A Little Backwoods Entertainment
adminJust wanted to share our new favorite song and video…sounds just like something that would be played around all the backyard bonfires in Elwood! This could be a tribute to the beloved “Fir”
Wild Night in Colton!
For anyone who is anyone in Clackamas county, the Colton Cafe is the place to be tonight! One of Colton’s local artists, Dennis Stafford, will be ‘unveiling’ his most recent creation at 7pm tonight. For those familiar with the JBRanch blog, you may remember the custom artwork we commissioned a few months ago – with the John Deere tractor in the barn – that’s Dennis! Apparently, he has also notified the media and MULTIPLE reporters are expected to cover the event. Even while we’ve been sitting here one reporter called the cafe to say she was stuck in traffic and not to start without her… The Molalla Pioneer sends out a daily email update with 2-3 headline stories and he was included in today’s email:
Colton artist unveiling latest painting tonight
Colton artist and self-proclaimed “redneck” Dennis Stafford will unveil his newest painting tonight at 7 at the Colton Café on Highway 211.The public is invited to come and meet the artist.
Here’s the picture waiting to be unveiled (it’s wrapped in a blue t-shirt with a hand written sign that says, “unveiling at 7pm Friday”:
Right at 7pm, Dennis got the crowd pumped for the reveal and even received a drum roll…
But he tricked us all and had to go out to his truck to get the REAL painting!
It’s the Colton Cafe!!! For those of you who have visited, you’ll recognize the cute little yellow building. The crowed cheered and the Cafe owners were very proud of their new masterpiece!
Sneak Attack!
Brad spent the day in his upstairs office, completely focused on computer work. He’d been working diligently for several hours when all of a sudden….out of nowhere…he was attacked from behind! Letting out a startled scream (much like that of a little school girl), he struggled to turn and face his attacker. Anticipating an intruder with sharp blades, or maybe a rabid bear, he grabbed at whatever had a hold of him and tossed it across the room. Brad realized a little too late that it was just Tigger wanting some cuddles. Thankfully Brad wasn’t packin’, no shots were fired, and Tigger lived to stalk another day!
(This is Tigger, about to attack)
Newport Aquarium
We decided to go camping for a few days so we packed up the dogs and the camper and headed for the coast. One of our stops was the Newport Aquarium.
Annual Elwood Picnic in the Cemetery
Keeping up with Elwood tradition, we attended the annual Elwood Picnic in the Cemetery and enjoyed getting to know some of our neighbors. Eldon (elder of the church across the street and keeper of the cemetery grounds) brought the map of the cemetery plots – it was interesting to see that some of our neighbors attending the pot luck had already purchased a more ‘permanent’ seat for future picnics!
Just as we were sitting down to eat, our pagers toned out for a car fire in Molalla! It was quite the scene – us dropping our plates and running out to the car….unfortunately, we were only half way to the station when Molalla recalled us. So, we headed back to enjoy the rest of our pot luck. Just as we were helping to clean up…the pagers toned out again! this time for a fire alarm in Colton. We took off out to the car and were recalled half way to the station again. Oh well, at least our neighbors know we will respond dutifully to any emergency!
One of Brad’s Projects
Since Brad has a little more time on his hands, he’s been rebuilding the horse trailer (we found 2 holes in the floor after our last camping trip!)
BEFORE
DURING
AFTER
Bales
Brad scored big and found a good source for round bales in Molalla – now Chuckie is set for the winter. These bales are over 1300 pounds and Bob was just barely able to lift them!
Just Another Day in Colton
Danny, one of our volunteer firefighter friends, on his was out for Colton’s version of leisurely target shooting…with a fully automatic, belt-fed machine gun!
Nermal the Barn Cat
We’ve had some pretty warm weather lately and we’re all finding our own ways to cope!
The Fir Burned Down!
Around 11:30 Tuesday night our pagers toned out for a commercial fire. A commercial fire in Colton? Colton has very few commercial buildings…the elementary, middle & high schools, the market, the post office, the Cafe….and the Fir!
By the time we made it to the Elwood station to pick up Engine 123, The duty officer arrived on scene to confirm that flames were visible outside the building and, although it was open for business, the building had been evacuated. He requested additional tones for a second alarm fire. Brad and I were the first engine on scene, and we pulled around back to start attacking the source of the flames. An outside shelter area attached to the building was fully engulfed, along with the kitchen and an outdoor storage area. Brad got the engine pumping water and I was ready on the hose. More than 5 minutes later, our remaining apparatus from Colton arrived, along with crews from Molalla, Estacada and Clackamas.
By 2:30 am, the fire was out but the Fir was a complete loss. This was such a big event, we were the lead story with all the big city news crews!
DAILY NEWS UPDATE (From the Molalla Pioneer)
Colton bar and restaurant burns in Tuesday fire
A fire broke out at Stewarts’ Fir Valley Inn on Highway 211 in Colton late last night, causing at least $300,000 in damage.
Several patrons and a bartender were inside when the fire ignited, but all made it out safely, said Cassie Stewart, the daughter of the inn’s owners.
The inn has operated in Colton since the 1970s and was purchased by Jan and Laura Stewart in 2004. The Stewarts’ home is located on the same property as the inn, but was not damaged in the fire.
Colton Fire District arrived at the blaze around 11:30 last night and received assistance from Estacada, Clackamas and Molalla fire departments, Colton Fire Chief Gary Anderson said. In all, nearly 30 firefighters responded.
The fire appeared to originate near the kitchen’s refrigeration units, Anderson said, but the cause is still being investigated.
“(The fire) was in the back of the building, but it went up the wall and got into the attic,” Anderson said. “It just roared across that attic.”
Stewart said the inn’s bartender discovered the fire after feeling heat and going back to the kitchen to investigate. A customer attempted to control the flames with a fire extinguisher, but the blaze had grown too large to manage. Another customer ran to the house next door to awake the owners.
Cassie Stewart said there has been a constant flow of people stopping by to survey the damage today.
“People have been coming from all over who used to come here as kids because they can’t believe it,” Stewart said. “Fir Valley is pretty much a community building where everybody goes. It’s really tragic to see it because it’s pretty much a place you could go and everybody knows who you are. It’s like family there.”
The inn is scheduled to host a poker run this Saturday and Stewart said they hope to still hold the event on site. The building was insured and she said her parents hope to eventually rebuild.
And from TV reporters brave enough to venture out deep into the sticks: