Marcy Eastham

Just before Halloween, the Christmas tree went up in the Town & Country Realty office here in Corvallis, Oregon. No, we aren't racing the retailers to try and get the holidays here sooner. Rather, we set up the tree because it's time for the annual "Touchdowns for Toys!" program.

Town & Country is the primary sponsor of this campaign to raise funds and collect toys for less fortunate youth in our communities. Last year more than $10,000 in toys and gifts were dontated. We hope to do as well this year!

Each Oregon State University home football game, we tally up the Beaver touchdowns, and make a cash gift to organizations that serve the less fortunate. At the last home game (last Saturday against the University of Washington -- six touchdowns! Go Beavs!) several of our Brokers were positioned at collection points outside Reser Stadium to collect toys and donations. The picture above is just a small part of the many, many toys collected at the game.

We are proud to support Old Mill Center, ABC House, Philomath Youth Activities Center, and the Vina Moses Center.

Special thanks to our co-sponsors: OSU Federal Credit Union, Fidelity National Title, Samaritan Health Services, Corvallis Gazette-Times and Albany Democrat Herald, State Farm Insurance, and Timberhill Athletic Club.

We so appreciate the support of our community members who want to help kids and families in need. If you are in the area and would like to donate toys or make a cash donation, you can do so at our office located at 455 NW Tyler Ave., the corner of 4th and Tyler, though the first week of December. Thanks for caring, and happy early holidays everyone!

Today the sun was out, which always makes a great day for me. We've certainly had a lot of rain over the past week so things are green and beautiful. I had a meeting in Salem, Oregon --about 45 minutes north of Corvallis -- and I took the opportunity to enjoy a leisurely drive along the old highways, enjoying the sunshine and rolling hills.

Taking the back roads cuts the stress of trying to get somewhere because there is so little traffic. You can see wildlife, find interesting farms and landscapes, and feel removed from all the hustle and bustle of the city.

I like taking the Corvallis - Independence highway, slowing through the little town of Buena Vista, and finally passing through the riverfront area of Independence. When I have time to explore, I take the Kings Valley Highway from US Hwy 20 and drive through the Christmas tree farms, towering Douglas firs, and farmland to Monmouth.

Do you travel the back roads, or stick to the freeways for speed?

When we visit the Big Island of Hawai'i, I am always surprised at the number of wild turkeys that have taken up residence in Waikoloa. I didn't think about how the turkey population can explode with few predators.

We would occasionally see turkeys outside Corvallis, near Lewisberg or out near Soap Creek, but hadn't seen the population inside city limits except on rare sightings. Earlier this year, I was surprised to see a flock in my own backyard! Today I had to stop on the way to work because there was a flock just hanging out in the road. The picture to the right is four of the six in the flock.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has taken a number of complaints from residents in Northwest and Southwest Corvallis this year relating to wild turkeys. The turkeys apparently love bird seed, fruit that has fallen from trees, and cracked corn and bread that some individuals have left for them. This results in turkeys hanging out in neighborhoods, scratching and tearing up landscaping and roofs, and generally wreaking turkey-style havoc on the neighborhood. They are actually quite large and loud, especially during breeding season.

ODFW advocates that citizens with turkeys in their neighborhood avoid direct or even inadvertent feeding of the birds. Specifically they recommend:

• Remove all bird food from feeders

• Remove all fallen fruit and nuts from your property

• Refrain from feeding the turkeys food of any sort.

ODFW is williing to issue "haze" permits to homeowners who have problem turkeys in their yards. While they have found that trapping and releasing is an ineffective strategy in keeping the flocks at bay, effective methods include having a dog, motion activitated "scarecrow" sprinklers (works against other animals, too!) and use of lasers dispurses the flocks.

If you have an ongoing problem, you can contact ODFW at (541) 757-4186. Or, they might make interesting guests for Thanksgiving!

Corvallis, Oregon has a vibrant arts community that is anchored by Oregon State University and the Corvallis Arts Center. The Arts Center is located at the corner of 7th and Madison, adjoining Central Park.

The building housing The Arts Center was originally built in 1889 as the Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan. The church was originally located on the corner of 7th and Jefferson Streets, and was moved in 1961 to it's current location. The Arts Center is a great example of gothic revival style, and while the red door and roof in the bell tower clearly show it is no longer a place of worship, it still retains the character of the original church.

Today The Arts Center hosts rotating gallery displays of regional artists' works, holds classes for kids and adults in the basement studios, and has a gallery store in the front of the building. Each holiday season, regional artists participate in a gift shop where wonderful pottery, earrings, paintings and other treasures are available.

The Arts Center is open Tuesday - Saturday from 12 - 5. If you are in Corvallis and would like to support the Arts Center, participate in the "Dine for the Arts" program this month at Fireworks Restaurant & Catering. On November 5, a portion of your tab will be donated to The Arts Center.

Corvallis, Oregon has it's share of four-legged canine companions. You can see them in the backs of pickups, enjoying the scents from the comfort of a car, or purposefully walking their humans to help keep them in shape. Good dogs!

What Corvalis has not had, however, was a fenced-in dedicated dog park. That changed on November 1 when Corvallis Mayor Charlie Tomlinson cut the ribbon on the City's first fully-fenced dog park located at Southwest 3rd & B Avenue. The opening ceremonies for the one-acre park were attended by about 100 humans and their owners pets. (See Corvallis Gazette Times coverage here.)

This is not the first park where local dogs can romp off-leash. Corvallis has long allowed off-leash fun in Chip Ross Park, Crystal Lake Sports Fields/Willamette Park, Bald Hill Park, Walnut Park, and Woodland Meadow Park. Most other Corvallis parks (Corvallis has over 30) require dogs to be on leash and under control at all times. Dogs are prohibited from the following city parks: Central Park, Chintimini Park, Franklin Square Park, Lily Park, and the playground at Washington Park.

Efforts are now underway to fence off a section of the dog park and dedicate it to smaller dogs. The big guys can get kind of wild and crazy, so it seems only fair to give the little guys their own space. If you are interested in donating to help fund this section of the park, contact any branch of OSU Federal Credit Union.

You can learn more about Corvallis Parks - dog and not - by visiting the Corvallis Parks & Recreation website. Happy romping!