Resolution for 2010

Happy New Year to Class of 71 members, friends, and family!

Our collective resolution for this year is to find the rest of the class members - more about that later. But if you run into another class member or get in touch with someone, be sure to let them know that we are alive and well!

The other resolution (yes, I didn't warn you that there are two) is to find a 1971 Kumtux that we can donate to the Sedro-Woolley Museum. Their collection of annuals is incomplete and we are one of the missing classes.

Best to all and let me know if you have a tidbit that we can post here, on our class blog!

Still Rockin' After All These Years

Mark Stendal sends along his band's web site address for us to enjoy!

Joe Doe Show - a musical tribute to the History of Rock and Roll:

http://joedoeshow.com/

Rock bands (and other types...) are a great Northwest tradition!

Happy Birthday, Sedro-Woolley!

Happy birthday to our town! Sedro and Woolley combined and incorporated on December 19, 1898. We are 111 years young!

Beethoven Concert

Jerry Sommerseth's

36th Annual
BEETHOVEN CONCERT

Sunday, December 27th
3:00 p.m.
Central United Methodist Church
1013 Polte Rd, Sedro-Woolley

Potluck dinner following
Free will donations benefit
Skagit Habitat for Humanity

S-W High School Alumni Association

Our SWHS Alumni Association is approaching the beginning of the membership year on January 1. If you are a member, now is the time to renew! If you're not a member, it's time to join!

There are lots of changes afoot for the Association. Pat Hyatt has been elected President for 2010 and she is ready with lots of ideas and helpers to make the Association even better. The general membership meeting is tomorrow, December 16th, at 1 p.m. at the Senior Center. Come on over and find out what the Association is all about!


SWHS Alumni Association
The SWHSAA is a 501(c)3 organization whose main purpose is to award Vocational Scholarships to SWHS grads. They have awarded scholarships since 1996 and have increased the amount of the award to $1500 each (from $1000). They fund-raise through the year by:

· Selling items at the Fall Bazaar
· Selling geraniums in the spring
· Selling tickets for door prizes at the All-Class picnic (2nd Saturday in July).
· Accepting cash donations (including memorial and celebratory donations).

Membership in the Association is $10 per year and membership dues are used for the expenses of the organization. They publish a mailed newsletter and are considering a transition to an e’mail version for those members who prefer the soft copy.

The Association is ready to make other changes and enhancements to increase membership and ensure that they can continue awarding Vocational Scholarships. But they need active participation from more classes.

Here’s what you can do:

· Join the Association. Membership year is from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. So if you send in membership dues now, be sure to specify the membership year you are paying for. Some people send in dues for more than one year at a time. See below. Attend meetings and work on a committee or two to ensure the continuing success of the Picnic and the Scholarship Program.

· Donate items for the Fall Bazaar and/or come and shop at the Bazaar.

· Buy some geraniums in the spring from the Association.

· Donate a door prize for the All-Class Picnic.

· Attend the All-Class Picnic next July – Class of ’71 will be there and we’ll all sit together!

If you want to join, send this information and your check:


Date:

Paying for Membership Year: 2010 2011 2012 2013 Circle one or more.

Name: Include name at graduation and current name

Year graduated (or attended):

Mailing Address:

Home Phone:

E-Mail address:

Mail this info and $10 per membership year to:

SWHS Alumni Association
PO Box 509
Sedro-Woolley WA 98284

Sedro-Woolley, the Christmas City, had our annual Christmas Parade Saturday, December 5th, at 5:00 p.m.

Of course, it's pitch black dark here at 5 in the evening this time of year so all the parade entries were lighted and the official parade start is the lighting of the downtown Christmas Tree!

However, the darkness makes photography difficult...

The S-WHS Band and the Mount Vernon HS Band both marched in the parade and featured little lights on the instruments. There were floats, horses, vintage vehicles, individual entries, and lots of sparkly lights with the arrival of Santa at the end.

A big crowd came downtown to see the parade. Local groups sold hot beverages and pastries as fund raisers. The temps were down in the low 30's so people huddled together for warmth. Good thing the crowds were about five deep along the parade route! I ran into JB and Sue Bryson with family and lots of other people I know.

Check out the Chamber web site at www.sedro-woolley.com if you want to see who were the various sponsors of the parade. There are still two more events coming up this weekend - Breakfast with Santa and the S-W Museum Holiday Home Tour, both on Saturday the 12th. Hmmm, I think that's the day before my birthday!

Coffee Hour Nov. 24th

Here's a quick photo from our coffee hour last Tuesday. Fun for everyone to see Paula Wilcox Brunn, here visiting from Colorado. If you weren't there, we missed you!

SW Roads update

I was out and about today in the blustery and rainy weather and I took a little tour of McGargile Road and the improvements that were made with Federal stimulus funds. The road was improved with sidewalks and paving to accommodate school busses coming to Evergreen School - see previous posts. If you haven't been to SW in a long time, Evergreen School is north and east of Cascade Middle School - they share playfields.

The road is narrower than I expected but that is probably because of properties owned on either side. But it looks nice. The road appears to be finished from Hwy 9 to Carter Road. Past that, on eastward toward the golf course and Fruitdale Road, it is still torn up with gravel and cones everywhere. No work going on - I'll have to find out if they're going to finish it this winter or what.

Below are some photos of the improvements and pending improvements, plus a photo of the Sedro-Woolley sign that is on Highway 20 - looking west.

In other news, Highway 20 is now closed for the winter.

More as it develops!

S-WHS Alma Mater

At the all-class picnic in July, copies of the words to our Alma Mater song were handed out so everyone could join in at the close of the day. Class of 71 has always sung this song, but it seems that some classes didn't know about it at all. Ed Hoyt provided the words from his mother's collected papers; Mary Newberg Hoyt graduated with Class of 1920:

S-WHS ALMA MATER

Here beside the Skagit River,
stands our school so bold.
"Tis the royal Alma Mater
glo-rious to be-hold."

Chorus
Hail to thee O' Sedro-Woolley,
blue and white all hail.
Hail to thee our Alma Mater,
Sedro-Woolley hail!

We sing of Sedro-Woolley,
give a rousing cheer.
Raise in union our voices,
sounding far and near!

***
Well, not so much on substance, but great on spirit!

More as it develops...

More fall color in Sedro-Woolley

November 1 is the prettiest fall day so far!

Downtown Sedro-Woolley's Big Re-Dig

Ok, I promised photos of the big dig in the street in downtown Sedro-Woolley and here they are! On a late October afternoon, the light wasn't the best but I got the important stuff (and left out the porta-potty). This is in the downtown core, on Metcalf Street, and the dig is currently directly in front of Holland Drug. The fencing runs up and down the sides, for the whole block. One downtown merchant said to me that it's "pretty much like turning the faucet off for business".

If you don't know, the big-re-dig is to replace the sewer system that was replaced last year. This is the second time in 12-14 months that downtown has been cordoned off. The sewer replacement last year was done incorrectly and had to be done again.

If you live in the area and can come over to do some shopping or dining in Sedro-Woolley, now's the time! The merchants will be glad to see you and there's a free floor show during daylight hours!

Our Neighbor, La Conner

Here's a photo courtesy of Dee Denton, La Conner HS grad, whose dad recently went on a thrilling helicopter ride over the Skagit Valley. It is the iconic "Rainbow Bridge" in La Conner.

Fall color in Sedro-Woolley

Here is a glimpse of the fall color we are enjoying in town. The Pacific Northwest is mostly shades of green and gray! But we get a taste of the glowing fall colors in October.

Post Office Mural

I ran into the Sedro-Woolley post office today to pick up my mail, and realized that I had my camera in my purse! So I took a photo of the great logging mural that has been in the PO forever - art by Albert C. Runquist in 1941. It is artwork that was funded by an old WPA project; see this site:
http://www.wpamurals.com/SedroWoo.htm

Just too bad they spelled "Woolley" wrong...


But those of us who grew up here were lucky enough to enjoy this piece every time we waited in line at the post 0ffice - and still enjoy it today!

Used with the permission of the United States Postal Service®. All rights reserved.
See also: http://www.usps.com/rightsandpermissions/new-deal-art.htm

Big Dig is underway in Sedro-Woolley

Signs like this are commonplace these days:




As contractors wind up the road repair and construction season, the Highway 20 traffic round is almost complete, the McGargile/Highway 9 improvements are nearly complete, and other projects around town are racing to beat the weather changes.









Highway 20 traffic round traveling east.









The City of Sedro-Woolley changed the downtown closures of Metcalf Street slightly, to accommodate some downtown events. Here is the schedule as most recently issued by the City Public Works department:

"Stage 1: Beginning October 5th and lasting approximately two weeks, Metcalf Street from Ferry Street to the bowling alley (see map) will be closed and fenced off from curb to curb. Access will be maintained on sidewalks for pedestrians only during this time. The intersection of Metcalf and Ferry will also be closed. The contractor will dig up and lower sewer lines in one location.

Stage 2: Beginning October 19th and lasting approximately three weeks, Metcalf Street from State Street to Woodworth Street (see map) will be closed and fenced off from curb to curb. Access will be maintained on sidewalks for pedestrians only during this time. The contractor will dig up and lower sewer lines in two locations."

So Phase 1 is coming along - I was out of town last weekend and I apparently missed the part where there was a big hole in the ground. Today it is largely filled in. See photo. But the intersection of Metcalf and Ferry was closed to traffic today and that causes a lot of confusion. I was walking!

Phase 2 starts next week and is expected to last three weeks. Thus interrupting the Halloween Parade! This year Halloween falls on a Saturday, and the parade will commence at 2:00 in the afternoon instead of at dusk (as it has in other years). And the route will be different, pretty much all taking place from west to east on Ferry. This is big news in Sedro-Woolley, as the kidlets get to trick-or-treat the downtown merchants and we don't want anybody falling in the Big Hole In The Street!!


Today was blustery and cooler. Tonight there is a 100% chance of rain and more winds. Every year we have a wind and rain storm in October that ushers in the seasonal weather. Looks like this is it! There's a low pressure area off the coast and the wind is blowing from east to west to fill it in. Leaves are skidding east on Ferry street today. But not all the leaves are down yet. And in the downtown core, when there is a big windstorm, we find a lot of funny things in our yards. I lost a roll of plastic backsplash one time, that I had staged on the porch for a contractor. Another time I found one of our lawn chair cushions about a block away, totally by accident. I was driving down the street, I saw this big green thing, and I said, "That looks like mine." It was. I get a lot of miscellaneous debris in the yard. Nothing interesting. Sure hope this wind brings the rest of those filberts down!

More as it develops.

Haunted Hospital

An interesting development; United General Hospital and Cascade Job Corps are sponsoring “Haunted Hospital” on the grounds of the former Northern State Hospital. Every Friday and Saturday in October, 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Cost is $5 per person. Not recommended for under 12 years of age. The sponsors of this event promise that it will not be disrespectful to any of the former patients of the hospital. It's just supposed to be a scary haunted "house" with a hospital theme. A professional magician is helping create some of the illusions. The sponsors hope to make this an annual fundraiser for the UGH Foundation in the same way the Festival of Trees is a fundraiser for Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon. This will be more theatrical.

http://www.unitedgeneralhospitalfoundation.org/

Tearing up downtown Sedro-Woolley - again

We're about halfway through the eastbound closure of Highway 20, with traffic being diverted through downtown (from Hwy 20, Ferry to Metcalf, left on Metcalf and back to Hwy 20). Many of the parking spaces at the intersection of Metcalf and Ferry have been orange-barrelled-off and at 4:30 today when I came back into town there was a traffic control officer at the intersection, trying to facilitate traffic flow.

Today I received an e'mail from the S-W Chamber of Commerce, which includes a press release from the city, announcing the closure of Metcalf, in sections (after the Hwy 20 reroute is complete), to re-do the big sewer project that was completed during summer 2008.

Per the Public Works information release, Metcalf Street (the main business street downtown) will be closed to traffic from State Street to Woodworth Street starting September 28th for approximately three weeks. That's phase 1.

Phase 2 closes Metcalf from Ferry Street (Hammer Heritage Square) to the old bowling alley for approximately two weeks starting October 19th.

The big sewer project last year was not entirely successful and repairs are needed.

Last year when the sewer line was "staged" at ground level before being sunk, it looked like Nessie was moving to Sedro-Woolley. We could have painted the line and added a papier mache head and created a tourist attraction. Too bad I thought of it now...

Here's my new idea - if you're in Skagit County and want to help out the merchants in S-W, come on over during the big dig and have breakfast, lunch, or dinner at one of the many downtown restaurants! And do a little shopping while you're here. Hardware, fabric, videos, nail salon services, thrift shopping, and several other choices are all at your fingertips. The downtown area will truly need support during this time. Then make plans to attend some of the fun events that will help us close out the year in November and December. I'll post a list later.

Here is the page containing official news release from the city:
http://www.ci.sedro-woolley.wa.us/Home/main.htm

Look for "Metcalf Street Closure Notice" - it's in pdf format.

The parking on Metcalf is a small percentage of the parking available downtown. So be fearless and come on over!

I'll take pictures. I know you're eager to see photos of sewer line repairs!

Summer of Construction

This has been a big summer for construction in Sedro-Woolley, in spite of the heat and the economy. Everywhere I go, I see things happening, and I'm pasting a few photos below for you to enjoy, even tho it's hard to take interesting photos of road construction.

The biggest event is the "improvement" of Highway 20 just north of the old Skagit Steel property. There will be a traffic round (!) creating an intersection at the north end of that industrial park and just west of the Les Schwab Tire store. All summer, truckers have been cutting through downtown to avoid the flaggers. Starting yesterday, that section of Highway 20 is closed for the final push and there is an actual detour through town. The little section is scheduled to be closed from Sept. 9th to 23rd, and the contractors placed big digital signs at both ends of the construction zone to make the announcement well in advance. Unfortunately, some people interpreted this to mean that the entire North Cascades Highway would be closed from Sedro-Woolley eastward. And that tidbit has already made the papers. The WA State DOT is sending out disclaimers. It's just the section where the traffic round is being installed that is closed. See two photos below.

The McGargile Road is also torn up and being refitted with sidewalks, curbs, a bike trail, and resufacing. This has caused a major detour for people who live north of Highway 20 towards the old Northern State Hospital. McGargile is the road that goes east off of Highway 9, just past Cascade Middle School and past Evergreen Elementary. It connects with Fruitdale Road at the east end. It is all but impassable for the locals. Below is a photo, taken from where Carter Road intersects with McGargile. There is also road work on Fruitdale between McGargile and Highway 20. You can imagine the creative routes that local folks need to take to get to work and back every day. When all is done, kids will have a much safer way to walk and bike to school.

BTW, Federal stimulus money is paying for part of both of these road projects.

Skagit State Bank at Ferry and Murdock Streets is getting a big facelift and some office space changes inside. Big project - the rock surface had to be removed and staged for reuse, then all the construction completed. The bank has been open during everything - the folks who work there are good sports, but I will tell you that going inside is like going into the Bat Cave. It's kind of exciting. See photo below taken from their drive thru point.

Just north of the bank on Murdock, the same contractor is building a large commercial building of some kind. I don't know who will be in it. I should be nosier, I guess. Photo below.

Finally, we had some work done on our front porch to replace the decking and some walls on this 111 year-old structure. Every so often you need to replace old wood. See photos. And next door, at the home formerly owned by the Foss family, the entire front porch is being replaced. No photo..

There are other projects going on around town, racing toward finish to beat the turn of the weather. We're scheduled for sunny, warm days through about next Friday. Then some rain and maybe our lawns will green up!

Highway 20 in front of Les Schwab.

Highway 20 - detour at the new traffic round (no, I'm not driving on the wrong side).

On Carter Rd. looking north to McGargile.

Skagit State Bank remodel.

New construction on Murdock, north of Skagit State Bank.

Freshening up the front porch.

Fine work by Wild Ass Milling and Construction.

Sedro-Woolley hits 100 - update

Just for those of you who are keeping score, the Whidbey Island Bank time and temp sign hit 104 degrees late this afternoon. I did not run out and take another photo - but City of Sedro-Woolley employees kept coming by in their truck, and one would jump out to take a photo of the sign with his cell phone when the degrees changed. So the occasion has been documented, and I suspect that the bank employees took photos, too. It was a singular occasion and I hope it's over!

Sedro-Woolley hits 100 - degrees, that is

The data geek in me wanted to know if the time and temp sign at Whidbey Island Bank accommodates a three-digit temperature reading. It does. See photos below.

We had a great Class of 71 coffee hour at Common Ground last night, but it was HOT!! Ten of us ordered cold drinks (exception: JB had the ice cream) and tried not to talk about how hot it was. Common Ground has no AC - they opened the doors for a breeze. But it had to be 90+ in there. I really don't want to know...

It's probably foolish to post these photos because it will likely go over 100 degrees today in S-W...but there's something irresistible about the number 100.

Also below is a photo from last December, just for counterpoint.

2009 S-WHS Alumni All-Class Picnic - update

Today at the S-WHS Alumni Assn meeting they reviewed the picnic and made notes for process improvements next year. They also gave some statistics; I'll give you a few here.

First, the most important thing, is that the picnic income/expenses netted out in the black. Very good news.

There were 440+ attendees, 340 cars in the parking lot, and 394 meals purchased. 14 people paid dues on site and 2 people made monetary donations to the Assn on site.

The classes of '64, '51, '46, '48, and '67 had the most attendees per class (calculated by people, not per cent). In that order. Those class of '64 people are pretty organized.

That's just a sample of the data. The rest will come out in the S-WHS Alumni Assn's newsletter.

Everyone associated with the comittee had received many positive comments on the picnic and the food.

It's a big deal when 440 people gather in Sedro-Woolley for a single event. And the picnic is such a great way to reconnect with old friends. More people are discovering it every year!

2009 S-WHS Alumni All-Class Picnic

Here are some photos from the SWHS Alumni All-Class Picnic on July 11th! It was held at our beautiful Riverfront Park (where the old "dump" used to be) and was well-attended by enthusiastic alums from many classes! I had a sign made last year for our class to use at events like this and this year there were several classes with a sign. So maybe I have started a trend! Some classes have so many attendees that they have their own tent!

Alas, only four members of Class of 71 were there. JB Bryson, recovering from his responsibilities at Loggerodeo, Julie Jones Anderson (seen below in a photo with JB and with her dad, Dr. Bud Jones), Pat Dow (no photo), and I (no photo). Last year we had more. Maybe next year...Oops, forgot that Mike and Janet Joy were the caterers and I didn't get a photo of them, either. So that makes five Class of 71'ers.

Bob Dow, Class of 72, did a great job as master of ceremonies. Looks like he'll be inheriting that job for a while.

The missing element this year was Spud Walley, who passed away in February but was surely a mainstay at the annual picnic. There are so many faithful alums who attend the picnic, take leadership roles, and donate door prizes. It's a great tradition. Barb Thompson, Pat Hyatt, Lola Ellestad, Bud and Judy Jones, Gene and Irene Johnson, and Ed Hoyt are but a few who work hard to make the picnic fun, profitable, and earn money for the scholarship fund.

I can't get these photos below into any kind of order, and when I mess with them and move them around, Internet Explorer gives me a fatal error and shuts down. So I'm going to let them display as they will, below, and you can match the names above with the folks in the photos. One of the photos is of Mr. Bill Stendal. Standing by the welcome sign is Vern Sims, SWHS Alum, who is always a big sponsor of the picnic.

2010 picnic - Second Saturday in July - plan now to attend! Then we'll start counting down to our 40-year reunion!

Looking back - thinking ahead

I had coffee with Shirley (Hooper) Knapp yesterday and we agreed that we all need to start thinking ahead to 2011 (!) when we have our 40-year reunion...and will need an entry for the Loggerodeo parade.

Is a flatbed trailer with hay bales good enough for Class of 71? Or should we plan on doing something better? Not only better than that but better than the other classes! There are usually 4-5 graduating class entries in the parade. The class years that are having a reunion, plus Class of 64, who has an entry every year. They're pretty organized.

Will we even be able to get hay bales in the traditional shape in 2011? Or will they all be round by then? Will any of us be able to lift a bale of hay?

We have some things to consider. Don't wait too long. At our age, it takes a while to rub those brain cells together.

Here are a couple of photos to close. One is the official Loggerodeo float in the parade, featuring the "bucking logging truck" chain saw sculpture. It was great.

The other is a downtown shot I took yesterday while meeting up with Shirley. Clouds have moved in to Sedro-Woolley but we love the cloud cover and a little rain this time of year. Much needed.

Chain Saw Carving - JB's event at Loggerodeo

Stopped at the Chainsaw Carving event today and there was an auction in progress! JB Bryson was the spotter for the auctioneer and also the person who wrestled out the pieces for auction. This was from the "quick carve" competition. More carving Saturday and Sunday!

Here's JB spotting those bidders:








































JB's truck but I'm not sure if this is his Harley or not.

From the Work in Progress division - with a young boy getting a perfect view:

Remember that chain saw carving makes MOUNTAINS of sawdust:

For these pieces, I did not get the artists' names. Sorry.

Happy eagle and friend:

And what's a good chain saw carving competition without a bear? Or two!