What: Oregon Jamboree

Where: Sweet Home, Oregon (Sankey Park area)

When: August 1, 2 & 3, 2008

Who: Country superstars, soon to be superstars and past superstars

Why: Best country music venue in Oregon

This year's Oregon Jamboree offers something for young and old country music fans. From newcomers Kellie Pickler and Rissi Palmer to venerable Glen Campbell, if you like country music, this is a must see event.

Kellie finished sixth on American Idol's fifth season and she will be performing Saturday, August 2. Rissi just released her self-titled album that is moving up the charts is also on Saturday. Glen Campbell (for those elder statesmen out there, like me) finished first as the Rhinestone Cowboy. He is scheduled for Sunday.

Unbelievable would be the way I describe the lineup of stars. Trace Adkins, Joe Nichols, Neal McCoy, Sugarland, Randy Owen, Confederate Railroad, Phil Stacey, Western Underground and Trent Tomlinson. Topping that off is the comedy of Williams and Ree, billed as "The Indian and the White Guy." I have seen these guys and they crack me up. They hit the stage on Friday.

The festival offers camping (both RV and tent), food booths, beer and wine gardens and several special displays. There will also be the Sweet Home Arts & Crafts Festival on Friday and Saturday with sales booths nearby. According to the website, there were still a few (very few) tent and RV sites available. Call them to be sure, 541-367-8800.

You can find out more about the festival by visiting their website at: http://www.oregonjamboree.com/index.asp.

Rocking out with Trace Adkins singing Honky-Tonk Badonkadonk, or holding the tears back with Sugarland's Stay, all in all, this promises to be another unbelievable weekend in Sweet Home.

By the way, this is not the "first" annual event. The Jamboree was a brainchild of the Sweet Home Economic Development Group to help make up for the lost revenue from timber harvest. Sweet Home had always been a logging town and felt the cut back in available harvest in a very real way. This is their 16^th event and they seem to be getting it right year after year.

(Photos are from the Oregon Jamboree website. Top - Glen Campbell, Middle - Williams & Ree, Bottom - Trace Adkins)

Yesterday marked a pretty bleak day for the Eugene economy. For the news, please check out the following news release:

Seoul, July 24, 2008 - Because of short- and long-term market conditions, which include a steep reduction in the price of memory chips worldwide and accelerated technological migration towards next-generation production standards, Hynix Semiconductor Inc. has decided to close its Eugene fabrication facility. The production of the fabrication plant will be eventually stopped by end of September.

As part of the deliberations that led to this shutdown, Hynix Semiconductor Inc., the parent company of Hynix Semiconductor Manufacturing America Inc., is seriously considering options to utilize our Eugene facilities after the closure. Options include pursuing a similar business to the current semiconductor operation; selling the equipment, building and land as a package to a third-party semiconductor manufacturer; and selling the building and land separately from the equipment which will be relocated. As soon as decisions are finalized, the company will communicate plans to the Eugene community and Oregon government leaders.

Hynix Semiconductor Inc. has also reviewed various options in order to utilize other 200mm wafer fabrication plants located in Icheon and Cheongju, Korea. Some are planned either to produce consumer DRAM and System IC products or to provide foundry service. The remainder will be seriously considered to sell the equipment.

About Hynix Semiconductor Inc.

Hynix Semiconductor Inc. (HSI) of Icheon, Korea, is the world's top tier memory semiconductor supplier offering Dynamic Random Access Memory chips ("DRAMs") and Flash memory chips to a wide range of established international customers. The Company's shares are traded on the Korea Stock Exchange, and the Global Depository shares are listed on the Luxemburg Stock Exchange. Further information about Hynix is available at www.hynix.com.

This will mean the loss of 1,100 jobs just at Hynix for the Eugene area. That could also mean loss of up to 2,640 additional jobs figuring that one Hynix job generates an additional 2.4 jobs in the local economy. One of the worst parts of the closure is that Hynix is a "living" wage employer, with many high wage employees. The shake down into the local economy and real estate market could be huge.

(1) "SOLD" statistics include both SOLD and PENDING

(2) Months of Inventory Calculation based on the rate of sales in the previous 90 days.

Albany

• SOLD/Pending (past 90 days) - 198
  • Average price - $212,992
  • Median Sale Price - $194,750
  • Average Days on the Market - 124
  • Average Dollar per Square Foot - $132.28
• Current Active Listings - 486
  • Average Price of Active Listings - $261,837
  • Months of Inventory - 7.36

Corvallis

• SOLD/Pending (past 90 days) - 154
  • Average price - $295,835
  • Median Sale Price - $271,000
  • Average Days on the Market - 108
  • Average Dollar per Square Foot - $166.53
• Current Active Listings - 253
  • Average Price of Active Listings - $343,488
  • Months of Inventory - 4.93

Lebanon

• SOLD/Pending (past 90 days) - 52
  • Average price - $171,001
  • Median Sale Price - $145,600
  • Average Days on the Market - 93
  • Average Dollar per Square Foot - $111.50
• Current Active Listings - 181
  • Average Price of Active Listings - $186,700
  • Months of Inventory - 10.44

Last - Thursday, July 24. Monthly Real Estate Luncheon. Guests will include Ana Norlander (Windermere Willamette Valley); Kelly Gardner (Pinnacle Mortgage); and Brent Norlander (Wells Fargo). Our topic will be FreddieMac and FannieMae, and the current conditions in the lending environment. Let us help you sort out all the hype...and get the right information to make a good decision in today's real estate market.

Upcoming Guests Scheduled:

August

• Saturday, August 2. Tentatively Scheduled-Polly Cappalo (Winderemere) - How to sell your home in a tough market. We'll be talking about creative marketing, home staging, effective pricing strategies, and giving sellers some insights into how to get that SOLD sign in the front yard.
• Thursday, August 7 / Saturday, August 9. Roland Brower (State Farm Insurance) is scheduled to be the guest. Our topics will include home owners insurance, getting the binder during the purchase process, Flood insurance issues, and a general overview of what types of coverage you need. *Encore airing on 9 August.
• Saturday, August 16 - Donna Jo Merrifield (Coldwell Banker Valley Brokers) Understanding the Earnest Money Agreement - what do all the clauses mean? How can you protect yourself and what you NEED to understand before you sign one (either as a buyer OR a seller).
• Thursday, August 21 / Saturday, August 23 - To Be Determined
• Saturday, August 30 - To Be Determined

Upcoming Show topics that I'm working to put together for you in August:

- 1^st Time Home buyer - Down Payment Assistance programs

Have you ever had a client say hi to you in a store, a movie theatre or maybe even a restaurant? Well, I know I have, but the other night one of my past clients scared me pretty darn good just to say hi.

It was 9:30 at night and we were driving down one of the local highways and came to a stop light. I was just looking at the light when out of the darkness came a knock on my window. It seems two cars back was one of my clients and she just wanted to say hi.

I told her, "You scared the crap out of me! You could have just called and said you were behind me!" Nope, she thought it would be more fun to scare good old Todd and say hi and wave to my family.

I'm glad my clients like me enough to want to say hi, but I think in the future I would prefer that they did it at a public place such as a store or a restaurant.

Todd Clark - broker
Kastings & Associates
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)622-8739

Photo courtesy of Cieleke

Vacationing on the Oregon coast is something everyone should experience at least once. When I was younger my mom and dad used to plan camping trips up the coastline starting in the Jedediah Smith redwood forest campground in northern California and then working our way north until we hit the Oregon/Washington border.

Some campgrounds became favorites and we had to include them in every summer trip. Other locations would change so we could experience something new. All of them left lasting memories for my brother and I growing up.

While we will still probably plan another camping trip with our adult son and his girlfriend in the next year or two, the last few years have found us vacationing with aunts, uncles and cousins in a rented house along the coast. Last year it was in the Lincoln City area. This year it is in Manzanita, Oregon.

As I said in a previous post, this is my first stay in Manzanita and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a quaint little town with easy access to the beach and some well known tourist attractions within a short drive. Cannon Beach & Seaside have wonderful shopping to the north and Tillamook (home of Tillamook cheese) is to the south. There are also plenty of other scenic spots to see in either direction as well.

Here in Manzanita we rented a beautifully remodeled home, large enough to sleep ten. This particular home was found on the Sunset Vacation Rentals website but all you have to do is Google Oregon coast vacation rentals to see a slew of options.


Our first day here, just before dusk, we had a visitor (a deer) just wander past the house and on down the road. He didn't seem the least bit concerned at the people gawking or the traffic he was stopping.

Just a block away from the home we are staying in is a great pizza joint with an ice cream/coffee shop right next door. Needless to say this is one of the more popular destinations both in the morning and evening. There are other great shops in town too that include a bakery, a book store, a few gift stores, a health food store, a couple of other coffee shops and more.

The sandy beach provides miles of excellent walking surface as well as plenty of material to create a prize winning sand castle. All in all this is a great vacation spots for the family or for individuals who just want to unwind from the rat race.

I'm proud to be the white trash of the room. I sit there in the corner of this house and do my job. Call me what you will, but I know that my job is more important than what my outside portrays. I have two siblings on each side of me and they are white trash also, but I'm the one that is really green on the inside.

You see, every Wednesday I'm taken out with my sibling to the curb, but unlike my siblings who fill the landfill, I'm filled with recycling that can be reused. I am truly green inside. I'm proud to be the white trash (can) that sits quietly, that looks like all the rest, but it is my green insides that make me the proudest in the room.

So, please don't judge me for being white trash, because on the inside, I'm really helping the environment. Tell your owners that they too can be proud of their white trash if they just remember to be green once a week and look for the items that have the recycling symbol on the bottom.

Todd Clark - broker
Kastings & Associates
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)622-8739

Recycling logo courtesy of scol22

These big city transplants were thrilled to find out about Bambu, a Pan Asian restaurant and wine bar located in South East Medford. On date night, my husband and I love to go out for dinner to try different types of ethnic foods. Bambu is a real find! We've worked our way through their entire menu of pan asian cuisine, and enjoyed every dish with many of the wonderful Southern Oregon wines they serve. Even with a change of ownership since we first started dining there in 2004, they have the same superb chef. Head to this restaurant located in the Larson Creek Plaza at 970 N. Phoenix Road in Medford Oregon for a wonderfully unique dining experience.

See you out there!

Karen Cooper - OR/CA Mortgage Consultant - www.Quality4Loans.com

Scheduled for the third weekend in August, Mill City has announced the date of the Annual "Dog Daze" City-Wide Yard Sale is set for August 16, 2008.

Organizers have set the sign-up deadline for August 12th so sign up today. Applications can be picked up at Mill City's City Hall, 252 SW Cedar St. Individuals will pay $2.00 and business and civic groups pay $5.00 to be included on the map. Approximately 2000 maps are given out the day of the sale.

People come from the all over the canyon and the valley to visit this event. Past years have seen as many as 80 or more yard sales through out the city. A map is available with the locations of all the sales. Each map location let's you know a little snippet about the treasures that await you at that location.

So take advantage of getting your friends together for a little "quality shopping" and you are sure to find a new to you BBQ, bike, school clothes, dining tables and other golden oldies sure to bring back memories. Collectors especially love this event.

For more information or to sign up for Dog Daze, contact Annie at 503-897-3151

If you haven't been to MacLevin's Whole Foods Deli, you have a delightful experience awaiting you. This family owned deli had my Brooklyn New Yorker husband moaning and groaning over the delicacies that took him for a joyous walk down Memory Lane. The menu offerings were like a "big city" neighborhood deli, but right in quaint Historic Downtown Jacksonville Oregon at 150 E California Street.

The MacLevins' story of how they came to Oregon is so similar to our own...and to that of many out of state transplants who have found their way to Southern Oregon to live out their dream. Go down and hear their story, while enjoying some of the magnificent offerings they have on their menu. Just don't go Tuesday or Wednesday, as these are the days they are out enjoying their wonderful lifestyle here.

See you out there!

Karen Cooper - OR/CA Mortgage Consultant - www.Quality4Loans.com

The tour home at Mirada was awarded "Best Value" in its category for 2008 COBA Tour of Homes. I was one of the hosts in the model last weekend and I'm so happy about the feedback we got from attendees. It's wonderful to hear people say things like "We've been to every home in this price range on the tour and yours is by far our favorite." We had other people come through the model and then come back at the end of the day because they thought that our standard amenities were better than those in other homes they looked at.

Our tour home is a 1332 sq. ft. single level floor plan with 3 bedrooms/2 bathrooms. During the tour, the price is $214,900 ($229,900 after the tour) and that includes the following standard amenities:

• 12X12 inch tile countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms
• brushed silver kitchen appliances (excluding fridge)
• hardwood floors in the entry and kitchen
• solid wood doors throughout
• wood baseboard trim
• front landscaping and sprinkler system
• Trane forced air furnace system

You can choose from 5 exterior paint colors and 3 interior packages. The buyer can choose their lot and floor plan and once an offer is accepted it takes about 90 days to build. There are 6 floor plans to choose from ranging from $189,900 to $259,900. Our model will be open this Friday, July 25 from 12-6 and Sat/Sun, July 26-27 from 10:00am-6:00pm. Mirada is located on NE Butler Market Rd. between 27th St. and Eagle Rd. I hope you can stop by!