Three Things: Talkin’ Turkey Bingo, Philomath News anniversary and real estate agent’s videos

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, it’s time to talk turkey.

Following last week’s Christmas Tree Lighting, I ran over to the high school to see how Turkey Bingo was coming along. With two major events going on in town at the same time, I wondered if attendance would be impacted at either site.

The tree lighting in front of the museum actually had one of the better crowds that I’ve seen in recent years. The mild weather probably helped those numbers and unless I’m forgetting, I’d say it might’ve been the best conditions I’ve seen since I first covered the event in 2014. I’ve covered all but one — the exception being in 2019 because my wife was at the hospital giving birth to our youngest son.

Arriving at Turkey Bingo, the parking lot was jammed but I lucked out with a space not far from the front entrance and I walked inside to find that attendance looked good.

“We don’t have details on the number that attended but we can say that it was a very good turnout with a wide range of participants — families of Philomath graduates, high school students’ families, middle school students’ families and supportive community members,” Philomath Middle School Principal Steve Bell said. 

The three-hour window of the event works well for something like bingo — you can come and go whenever you want. Plus, the timing of the Christmas Tree Lighting — I think I was out there for about an hour — allowed folks to play bingo before or after.

So, how much money did it raise for Philomath Middle School’s performing arts program, which includes band, choir and theater?

“Turkey Bingo raised almost $6,000,” Bell said. “It was really great to see folks that were an annual attendee to Turkey Bingo 10 years ago show up and have a good time.”

For me, there were definitely a lot of familiar faces among those who were working the event. PMS teacher Brian Skaar was calling the numbers and I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen anyone else handle those duties since I’ve been around it. Laura Kildea is another person that’s been associated with it from way back when — an organizer in the early years and in charge of the food at this most recent one. Bell has been around it for several years as well along with various other individuals.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, there were a lot of thankful feelings among those involved.

Said Bell, “Many people were thankful for the return of Turkey Bingo and we are thankful for their dedicated support of the middle school performing arts programs.”

By the way, if you noticed a Philomath Fire and Rescue engine in the parking lot, it involved smoke coming from a kiln in the school’s art room. The crew checked for a fire but didn’t find one. The kiln was shut off and smoke cleared using fans.

2. Philomath News enters 5th year

Today marks an important date for me — it was Nov. 30, 2020 when I launched PhilomathNews.com to resume coverage of our community following the shutdown of Philomath Express.

Since the site went live at midnight on that date:

• I’ve posted nearly 7,500 news and sports stories, briefs, galleries and other forms of content.
• I’ve covered well over 100 public meetings to keep an eye on local city and school government.
• I’ve spent countless hours covering sporting events and witnessing the highs and lows of local athletics.
• I’ve seen readership numbers grow substantially through these past 48 months to a level that indicates widespread interest and benefits paying advertisers.
• I’ve attracted interest from others in the online news community who want to replicate my success, done a few radio and podcast interviews and even been fortunate to receive a number of honors and awards.
• Finally, I’ve been able to continue providing news and sports to Philomath because of the ongoing support of those who contribute money. Plain and simple — I wouldn’t be here without that revenue coming in.

So, I’m still here and not planning to go anywhere. My wife has a great job that she enjoys for a company called Personalized Independence, which provides support for adults with disabilities. My adult son, Brandon, lives in Corvallis with his wife, Katelyn, and it’s nice that they’re close. My younger kids are in local schools — my 7-year-old at Clemens Primary School and my 4-year-old (well, he’ll be 5 next week) in the pre-K program at Roots Primary School. And we got ourselves into a house here in Philomath, which we have no intention of giving up.

To keep Philomath News going, I’ve had to create and maintain streams of revenue. I’d rather focus entirely on my reporting and writing, but the money is necessary and it can be a challenge (especially since I’m not a salesman). Plus, the cost of doing business has gone up substantially over the past year.

The only concern at this time involves the ceiling that I’ve apparently hit when it comes to those who contribute through voluntary memberships. Philomath News currently has 270 individuals, families and organizations listed on the Wall of Support. This year, I’ve seen a net gain of only 12 members. I haven’t had a new Pillar member come on board since January 2023. That means that the ongoing support is coming pretty much from the same folks year after year.

So, while I’m thankful that the high majority of the current members choose to continue renewing their annual memberships along with those that pay monthly, it’s important for me to bring in new members. I’ve vowed that I will never put up a paywall at PhilomathNews.com — I want everybody to have access to local news. If you want to help spread the word or if you’re reading this and not a voluntary member, I just ask that you give some thought to contributing with a recurring or one-time payment.

Now, on to a fifth year of covering Philomath. Thank you for the support.

3. Things to do in Philomath

Here in Philomath, I’ve gotten to know several real estate professionals. One is a very good family friend and represented us with our local home purchase, a few others have been advertisers and still others are acquaintances. One of those is Tyler Thomas, someone I first met through his role as an assistant coach with Philomath High’s cross-country and track and field programs. Tyler’s a Philomath guy, grew up here and graduated with the Class of 2009.

Anyway, he came up with an inventive way to communicate with folks who might want to buy in Philomath (or in neighboring towns). He created a YouTube channel called “Living in the Willamette Valley” and one of his videos focuses on things to do in Philomath.

We all have our favorite things to do in town. With young kids in the house, we visit the parks and playgrounds a lot, take advantage of a couple of pretty good kids’ menus at local restaurants, visit the farmers’ market when it’s operating, enjoy special events like the Frolic and Rodeo and also have our go-to places for ice cream (Dairy Queen, Timber Towne Coffee or the little freezer at Philomath Market).

Check out Tyler’s video on his suggestions for things — here’s a quick rundown:

• Outdoor exploration — Parks, hikes and nearby nature areas, with specific mentions of Marys River Park, Philomath City Park, Marys River, Beazell Memorial Forest, Alsea Falls and Marys Peak.
• Wine tasting — Tours and tasting rooms with mentions of Compton Family Wines, Harris Bridge Vineyard, Cardwell Hill Winery and Lumos Wine.
• Philomath Frolic and Rodeo — Rodeo, live music, events and the fireworks show (he has another video showing the fireworks that he shot in 2023 with a drone).
• Philomath Museum — Learning about the region’s history through exhibits with mention of the building’s past as Philomath College.
• Restaurants and Activities — Dining and special events with mentions of Vinwood Taphouse, Eats and Treats, Dizzy Hen, the Woodsman, Dirt Road Brewing and La Rockita for restaurants and Philomath Farmers’ Market, Music in the Park, Sip and Stroll  and Salmon and Jazz Festival as examples of a few events.

He also threw in an “extra” thing to do as visiting nearby Oregon State University.

Tyler’s most watched video? The “Pros and Cons of Living in Corvallis, Oregon” with more than 3,500 views.

(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).