Sandy Mitchell

On May 3, 2009 the Newberg Fire Department will host the annual pancake breakfast. In light of the current economic conditions and knowing some people in the community are hurting the organizers didn't feel it was appropriate to raise the price of admission and therefore, prices will remain the same as last year:

$6.00 for Adults, $4.00 for seniors, $3.00 for children ages 6-13 and free for those under 6 years of age.

Community businesses are doing their part to contribute this year, helping make the fund-raising event even more affordable for the fire department.

Lil Cooperstown Pub & Grill will provide the pancake mix, Marion County-based Wilcox Farms will provide the shelled eggs, the propane is provided by Blue Flame Gas and the coffee by Caravan Coffee.

As always, the menu will offer Pancakes, eggs, Oktoberfest sausage, juice, mild and coffee. Syrup will be available in sugar free and berry options as well as the traditional maple variety.

Members and honorary members of the fire department and the Volunteer Firefighters association, along with their families, will serve pancakes from 6:30a.m. to 1p.m. at the main fire station located at 414 E. Second St. in Newberg.

The annual fund-raiser is now in its 19 year and benefits the association's activities, primarily the Toy and Joy program, which provides Christmas presents to local need children. The breakfast usually nets $4000 to $5000. Last year more than 1,700 people attended. For more information call 503-537-1230

Sandy Mitchell, Broker/Buyers Agent

sandy@thekellygroup.net 503-502-6408

The Kelly Group, Keller Williams Portland Premier

Source: Newberg Graphic

Yamhill County has long been considered the epicenter of Oregon's $1 billion dollar wine industry and now counts more than 200 of the state's 400 commercial wineries. The growing wine industry is fueled by international demand for pinot noir, Oregon's flagship grape, demand has more than doubled in the past decade.

Over the years, wine enthusiasts have had few options for overnight lodging other than small bed and breakfasts or motels close to the highways. That's all about to change as The Allison is scheduled to open on September 23, 2009, just in time for Oregons wine grape harvest.

The Allison is being birthed on a gentle hill in Northeast Newberg, Oregon. This 85 room Country estate-style Inn is Oregon wine country's first luxury hotel and spa and is well on the way to completion. The Allison has been accepted as a member of Preferred Boutique Hotels, the first Preferred Boutique Hotel in Oregon.

Guests will arrive through seasonal colors-from tulips and daffodils in the spring-to colorful summer annuals and perennials, followed by the brown and red colors of fall and winter. Guests will drive under a covered drivewayand enter the natural stone building where a feast for the senses awaits them. Through the windows, they will see groves of aspen trees, enjoy a crackling fire and hear the comforting sound of a water feature that begins outdoors and continues indoors.

The lobby will repeat the exterior's natural feel with reclaimed limestone floors, slate and a combination of Northwest woods such as black walnut, white oak and douglas fir. Floor to ceiling windows will allow light to pour into the lobby.

Visual senses will be pleasured with sculptures, handmade rugs, built-in window seats and details of etched copper, glass and tile.

The great room or the inn's "living room" adjacent to the lobby and restaurant will feature a massive two-sided stone fireplace and an adjoining 15-seat bar.

Design principal Carol Schaefer said she was inspired by the area's natural surroundings in creating a color palette that draws on the rich farmland legacy and the earthy colors of the nearby wooded hills and vineyards.

The same color palette will be used throughout the inn, including the guest rooms, which will range in size from 500 to 600 square feet, to three 900-square foot suites and one two-bedroom, ultra-deluxe "grand suite" with 1575 square feet.

All rooms will include terraces and balconies, and look out on either the Coast Range or the four acres of pinot noir vines planted and managed by Oregon wine pioneer David Adelsheim.

Rooms prices will start at $295 per night and range as high as $1000 for the "grand suite". Rooms will feature fireplaces, 42 inch flat screen TVs, solid black walnut doors and original artwork.

The on-site spa includes 12 treatment rooms, an indoor swimming pool, fitness center and men's, women's and co-ed lounges.

An 85 seat restaurant offers dining terraces, entrees spiced with herbs and vegetables grown on site and also features a private chef's table, where guests can watch meal preparation.

There will be a large ballroom, a foyer big enough for small trade shows and extensive meeting rooms which are intended to draw a steady flow of wedding and corporate business. The Allison's conference center will be able to host up to 200 for meetings and social events. The ballroom can be reconfigured for smaller meetings and all meeting rooms have access to outdoor terraces.

The Allison was named after a 300-square-mile lake that briefly covered the entire Willamette Valley during the last ice age. Lake Allison was formed when massive ice-age floods washed down from glacial Lake Missoula in Montana. The flood scoured away topsoil from eastern Washington and deposited much of it here in the Willamette Valley, making this a uniquely fertile land that produces an abundance of fruits, nuts, berries and wine grapes. Lake Allison was named for the late Ira Allison, an Oregon State University geologist whose work helped prove the existence of the lake.

The Allison is only one part of this special development, when finished the entire project will include 1,200 homes, a retail village, 50 acres of green spaces including recreational trails for biking an walking, wetlands, streams and a small vineyard. The Allison will be surrounded by extensive gardens, a newly planted forest and Adelsheim's vinyard and will occupy 35 of the nearly 450 acres the Austin family has accumulated in Northwest Newberg over the past 30 years. All of this is the vision of Mrs. Joan Austin who marks this as another step on the way to fulfilling her dream of developing the family's private land into a property that will attract world-wide visitors and provide many amenities for the local community to enjoy.

The Austins were mindful to include green features as well, such as photovoltaic cells on one roof section which will produce nearly 10 percent of The Allison's power. A green roof of soil and various plantings on another section will help retain rainwater on the property

The development has won praise from some of the region's most prominent winemakers because it is entirely within Newberg's urban growth boundary and does not encroach on valuable vineyard land.

Newberg and Yamhill County are privileged to have The Austins live within our community. They have shown their love and care for Newberg numerous times throughout the years through their donations of land to schools, their extensive involvement in the events of the community and now The Allison and when completed, the entire development. This entire project be one more wonderful legacy for the community to remember them by for generations to come.

Sandy Mitchell 503-502-6408

Broker/Buyer's Agent

The Kelly Group, Keller Williams

215 N Blaine

Newberg, Oregon 97132

Dundee Hills Passport Tour:

Saturday and Sunday, April 18th and 19th; members of the Dundee Hills Winegrowers Association will host various tasting events and tours of their establishments during the fourth annual event. (cost varies)

150 Days of Wine in the Valley:

Through Labor Day weekend; Willamette Valley wineries are celebrating Oregon's 150th birthday with a series of wine events and activities for adults and families.

2005 Burgundy:

10:30a.m. Saturday April 18th; blind tasting followed by lunch; Lenne Estate', 18760 NE Laughlin Rd. Yamhill, Oregon 503-956-2256. $55.00 registration required.

The Newberg High School dropout rate for 2007-08 was 2.93% down from 5.2 percent the previous year. This is the lowest rate since statewide reporting began in 1991.

The 2007-08 dropout rate reflects the first year Newberg students were in small schools; rates from previous years reflected a comprehensive high school.

Principals and counselors attribute the decline in the number of dropouts to personalization in small schools. School Principal Carol Campbell states; "small school students are known well and we track individual students who are at risk." She adds that relationships formed with school staff members contribute to interventions with students before they drop out. High school students are also benefiting from improved options for credit recovery and alternative school programs. Improved reporting practices also contribute to the decline in dropouts.

Full Day Kindergarten To Be Offered at Crater, Mabel Rush Schools

Full-day kindergarten programs will be held at Antonia Crater and Mabel Rush Elementary School beginning next September. A waiting list for a third full-day program at Joan Austin Elementary has been established a lottery held April 1st established program locations and determined student placement in the program.

The school district is continuing to accept applications for the tuition-based full day kindergarten program. Half-day kindergarten is offered at all six district elementary schools. Parents interested in a full-day program for incoming kindergarten students are encouraged to contact the school district office for more information.

Middle School Students Help Make Miracles

Mountain View and Chehalem Valley Middle School student leadership groups are partnering with Chehalem Park and Recreation Department to sponsor a dance in honor of the children at Doernbecher Children's hospital. The dance will be held at Mountain View Middle School from 7-9 p.m. instead of the Armory as previously scheduled. All proceeds will benefit kids Making Miracles for Doernbecher.

For more information contact Claudia Stewart, APR, Communication Specialist at the Newberg Public Schools. (Source)

ULTIMATE OPEN HOUSE NEW HOME TOUR

This is the third annual tour for the

Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland.

For the first time it will include Pearl District Condos.

Fifty-three single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums from simple to swank will be open with properties ranging in price from $162,000 to $1,999,000.

The free tour takes place April 18-19 and April 25-26, from 10:00a.m. to 6:00p.m. daily.

For more information, see the April 18th Ultimate Open House special section in the Oregonian as well as coverage in the Sunday Homes & Rentals section April 19th.

ABC"S of Homebuying

The Open Door Counseling Center offers a free, HUD-Certified class from 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. Sunday April 19th at the Beaverton Community Center, located at 12350 S.W. Fifth St. To register, call Joan Perry at 503-748-0412 or visit http://www.opendoorcc.net

Sandy Mitchell

The Kelly Group, Keller Williams

503-502-6408