Terri Jones of the Humane Society of Redmond shows what was left after bandits struck the can collection. 

100 Years Ago

Nov. 27, 1924 — Duck banquet at the hall Thursday night

The Terrebonne Dry Squad announces a duck feed and dance on Thanksgiving night, at which time a drive for membership will take place. The Dry Squad has become notorious for holding orderly and good dances with fine luncheons, and they are anxious to extend the membership to surrounding communities.

Masons and Stars in their second childhood tonight

There will be sounds of revelry on the evening air tonight when the Masonic lodge and the Eastern Stars and their families will mingle in the hall to attend an old-fashioned last day of school. All who attend must be dressed as boys and girls of tender age. The tenderer the better. “Pieces” and dialogs and songs and other entertainment is to be furnished by the “scholars,” teachers and visitors.

75 Years Ago

Nov. 24, 1949 — Figures Prove Year’s Dryness

CAA Records Show 2.77 Inches Rain

Between midnight Tuesday and 10:30 Wednesday morning. .55 of an inch of rain fell in Redmond — this amount being one-fifth of the entire year’s total up to November 22. The storm was general from Olympia. Wn., south, covering most of Washington and all of Oregon, the CAA airways station said.

The year 1949 shows every indication of being one of the driest in Redmond’s history, only 2.77 inches of precipitation having been recorded up to November 22, according to a compilation just made by L. E. Davis, in charge of the CAA airways communications station.

There have been three months, June, July and August, with no measurable rainfall whatsoever, and up to November 22, the present month was without precipitation.

A total of 11.4 inches of precipitation occurred from January 1 to November 22, 1948, more than four times this year’s 2.77 inches it is indicated by the CAA’s weather record.

June, July, August and November to date are the only months …

Chamber Warned About Near East

Dr. Gulley Explains Refugee Problem

If the 800,000 refugees in the Palestine area aren’t taken care of the situation may result in armed conflict that could well be world-wide, members of Redmond chamber of commerce were advised Tuesday by Dr. Emmett Gulley, of the American Friends Service committee. That is why the United States is vitally concerned with what happens, he said.

The government of Israel won’t sign a treaty with the Arabs until the refugee problem is settled, he explained, and the Arabs won’t: sign, either, until it is settled. Meanwhile, said Dr. Gulley, both sides are furiously building up their armies.

Dr. Gulley returned from Palestine last summer, where he was in charge of caring for about a third of these refugees for the United Nations through the American Friends organization.

Most of the refugees, he explained, are living on the bare desert, and those his organization was trying to help were cut off from supplies by a territory occupied by the Egyptian army. He tried to picture for the chamber the tremendous problem of trying to supply about 300,000 people under such circumstances.

Dr. Gulley said he talked to heads of the Near East governments and found these men sympathetic in their talk, but short on action. When he reminded them they were dealing with human beings, they said “we agree with you in principle.” He explained, “In political language that means they won’t do anything about it.”

Rev. Wesley Baker introduced Dr. Gulley, who made an address last evening at the Community church. The speaker is well known in the state, having been president of the Quaker Pacific College at Newberg.

50 Years Ago

Nov. 27, 1974 — Powell Butte keeps postal facility ‘as is’

Congressman Al Ullman announced Friday that the U.S. Post Office in Powell Butte will remain in service, and that a new postmaster is to be appointed for the facility.

With the retirement of former postmaster Edgar Peterson last August, the U.S. Postal Service began a review of the Powell Butte post office and its delivery area.

The review sparked speculation that the facility might be closed down or its level of service reduced.

“This simply is not true,” Ullman said. “I have had a formal commitment from the postal service that the Powell Butte office will remain in operation, and that a new postmaster is to be selected.

Libraries declare amnesty on fines

Amnesty has been declared on fines for all overdue books by the public libraries of this area.

Included are all delinquent books from the Redmond Public Library, Sisters Public Library, Deschutes County Library, Jefferson County Library and Central Oregon Community College Library.

No charge will be levied on any volume returned between Sunday. Dec. 1, and Saturday, Dec. 7, no matter how long overdue it may be.

During the fine-free week, overdue books may be returned to any of the cooperating libraries, even if the volumes originally were borrowed from another of the libraries involved. For example, Redmond persons may find it easier to return COCC books to the Redmond library.

25 Years Ago

Nov. 24, 1999 — Theft leads to windfall for shelter

Shelter gets four times the cans

The Redmond Animal Shelter’s loss has turned into a gain.

Early last week someone cut the lock on a kennel at the Redmond Animal Shelter on SE Sisters Avenue and made off with more than 15 bags of recyclable cans the Humane Society of Redmond was collecting to raise money.

“They took everything,” said Jamie Kanski, the society’s executive director, from beverage cans with redemption value to empty pet food cans with value only to the shelter. With a receipt from the recycling depot, Friskies and Alcoa will make a donation to the animal shelter.

Many of the cans had been collected by students at both Redmond middle schools and by members of local service clubs, Kansk said.

“It’s pretty sad that someone had to resort to that (theft),” she said. Things looked bleak, as the deadline to turn in the cans and qualify for a $3,000 matching grant is Nov. 30.

But the response from the community has been “unbelievable,” Kanski said Monday. “We have three or four times as many (cans) as before.”

And “thanks to great community support,” the shelter should qualify for the grant, she said.

New support shows for skateboard park

The Redmond Area Skaters have taken a big step toward building a skate park in Redmond, which they hope to have completed by the fall 2000.

The Robert W. Chandler II Fund awarded RAS a grant of $12,000 and the F.J. Hodecker Family Fund awarded a grant of $3,000.

Both funds are part of the Oregon Community Foundation that manages charitable funds donated to enhance the quality of life in their communities.

With the grants, RAS has raised about $20,000, including a $1,500 donation from the county and money earned through car washes, hotdog sales and donations. Counting in-kind donations, and land on which the city has agreed to allow the skate park, the total comes to nearly $40,000.

Redmond architect Fred Becker has donated his time and skills to the project, according to Pat Minney, an adult member of RAS. Becker’s donation is worth about $15,000, she said.

The land made available through the city is valued at $4,000, according to RAS.

Plans for the skate park should be completed by the end of December, said Jim Smith, another adult involved with RAS. Once the plans are completed, the group will know what it needs in terms of in-kind donations.

“It’s not a shortage of people who want to help, Smith said. He noted that once the design is done the group will know better how volunteers can help.

“Once they are finished we will be able to get more specific.”

RAS has also applied to the Jeld-Wen Foundation for a grant, and to the Redmond Kiwanis for support.

The skate park will cost an estimated $150,000 to $175,000 to build. But the final cost of the facility will depend on how much donated labor and material goes into the project. It will be built on a vacant lot at the corner of Antler and 15th in the Dry Canyon near the Spud Bowl.

Redmond Area Skaters is a group of youths and adults who support skate boarding in Redmond and have worked for several years to secure a site and funding for a skate park.

RAS got approval from the City Council in March to build the skate park on the lot.