floor todonate $50 or $100 or $200to something, the highschool choir or somethingin the community. And wealways vote yes on it.”

Each year, the club hostsa Fifties in the Fall cruise inat River Park.

The Rollin’ Oldies carshows differ from otherclubs’ shows because clubmembers don’t win tro-phies, Garrett said.

“They want other cars towin prizes,” she said.“People come from outsidethe area, which is a greatboon to the tourism, because

they have achance towin a tro-phy.”

Trophiesare tradi-t i o n a l l ysponsoredby localbusinesses,and theclub takesextra caret oa c k n owl -edge those

contributions, Carol Pecksaid.

“We wanted it to be aLebanon club, to shopLebanon, support our mer-chants, that’s why wewanted them to get creditfor that,” she said. “ShopLebanon first.”

The Filling Station usedto provide a shuttle servicefrom River Park to down-town for wives during thecar show, Carol Peck said.

“One year we printed abunch of menus fromrestaurants in town andincluded them in the pack-ets when people registeredtheir cars, so if they didn’twant to eat at the park, theycould go into town,” MikePeck said.

The club has always beenfamily-friendly, she added.

To encourage an atmos-phere where kids were wel-comed, Harry initiated ano-alcohol policy at all clubevents, Mike Peck said.

“We all like to sit andhave a cold one once in awhile, but Harry said, ‘let’sdo that after the meetings,after the kids have gonehome,’” Mike Peck said.“And Harry never missed abeer that I know of.”

The club has not onlybeen a big promoter of theStrawberry Grand Parade,but also of the AlbanyVeterans Parade.

“They have carried vari-ous VIPs for the veterans inAlbany,” Carol Peck said.“We have a number of olderwartime-type vehicles.”

One of those is a 1947Willy’s Jeep, owned by thePecks.

“We want our grandsonto drive the Jeep (in the

Lebanon Express, Wednesday, May 23, 2012 3

GGrraanndd MMaarrsshhaallss rroollll iinn ssttyyllee

AUDREY GOMEZ/LEBANON EXPRESS

The Rollin’ Oldies car club frequently add pizazz to local fundraisers andevents. Here, the club participates in the “No Limits” fundraiser at theLebanon High School on May 12.

■ See Rollin’, Page 7

“(Harry Carter) lovedhis community ....Lebanon held hisheart. He moved awaya couple of times, buthe always managed toget back to Lebanon.”— Carol Carter

Princess Katie Latimer,17, is the daughter of Daleand Kris Latimer. She hasno siblings.

Her first memory of theStrawberry Festival was of“driving my kiddie jeep inthe Junior Parade,” she said.“I think I was 4.”

Later the carnival got herattention, though at firstshe was too scared to go onany of the rides.

“I got over that,” she said.She’s looking forward to

going to parades. “I need topractice my wave,” she said.

She’s always felt a senseof pride for where she lives.

Being on the court is “thebest way for a person myage to get involved and rep-resent my community in apositive way,” she said.

She has always thoughtLebanon a great place tolive and grow up, and wantsto raise a family in a placelike Lebanon.

Though an only child, shehas a large extended familyof grandparents, great-uncles and great-aunts andtheir families.

“My parents appreciatethat,” she said. “There’salways other eyes on me.”

That extended family hasbeen so involved in her lifethat they take the place ofmore immediate family.

“I’m really grateful formy family,” she said. “Theytaught me what’s impor-tant: You need to put Godfirst. Hard work will alwayspay off.”

Katie is a senior at EastLinn Christian Academy,where she is student bodytreasurer.

She played varsity vol-leyball for four years andgolf for one year; and sangin the choir for four yearsand advanced vocal ensem-ble for three years.

She entered ELCA in theseventh grade after attend-ing St. Mary’s Academy inAlbany.

Employed at Papa

Murphy’s Pizza for the pastthree years, she also spent asummer on a straw baler forKoos Farms and two sum-mers selling cherries from ahighway stand for Mid-Willamette Farms.

As a volunteer, she was“heavily involved” in lastyear’s Cheadle ChallengeAdventure Run — her momwas chair of the event —and was a hostess at thedoor of a SafeHaven casinonight.

Asked what peopleshould know about the kindof person she is, Katie washesitant about how toanswer, but acknowledgedshe smiles a lot and isfriendly, then said, “I’m ahard worker.”

When not at school orworking, she likes to play

volleyball, read, play pianoand hang out with friendsand family.

Katie played libero on anAlbany club volleyball teamfor five years. She’s had 11years of piano lessons.

She and her friends hangout, watch movies andchat.

She attends ChristCommunity LutheranChurch in Lebanon.

She has traveled in the

Northwest and toCalifornia on family vaca-tions and with the club vol-leyball team.

Disneyland stands out asa favorite destination.

Last September, she andher mom ran in a halfmarathon there.

Katie has been acceptedinto Oregon StateUniversity, where she plansto major in forest manage-ment and political science.She wants to be an advocatefor the timber industry.

That goal comes frompaying attention to conver-sations with her family.

Her dad and grandfatherBill Latimer have alwaysbeen involved in trucking,and Bill managed mills andtrucks for WillametteIndustries for 30 years, shesaid.

She inherited her passionfor rural advocacy and ruraltowns from her mother, shesaid.

“I think more young peo-ple need to get involved,”she said.


MATT DEBOW/LEBANON EXPRESS

Princess Katie Latimer signs an autograph for Aidan Gates, 8, at Hamilton Creek School on April26.

Princess Katie wants to advocate for timber“You need to putGod first. Hard workwill always pay off.”

Tanea Lawler’s final yearat Lebanon High School hasbeen just as busy as her firstthree, but the senior hasbeen forced to give up manyof her favorite activities tomake time for new oppor-tunities.

With her job at the newLimeBerry frozen yogurtcafe, Tanea missed out inthe fall with the Warriorscross country team, and sheis now supporting her for-mer track and field team-mates from the sidelineafter being named aStrawberryPrincess.

D e s p i t eher limitedfree time,T a n e arefused togive upbasketball— a sportshe beganp l a y i n gafter mov-ing in 1998,to Lebanonf r o mK l a m a t hFalls with her motherCheryl Brant.

Her efforts paid off as shewas one of three seniors tohelp the Warriors set aschool-record 23 wins inroute to the varsity pro-gram’s first ever state tour-nament appearance.

“To be a part of that teamwas so amazing,” Taneasaid. “All of us were soclosely bonded, and we stillare. We had great chemistry

and the same goals, soeverything ran reallysmoothly.”

Hannah Silverman wasone of those fellow seniors,and the two remain closefriends as StrawberryPrincess counterparts.

“Me and Hannah haveplayed basketball togethersince the beginning, so itwas really special for us,”Tanea said. “We’re bothpretty busy with all of ourother things going on, butwe’re still really close.”

Tanea is also a part ofother localg r o u p si n c l u d i n gSTARS, theN a t i o n a lH o n o r sSociety, LHSschool lead-ership andthe Boys &Girls Club.

At the club,Tanea has ledanother teamas a youthv o l l e y b a l lcoach for the

last two years. That experi-ence has reminded her ofthe importance of being arole model.

“They just idolize me,and listen to everything Isay. That shows how I canbe such a good influenceand help them with smartdecisions,” Tanea said.“And being a princess helpseven more with that.”

Tanea has wanted to be aStrawberry Princess since

her second-grade year atCascades School whensome of that year’s candi-dates came to her class.

“One of the princessescame and sat next to me inclass one day, and eversince then, I looked up andidolized them,” Tanea said.“Now it’s my turn to be arole model for the kids.”

The 2012 queen hopefulcontinues to work on herown studies at LHS beforemoving on to Oregon StateUniversity in the fall.

Math has always comeeasy for Tanea, and itremains one of her favoritesubjects, but she plans toearn a bachelor’s degree inbiology before eventuallyworking her way into thenursing field.

In her first year of col-lege, Tanea also hopes topick up distance runningagain while training for theDisneyland half marathonin September of 2013.

“It was kind of sad notdoing track or cross coun-try this year,” Tanea said.“I’ll be working a lot to keepin shape for the halfmarathon though. I’m notfast, but I can run far.”

Running around the statewith her fellow princesses,however, has been Tanea’sfavorite princess activity sofar.

“Being a part of theStrawberry Festival hasbeen so rewarding to me inmany ways, but my favoritepart has been the parades,”

said Tanea, noting a paradein Newport on May 5.“Everyone is waving and sohappy. It’s so awesomemeeting new people inother communities and justseeing how welcoming theyhave been.”

Tanea says being namedqueen of her own commu-nity would be the cherry ontop of a very special experi-ence.

“It would be so great,”Tanea added. “Just know-ing that they picked me to

represent all of us in thecommunity would be the

most rewarding experienceof all.”


Princess Tanea headed toward nursing


Princess Tanea Lawler visits with youngsters at Hamilton Creek School onApril 26.

“One of the princess-es came and sat nextto me in class oneday, and ever sincethen, I looked upand idolized them.Now it’s my turn tobe a role model forthe kids.”

Don’t forget to pick up aLebanon Express after the festival

Pick up a copy of the Lebanon Express on June 6 for fullcoverage of the festival events.

Visit us online at www.Lebanon-Express.com. See Page2 for the QR Code to follow our live blog of the festival andGrand Parade on June 2.

Subscribe to the Express online for just $24 a year, or $35per year for those who live outside of Linn County.

Strawberrians: Lebanon’s ambassadors of goodwillLebanon Express, Wednesday, May 23, 2012 7

By A.K. DuganLEBANON EXPRESS

The Strawberrians — men andwomen who are most visible dur-ing the Strawberry Festival asescorts for the Strawberry FestivalCourt — began in 1969 as theRoyal Order of the GoldenStrawberry.

The idea for the organizationcame from the late DerwoodSmith, owner of Smith’sFurniture Store, and JimMcDaniel, the only remainingfounding member.

They decided Lebanon neededa group of men (it was 1969!) to beambassadors of goodwill forLebanon — to escort theprincesses to events in and out oftown and to serve as hosts andgreeters for the town all yearround.

For the first few years, memberswore gold jackets.

“Later we came to our sensesand got red jackets,” saidMcDaniel in an interview in 1999.

The first female member wasJoella Larson, the daughter of JoelMayer, one of the foundersof the StrawberryFestival. She joined inthe 1990s.

Now the group isled by a woman, SamiJenkins, the daugh-ter-in-law of mem-ber John Jenkins andwife of member RyanJenkins.

She joined theStrawberrians in 2004, a yearafter her husband became a sec-ond-generation member.

One of the newest members isJohn Pham, D.O., an assistant

professor at the College ofOsteopathic Medicine of thePacific-Northwest.

He teachesessentials of clini-cal medicine,which hedescribes as “howto think and actlike a doctor, howto talk to patientsand get informa-tion frompatients.”

Dr. Pham emi-grated fromVietnam to theUnited States withhis parents in1975. He was 3years old.

A 1994 graduateof Oregon State,his loyalty to OSUis evident in theorange and blackobjects decorating his office.

Dr. Pham was interested injoining the Strawberrians fromthe moment he saw the “cool” red

jackets on the princess escortsat the 2011 Distinguished

Award ceremony.This year he was

wearing a red jackethimself as hewalked PrincessTanea Lawler intothe awards event.

“It’s exciting,” hesaid. “I wear that red

jacket proud.”Because he lives in

Lebanon on work days andreturns to his wife and childrenin Clackamas on weekends, Dr.Pham participates inStrawberrians events on week-

days.Earlier this year he was

pleased to be one of severalS t rawb e r r i a n swho picked upP h i l i pPumerantz, thepresident ofW e s t e r nUniversity ofH e a l t hSciences, theparent ofC O M P -Northwest, at ahotel inCorvallis andbrought him toLebanon.

“I love it,” Dr.Pham said ofbeing aStrawberrian. “Ilove communityevents. I thriveoff of participa-

tion.”While living in the Portland

area, he had been involved inbuilding floats for the RoseFestival parade.

Dr. Pham is looking forward toLebanon’s Grand Parade, andhopes he’ll be one of theStrawberrians walking along sidethe court’s float.

“It’s a big deal,” he said.Instead of going to

Clackamas for the weekend,he’s looking forward to havinghis family join him here forthe festival.

For more information about theStrawberrians, go to the group’swebsite atsites.Google.com/site/strawber-rians.

Strawberrians: Lebanon’s ambassadors of goodwill

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

John Pham, D.O., sports his new Strawberrian red jacket atthe Distinguished Service Awards on March 13. Pham isholding the two awards presented to the College ofOsteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest thatevening.

Meet the LebanonStrawberrians

Gus Arzner, Joe Barber, Al Barrios,Dean Baugh, Dena Burian-Blacklaw,Kevin Burt, Darlene Carter, CharlesChristensen, Dean Crittenden, TerryDeacon, Bev Dunigan, Dennis Dyson,Bob Elliott, Shelly Garrett, RayHendricks, John Hitt, Glenda Holland,John Jenkins, Ryan Jenkins, SamiJenkins, Fred Johnson, Ruth Johnson,Ed Kelso, John Tre’ Kennedy, DaveMadarus, Jim McDaniel, Tom McHill,Greg Nervino, Tom Oliver, RonnPassmore, Thomas Peters, JohnPham, Jim Ricke, Floyd Simpson, K JUllfers, Jeanette Walls, SteveWilliamson and Robert Wimmer.

parade this year), but he has to learnthe clutch,” Carol Peck said.

Driving in a parade presents a hostof problems for older cars, includingstraining the clutch and overheating,Mike Peck said.

Neal Hubbard, club president,doesn’t usually bring his pickup in

parades.“It’s made for going fast, not slow,”

Hubbard said. “I kind of hesitate to bein parades, but I have to be in this one.This one’s special.”

None of what the club does wouldbe possible without Harry Carter,Carol Peck said.

Harry was the driving force for the

Rollin’ Oldies, Carol Carter said.

“He was very interested in what was

going on,” she said. “He loved his

community, and he truly did. Lebanon

held his heart. He moved away a cou-

ple of times, but he always managed to

get back to Lebanon.”

Rollin’■ Continued from Page 3


Princess Hannah a future prosecutor

Strawberry PrincessHannah Silverman wantedto be a strawberry princessbecause she wanted to be arole model for the youth ofthe community.

The 18-year-old LebanonHigh School senior said herfavorite memory of theStrawberry Festival is

watching the yearly parade.“Everything else goes

away and everything is per-fect the weekend (of theStrawberry Festival),”Hannah said.

As a post on the LHS bas-ketball team, StrawberryCourt is not the only courtHannah is familiar with.

The Warriors set therecord for most wins in aregular season with 23-5.

She played in the statetournament contest atMatthew Knight Arena onthe University of Oregoncampus.

Hannah played a keyreserve role forthe Warriors,including thet o u r n a m e n twhere theyreached thequarter finalsfor the first timein team history.

“It was agreat experi-ence workingwith all thosegirls,” Hannahsaid. “We couldn’t havedone it without each other.It was great to be on the(basketball) court.”

She is also involved withLinn County Search and Rescue, National HonorSociety, Keystone club andStars.

In her work throughKeystone she helped organ-ize volunteer projects andmovie nights for teenagersin the community.

Hannah has been accept-ed to the UO, where she willstudy business administra-tion in the fall.

After graduation fromthe UO, she plans onattending law school tobecome a prosecutingattorney.

The princess startedworking as a receptionist atthe Morley Thomas LawFirm last month.

“It’s a goode x p e r i e n c esince that’sthe field Iwant to gointo,” Hannahsaid.

She knewall of the girlson StrawberryCourt, exceptKatie Latimer.

Hannah isthe daughter

of Ben Silverman, lieu-tenant with the LebanonPolice Department, andAngi Silverman, officemanager for Eugene ForestProducts.

She has two sisters andone brother; NaomiSilverman, 30, and SarahSilverman, 26, and BenSilverman Jr., 31.

She also is the winner ofthe Boys & Girls Club Youthof the Year.

Last year, fellow and goodfriend Strawberry PrincessTanea Lawler won theYouth of the Year award.

Tanea was also a fellowWarrior on the LHS basket-ball team.

Hannah said Tanea wasvery supportive of her win-ning the Youth of the Year

award.She was active in pro-

moting the Teen Centerwith the Boys & Girls Clubthis year. The centeropened last year.

Princess Hannah Silverman JAKE ROSENBERG/LEBANON EXPRESS

Princesses Tanea Lawler and Hannah Silvermanare close friends and teammates.

“Everything elsegoes away andeverything is per-fect the weekend(of theStrawberryFestival).”

Good and Miners stops growing berriesThe Strawberry Festival was created

to promote strawberry farms.Now, one of the oldest local straw-

berry fields has closed.Last year, Good and Miners straw-

berries was still at the field near theI.O.O.F. Cemetery, but they are nolonger growing strawberries, EuniceMiner said.

“We just decided not to grow straw-berries anymore,” she said.

Eunice and her husband MikeMiner grew strawberries for 50 yearsbefore stopping this year.

Their field started as 17 acres when

Eunice’s father started the patch.In recent years, it had decreased to

five because strawberries were nolonger shipped to canneries.

Instead, they had to be sold fresh atstands throughout town, or by U-pickduring the growing season.

While there is no strawberry field inthe city, down a few miles on Highway20 a booth states, “fresh-pickedstrawberries sold here.”

The farm is on about three acres ofproperty.

The strawberries will not be readyin time for the strawberry festival,

said Dao Saechao who helps his par-ents on the strawberry farm.

“They’re the best strawberries intown; a lot of people tell us,” Saechosaid. “They’re fresh, juicy strawber-ries.”

He said he has never been to theStrawberry Festival.

Saecho said the strawberries maynot ripen until the second or thirdweek of June because severe winterweather this year damaged some ofthe crop.

Princess Courtney Wells,18, was a bit surprised to getthe call that she’d beenselected to join the 2012Strawberry Court.

“I’ve been nominated fora lot of things, but, I guess,other girls get picked,” shesaid.

She said she’s just a regu-lar girl.

“I’ve never seen myself asoutstanding,” Courtneysaid. “I feel like I’m just anormal, small-town girl.”

She feels very honored tohave been selected to repre-sent Lebanon.

“Since I was 6 or 7 yearsold, it’s been the biggestdream,” she said.

Courtney is enjoyingparticipating in her courtlyduties, especially buildingthe princess’ strawberryfloat.

“Certain things we goand do and I think, am Ireally a part of this amazingthing? Do I really get torepresent Lebanon?” shesaid.

She likes to ride three-wheelers and go to thebeach, have dinner with

friends and watch movies.“I’m in a, ‘Nothing can go

wrong, Hakuna Matata’stage of my life,” Courtneysaid. “I try to make the bestof everything.”

She’s always looked up tothe Strawberry Princesses.

“They’re girls that aregoing somewhere, who arereally involved in the com-munity,” she said. “I havethe opportunity to give thatback andshow moreof myself tothe com-munity.”

Courtneyis goingp l a c e s ,though shed o e s n ’ tplan ongoing much farther thanthe Willamette Valley. Sheplans to attend Linn-Benton Community Collegeand Oregon StateUniversity to major in diag-nostic imaging, with an eyeon Good SamaritanHospital in Corvallis.

After her senior projectworking at Good Sam, she

made up her mind to work-ing in the emergency oper-ating room.

Although Courtney hasalways had an interest inthe medical field, she hasn’talways wanted to work inthe ER.

As a freshman, she par-ticipated with DECA.

“I thought I wanted torun my own business, abar,” Courtney said. But

a f t e rattending aweek-longconferencewith a mul-titude ofclasses, shedecided shedidn’t wantto run herown busi-

ness after all.Courtney was on the

Lebanon High School vol-leyball team for her fresh-man and sophomore years,but had to quit after shespent a summer coachingyouth at the Boys & GirlsClub in Sweet Homeinstead of conditioning.

She coached fifth- and

sixth-grade girls.“It was the funnest thing

I’ve probably ever done,”Courtney said.

Because she was closer inage to those she coached,Courtney formed a sister-like bond with them.

“I feel like we got to con-nect on a personal level,”she said. “I enjoyed it,probably more than playingvolleyball.”

Courtney has alwaysenjoyed the StrawberryFestival, and often helpedher family with a booth atthe Open Air Fair.

“Everyone in the com-munity gets together,” shesaid. It’s the one time of theyear family and friendscome together.

“And it’s the most idealway to kick off summer,”Courtney said. “Who does-

n’t like rides? Who doesn’tlike eating strawberryshortcake? Who doesn’tlike princesses?”

Courtney is the daughterof Tammie and JamesWells.

Tammie works at AlbanyEye Care. James works atLaticrete.

She has two siblings:Amber Wells, 16, and ChrisWells, 21.


Princess Courtney to enter health field


Princess Courtney Wells signs an autograph for Carmen Millican, 11, atHamilton Creek School on April 26.

“Who doesn’t likerides? Who doesn’tlike eating strawberryshortcake? Who does-n’t like princesses?”

Strawberry PrincessChristie Willis serves onmore than one court.

She is the No. 1 in doubleson the Lebanon HighSchool varsity team andhead team captain.

The senior has playedtennis for threeyears and cred-its much of hersuccess on thatcourt to herdoubles partnerJ e s s i c aStoneking.

“She’s great,”Christie said.“She believes inme when Idon’t believe inmyself.”

Christie is thankful forthe chance to be on theStrawberry court too.

“When I got the call, Icouldn’t believe it,”Christie said. “Me and mymom were jumping aroundthe living room.”

Christie, who shares hermother’s first name, haslived in Lebanon her wholelife and has always enjoyedthe Strawberry Festivalwith her family - parentsBrian and Christie Willis,and sister Amanda. Her sis-ter was a Strawberry

Princess in 2008.This year’s theme,

“Strawberries Around theWorld” conjures images ofDisneyland’s “It’s a SmallWorld” ride for Christie.

Though Christie has nottravelled outside of the

United States,she has gone onmany familyvacations.

“My familydrove toWa s h i n g t o n ,D.C., when Iwas 6 or 7 yearsold,” Christiesaid.

W h i l eChristie saidshe is open to

travelling to other coun-tries, there are still somesites in the U.S. she wouldlike to see.

“I’ve never been to theGrand Canyon,” Christiesaid.“I’ve been close to it,butwe’ve never stopped there.”

As a princess, Christiewill participate with theStrawberry court, but if shedressed up on her own forthis year’s festival, Christiesaid she might dress in akimono, sari or as a mer-maid.

She is part of the fashion

design program at LHS andhas three pieces in the fash-ion show in May.

One piece she designedwith her grandmother, whobattled cancer, in mind.The skirt is a deep purpleunderneath lace with a bowat the waist.

“When women lose theirhair, they can feel a loss offemininity,” Christie said.“I wanted to make some-thing very feminine.”

Christie counts fashionand language arts amongher favorite classes.

Among assigned reading,her favorite book is KenKesey’s “One Flew Over theCuckoo’s Nest” which sheread in Josh Smalley’s class.

Outside of class reading,her favorite book is “AThousand Splendid Suns”by Khaled Hosseini, whichher sister gave to her forChristmas.

Christie plans to stay inLebanon after graduationand attend Linn-BentonCommunity College to earnan Oregon Transfer Degree.

She wants to transfer toOregon State University toearn her master’s degree ininformation sciences — adegree which is preparationfor a career as a librarian or

archivist.Christie worked on her

senior project at theLebanon Public Library.

“Denice Lee is amazing!”Christie said of the LibraryManager.

“(I was surprised by) howmuch manpower it takes torun a library — dealing withpeople, pushing around thebig carts, the patience,”Christie said.

Christie’s other activities

include the Key Club,S.T.A.R.S., National Honor

Society, and IndependentService Hours.


Princess Christie’s passion is in books

AUDREY GOMEZ/LEBANON EXPRESS

Princess Christie Willis works on her recycled piece on April 26 for the LHSfashion show.

“When womenlose their hair,they can feel aloss of feminini-ty. I wanted tomake somethingvery feminine.”

SSttrraawwbbeerrrryy FFeessttiivvaall hhaass ppaarraaddeess ffoorr aallll aaggeessIt’s not too late to enter the parades

for this year’s Strawberry Festival,May 31 through June 3.

Grand ParadeThe Grand Parade will march down

Main Street beginning at 11 a.m. onJune 2. It is 2.5 miles in length andbegins at Market Street and SantiamHighway. It proceeds north alongHighway 20 to Rose Street, then weston Rose where it disbands onto Thirdand Fifth streets.

This year’s theme is “StrawberriesAround the World.”

Entries to the Grand Parade must bereceived by May 29 to avoid a $10 latefee. No entries will be accepted after

May 31. All registration fees are non-refundable.

The check-in will be at Dr. Clark’sDental Office parking lot near the endof Market Street. Horses will check inon the access road by Walgreens.Staging will be on Market Street, partof the River Center parking lot andBob Smith Park. Enter from the S.Main Street side.

Check-in opens at 7 a.m. and closesat 10 a.m. Judging takes place from 8to 10 a.m. Entries checking in after9:30 a.m. will not be judged.

For more information about theGrand Parade, contact Bobbi Birch viaemail at [email protected].

Junior Parade

The Strawberry Festival Juniorparade begins at 2:30 p.m. on June 1.

Staging begins at noon, with judg-ing from 1 to 2 p.m. at the parking lotof Third and Grant streets.

The parade begins at Second andMaple streets and proceeds east toMain Street. From there, childrentravel north on Main to Rose Street,west on Rose and disband at theAmerican Legion parking lot, wherepopsicles will be distributed to allparticipants.

For more information about theJunior Parade, contact Denise Johnsonvia email at [email protected].

By Jake RosenbergLEBANON EXPRESS

Lebanon High Schoolcoach Alaina Meek haskept the StrawberryFestival’s tennis traditionalive with the StrawberrySmash.

Years after former LHStennis coaches John andJan Nadig started theevent, 18 players, rangingfrom pre-teens to those in

their 70s, returned to theschool’s courts last year tocompete in the annualtournament.

Caleb Davis, of Eugene,and Lebanon’s CarinaChambers took the singlestitles before pairingtogether to reach the dou-bles final.

There they fell to theLebanon tandem ofAngelia Robinson and

Cody Rey, the men’s sin-gles runner-up, to con-clude the two-day compe-tition.

“The weekend weatherwas beautiful,” Meek saidof the 2011 match. “I planon keeping the old tradi-tion alive, and if the

weather cooperates, we’llhave another StrawberrySmash in 2012.”

For more informationabout this year’s June 2 and3 event, contact Meek at541-258-5986, [email protected].


Get your morningwalk or jog withStrawberry 5KBy Jake RosenbergLEBANON EXPRESS

The Strawberry Festival’s annual 5-kilometer race is astaple for Lebanon’s growing running community, and itremains as one of the valley’s most popular events.

Now in its 26th year, the 2012 Strawberry 5K is expectedto have another large group of competitors crowd the start-ing line on June 2.

“All of the running and sporting events in Lebanon arereally great, but I’m really proud how our community hasembraced the sport of running,” said Strawberry 5K coor-dinator Emily Latimer. “They are always full. We keep put-ting on 5Ks, and the community keeps responding.”

After the 10 a.m. one-mile fitness run/walk concludes,competitive runners will take the starting gun for the 3.1-mile feature race along the parade route on MainStreet/Highway 20. Runners will start and finish near theAmerican Legion hall at Main and Vine streets.

The registration fee is $15 for the run, and $5 for the fit-ness run/walk. Those interested may register online atwww.getmeregistered.com, or at www.lebanonstrawber-ryfestival.info/runwalk.html.

Registration forms also are available at the LebanonChamber of Commerce, 1040 Park Street. Forms should bemailed to Strawberry Run, P.O. Box 273, Lebanon OR 97355.

Event packets and late registration will be offered atNemo’s Sports Apparel, 660 S. Main St., on June 1 from 5 to7 p.m., the night before the race.

All participants will receive a ribbon. Winners in each ofthe men’s and women’s age-group classes will be recog-nized before the start of the Grand Parade.

Runners who race in a “Strawberries Around the World”themed costume will be eligible to win special prizes at thefinish line.

Age groups are: 9 years and younger, 10-14, 14-17, 18-25,26-35, 36-44, 45-55, 56-65, and 66 and older.

Michael Shogren won last year on the nationally-certi-fied course, with a time of 16 minutes, 47 seconds — sevenseconds ahead of Lebanon’s Michael Lofton.

2010 winner Jason Hawthorne, placed third overall,while fellow Albany resident Jordan Marsh, 20, was thefirst woman to cross the finish line at 21:46.

Lebanon’s Joshua Moore was the first of the 101 one-mileracers with a time of 6:25.

The Lebanon High School cross country team will behelping with the event again, and some of the proceeds goto help the program.

Competitors with strollers and walking aids are welcometo participate as long as they can finish in one hour.

“This is just a great way to kick off the parade. It’s just sogreat to have so many people cheering you on to the finishline,” Latimer said.

For more information, contact Latimer [email protected].

Strawberry Cup is a driver, fan favoriteBy Jake RosenbergLEBANON EXPRESS

The Strawberry Cup at WillametteSpeedway has been a StrawberryFestival tradition for nearly fivedecades.

While the annual race at the 1/3-mile clay oval remains a regularpoints event for all four of the weeklyclasses of cars, there is an added sen-timental incentive for the drivers tofinish first.

“It’s a title the drivers really want,”said Willamette Speedway trackoperations manager Chris Nofziger.“When you win the Strawberry Cup,it means something more, so thedrivers get a bit more into it.”

The new Mini Trucks racing classwill mean a fifth strawberry-themedtrophy will be awarded at the June 2

race, as well as another A-mainchampion’s name on the back of the2013 T-shirt.

The 2011 race saw Trevor Glaserbeat out eventual season championRob Mayea in the top-class LateModel final. Dustin Dittman took theModified A-main over twin brotherJustin Dittman in the midst ofanother championship run.

Strawberry Cup Sportsman win-ner Todd Miller and ClassicSportsman Adam Walker also willlook to repeat their efforts last year.

The Strawberry Cup is amongmany of the regular drivers’favorites, but it is also one of themost popular races of the year withthe fans.

“The community really comes outfor the Strawberry Cup weekend,”

added Nofziger. “Even with the car-nival going on, the whole town getsreally into it.”

With recent track renovationscompleted, the event will be just thefourth scheduled opportunity of theseason for spectators to sit in the newgrandstands and enjoy a completelyunobstructed view of the new tracklayout.

Track owners Jimmy and JerrySchram will be offering special dealswhile hosting their secondStrawberry Festival race, with a fam-ily special for the event, whichadmits two adults and two childrenunder 12 for $30.

Individual tickets are $14 for adultsand $6 for kids 6 to 12 years old.

Time trials begin at 2:30 p.m., withracing following at 6 p.m.

Strawberry Smash keeps annual tourney alive

Grab lunch at the fairgroundsEvery year, the Kiwanis Club and the Lions Club host

burger booths at the fairgrounds. For the service clubs,the Festival weekend is one of their biggest fundraisers.

Each club’s booth serves hamburgers, chips and soda.The Kiwanis offer french fries and cotton candy.

The clubs have always had a friendly rivalry at the fairas to who has the better burgers.

This year, the Lions have a new feature called travel-ling tacos, or taco in a bag.

“They are pretty popular in the midwest at foodbooths,” said Lion Brant Krause. “It is simply a small bagof chips turned sideways, cut open the long way, chipsare crushed a little bit. We add seasoned taco meat, let-tuce, tomatoes and salsa to the bag, stick a fork in it andhand it to the customer who can then go walking aroundthe fairgrounds enjoying their portable meal.”

Stop by either booth and enjoy lunch or dinner whilesupporting local service clubs and their missions toimprove the community.

The Strawberry Festivalcarnival kicks off at 4 p.m.Thursday, May 31, at theStrawberry Festival fair-grounds at Cheadle Park offWierich Drive.

The fair will feature rides,food and entertainment.

The entertainment stagewill feature Muti Marimbafrom 4 to 5:30 p.m. on June1.

They are followed by ajazz ensemble at 5:45 p.m.Cowboy Cadillac finishesthe musical entertainmentof the evening with its per-

formance from 7:30 to 9:30p.m.

June 2 performances startwith Bobbilynn at 1 p.m.,followed by “Elvis” Joe at 3p.m., and Fate 55 from 8:30to 11:30 p.m.

Cascade Performing Artstakes the stage June 3 from 1to 2 p.m.

A karaoke contest runsfrom 7 to 10 p.m. the firstnight, with semis from 4:30to 7:45 p.m. on June 2, andfinals from 2 p.m. to closeon June 3.

Ride bracelets may bepurchased at the LebanonChamber of Commerce orOSU Federal Credit Unionfor $20. At the fairgrounds,bracelets cost $28.

Also at Cheadle Park isthe Open Air Fair, with avariety of booths and foodvendors.

A fireworks show willilluminate the sky onSaturday night.

By Matt DeBowLEBANON EXPRESS

For more than 80 years,Strawberry Festival short-cake fans have enjoyed thetraditional summer confec-tion, served following theGrand Parade.

The cake still ridesthrough the parade on atiered float and still fea-tures white cake, strawber-ries and whipped cream,but a few things havechanged.

The cake recipe wasdeveloped in 1931 by localbaker T.W. Munyan andlater prepared at bakeriesowned by ClarenceShimanek and ClaudeDurlam. When the localbakeries closed, Roth’sFoodliner and Safeway gro-cery stores took over.

Now Mega Foods sup-plies the shortcake, said

Cindy Ongers, strawberryshortcake chair, but theyorder the cake from a bak-ery in Portland. There is no

longer a place in town withthe capacity to make thatmuch cake.

Ongers has been in

charge of the shortcake forsix years.

“The cake is a whitecake,” she said. “It’sextremely yummy.”

It serves more than 5,000people, she said.

The World’s LargestStrawberry Shortcakestrawberry topping comesfrom Norpac in Salem. Itwill use more than 1,800pounds of strawberries.

Ongers said there isn’t aplace locally that can pro-vide so many berries for thetopping.

She is impressed by thecommunity involvement inLebanon.

Creating the shortcake isan all-volunteer effort.

“The people who I workwith are just incredible,”Ongers said. “I have somuch fun doing thisbecause I am blessed towork with these people. It’sjust amazing.”

The Lebanon Fire Districtwashes the float to clean itfor the parade.

When the cake is placedon the float, fresh berriesare placed on top. Ongerssaid eight flats of freshstrawberries are purchasedfrom Mega Foods, alongwith about 3,000 tooth-picks to hold the strawber-ries on the shortcake.

The strawberry princess-es will serve the cake at theCheadle Lake festival

grounds after the parade,with help from the OregonDairy Queen.

Ongers said Oregon DairyWomen donate whippedcream.

For those who can’t makeit to the festival, such aspeople who live in retire-ment homes, about 1,000pieces of cake are deliveredto them.

Sally Skaggs said she hasdelivered cake for at least 15years with the Beta SigmaPhi chapter of Xi Beta Zeta.

“The residents look for-ward to it, and they reallyenjoy it,” Skaggs said.“They get to feel thatthey’re involved with thepartaking of the festival.”


Sweet tradition: Lebanon’s strawberry shortcake

LEBANON EXPRESS

The Oregon Dairy Women serve up StrawberryShortcake at last year’s festival.

DDoonn’’tt mmiissss tthhee ccaarrnniivvaall,, ooppeenn aaiirr ffaaiirr

Who will be queen?

Find out at coronation at7 p.m. on May 24 at theLebanon High School audi-torium. Tickets are $3, andinclude a strawberry pin.

The queen and her courtwill be busy during the festi-val weekend, judging floats,riding in the Grand Parade,and serving strawberryshortcake at the fairgrounds.

strawberry festival 2012

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