24 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER November 2021
Solo sisters
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was so grateful to this singles group , that I decided to co-chair the planning committee with my friend Deanna Morgan because I wanted to be sure other single women had the chance I had when I arrived alone in Charbonneau . The group is enjoying astounding success ! We have added almost 20 people to the roster during our tenure ! Our events are being better attended in 2021 than they were in 2019 ( no Solo Sisters in 2020 ). Imagine if there had been no pandemic , we might have doubled that attendance !
The year is beginning to wind down . In September , Solo Sisters met in the Pavilion and enjoyed a baked potato and salad bar , followed by a rousing games night . In October , we will enjoy a chili night in the card room followed by a surprise program ( surprise because we haven ’ t planned it yet )! After skipping November , we will hold our annual Holiday Party in the beautifully decorated fireplace room , where we will show each other how grateful we are for the many friends we have made . If you are a single woman , living in Charbonneau and looking for a diverse group of women to become friends with , we would like to welcome you into our Solo Sisters singles group . Please send your contact information to Deanna Morgan at deannamorgan @ gmail . com , and you will be added to our roster and will be invited to our next event . I hope to see you there !
NWREC
By MIKE BONDI
Harvest Dinner returns to NWREC
The annual Harvest Dinner at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center ( NWREC ) has been a tradition for the past 10 years . The 2020 event had to be a remote Zoom program due to COV- ID-19 . But the 2021 edition returned to the lawn at NWREC on Oct . 1 for an in-person Harvest Dinner .
“ This year ’ s Harvest Dinner was different ,” said NWREC Director Mike Bondi . “ We limited attendance to 50 % of our normal attendance , required face coverings at the outdoor event , spread out our guests with fewer people at each table and served all food in to-go boxes to minimize handling and ensure safety .” About 130 attended the Harvest Dinner . “ The goal was to reconnect people and describe plans to reopen the facility to the public in the coming weeks ,” Mike said . “ Also , we were very excited to share news of important developments at the center over the past year-and-a-half , despite the pandemic and its many impacts .”
The news shared with the community at this year ’ s Harvest Dinner included :
■ $ 500,000 private gift to remodel the main office building and create a wireless network for the entire farm to enable field data collection and to remotely control irrigation that will use environmental monitoring to minimize water usage .
■ Establishment of an endowment to support summer student work experiences for high school and college students working in the berry program .
■ College infrastructure funding to build three new state-of-the-art laboratories for plant , soil and molecular research , a new drying facility for plant tissue research , and the renovation of the main office building ’ s HVAC system to be in compliance with OSHA CO- VID-19 safety protocols .
Finally , this year ’ s Harvest Dinner recognized the retirement of three faculty members who will complete their careers at the end of this year : Bernadine Strik , OSU ’ s berry crops extension specialist , Chal Landgren , OSU ’ s Christmas tree extension specialist , and Mike Bondi , NWREC ’ s director .
Together these faculty have provided service to the agricultural and natural resource communities in Oregon , collectively , for nearly 125 years . A short video montage of this year ’ s Harvest Dinner can be found on the NWREC website at https :// agsci . oregonstate . edu / nwrec .
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