Serving the Sweet Home community since 1929
Wednesday, August 1, 2012 Vol. 83, No. 31
75 Cents
20th Oregon Jamboree showtime starts Friday
By Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Yes, Wynonna is coming back.
Despite some unfounded rumors to the
contrary that have circulated through the
community for the past couple of weeks, the
country music star who helped kick off the
Oregon Jamboree in 1992 will return this
weekend to help celebrate the 20th anniver-
sary.
She will be joined by headliners Rascal
Flatts and Dierks Bentley, along with a long
list of country musicians hosted by Neal Mc-
Coy Friday through Sunday.
The Oregon Jamboree was founded in
1992 as an economic development project
for the Sweet Home Community. Jamboree
founders Marge Geil and Leslie Ancke had a
passion for community service and a love for
country music.
Their vision was a three-day country
music, camping and fund-raising event. Geil
and Ancke pursued their dream with convic-
tion, traveling to see Wynonna Judd concerts
and asking for her help.
They finally got a personal meeting with
Wynonna at one of her shows and were di-
rected to the Wynonna's agent to discuss the
idea. Wynonna agreed to play at the 1992 and
1993 Jamborees, and the vision of The Ore-
gon Jamboree in Sweet Home was born. To-
• SeeTwenty, page 7
Rascal Flatts
National Forest00 celebrates 100 years
Fish Lake hosts
celebration history
By Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
"Another recruit coming up
here," called out Gifford Pinchot,
the first chief of the U.S. Forest
Service, as he stood outside the
dispatcher's cabin at Fish Lake.
"We signed up another recruit!"
Pinchot, portrayed by
Sweet Home Ranger District
Archaeologist Tony Farque, was
on hand with Archie Knowles
and other historic U.S. Forest
Service figures for the Willamette
National Forest's centennial
celebration held July 20 at Fish
Lake, an important historic site
for the Willamette forest.
"President Roosevelt
couldn't make it, but he sent me
on his behalf," Pinchot said.
Inside the tiny dispatcher's
cabin, one of those figures, Cy
Bingham, a ranger around the
time that the national forest
system was formed, gave tours.
He was portrayed by Steve
Coady, formerly of the Forest
Service.
At around the time the forest
was created, recruits would face
one day of written tests, Coady
said. The second day had a
chopping test outdoors, where a
good ax man was measured by
the size of his chips. The recruits
Photos by Sean C.Morgan
Betty Applebaker, who served as packer at Fish Lake from 1985 to 2005 when the program ended, leads a
pack train during the centennial celebration at Fish Lake.
had to be proficient with a pistol
at 25 yards and a rifle at 100
yards. Supplies would be laid
out on a tarp, and recruits would
have to demonstrate a proficiency
turning it into a pack.
Initially, the Forest Service
used ex-cowboys, mountain men,
miners and general wanderers
to serve as rangers, Coady said•
The rangers stayed out in the
forests through the rain and snow
at $60 per month. The pay was
acceptable, but they had to buy
their own horses.
• See Forest, page 11
Steve Hamilton and Terry Godin of the Middle Fork Ranger District
look at a model of the restored Tid Bits fire lookout.
Red tape
snag may
stop Josai
exchange
By Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
A federal recertification pro-
cess may prevent two Japanese
students from Josai University
High School of Tokyo from attend-
ing Sweet Home High School next
school year.
"We had a paperwork malfunc-
tion," said School District 55 Supt.
Don Schrader. The federal govern-
ment is requiring the school to be
recertified and when The Student
and Exchange Visitor Information
System, operated by Immigration
and Customs Enforcement, sent n °-
tices to Schrader and the coordina-
tor of the program, Cynde Burford,
it was confusing, he said.
"I had to send them my pass-
port," Schrader said. He sent it
and thought everything was set. "I
thought it was done a long time ago.
Not being involved in it, I didn't
know. I assumed it. It was new to
me, and we're kind of learning our
way through it."
Josai is a high school program
and Schrader was copied on e-mails
relating to the situation, as he is on
many other issues pertaining to lo-
• See Josai, page 12
Ken Roberts remembered as'all
heart' whenit-came to students
By Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Longtime coach, educator and Huskies
announcer Ken Roberts died Thursday. He
was 61.
He leaves behind many friends and a
legacy of helping others, especially children,
unselfishly.
"He was just a great friend," said Rob
Younger, former high school science teacher
and coach. "He taught me a lot about integrity
and character. Ken was a true man of integ-
rity, of character. What I
enjoyed most about Ken
is he was selfless.
Even after Roberts
retired as a social studies
teacher at Sweet Home
Junior High, he worked
with students, Younger
said. He helped them
financially behind the
• See
Ken Roberts
Roberts, page 9
Pest plants
and more
Columnist Mona Wai-
bel writes today about
some of her least-
favorite plants, such as
skunk cabbage, shown
here, and animals in
55 Plus, inside.
Photo by
Scott Swanson
