In response to a city councilor’s comments during a Philomath Finance and Administration meeting, the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo’s board of directors issued a press release earlier this week to clarify a situation involving a flag that appeared in the rodeo arena and parade this past summer.
Before getting into the meeting comments and the response, let’s go back to how this all started.
J. Christopher Kilcullen, a police officer in Eugene, was killed in the line of duty back in 2011. As a show of support for law enforcement, the “thin blue line” American flag caught on about 10 years ago as a way to pay tribute to fallen officers.
The flag was displayed on the first two nights of the rodeo when Katie Kilcullen, this year’s Philomath Frolic and Rodeo queen, was introduced to the crowd. The Frolic and Rodeo’s flag team also carried the flag in the Grand Parade.
Sweet and heartfelt tribute, right? A show of support and remembrance for the dad Katie lost when she was a little girl.
Well, it’s not that simple and I’m sure some of you realize where this is headed. The thin blue line flag in recent years has become a symbol of white supremacy with appearances at rallies and in protests and has been associated with those opposing the Black Lives Matter movement.
After the flag’s appearance in the parade, a longtime Philomath resident voiced disapproval to City Councilor Christopher McMorran of its use considering how it has become a symbol of exclusion. Taking the issue to the city’s Inclusivity Committee so it could work with the Frolic was suggested “to ensure that future events reflect the values of inclusivity and respect that our town upholds.”
McMorran brought the issue to the Inclusivity Committee in July and the matter was discussed with a decision to ask the resident to contact the Frolic with those concerns. Chris Workman, who is the city manager and also a Frolic committee member, was at the meeting. Speaking with his Frolic hat on, he shared his views on freedom of expression.
The message: “The Frolic and Rodeo is not going to take a stance on which flags can and can’t be flown.”
A mention of the Nazi flag came up as an example of a controversial image and ended up in a headline and basis of a story published this week by another newspaper.
Alyssa Collins, the Frolic board’s vice president, wrote in the press release that the board “stands in support of the comments Mr. Workman made concerning freedom of expression.”
Then last month at a Finance and Administration Committee meeting during a discussion on grants to be awarded out of Transient Lodging Tax revenue, City Councilor Jessica Andrade said she believes the city should exclude the Frolic and Rodeo from consideration “until they can have a discussion to answer to some of the comments made by a board member” — that being a reference to Workman’s freedom of expression comments which included, “The Frolic and Rodeo’s not going to censor what flags are being flown in the parade whether that be a Pride flag, a Nazi flag — if you want to fly a flag, it’s your First Amendment right to fly a flag in a parade.”
Said Andrade, “I think it’s important that we support organizations that clearly make strides towards the city’s values, which include diversity, equity, inclusion among other things of course.”
A portion of TLT funds are set aside to go to organizations that support tourism-related activities. Of course, the Frolic and Rodeo has more of an impact on Philomath as a tourism-related activity than anything else in town.
So, that brings us to the recent press release, which reviews in detail the flag issue and the circumstances, a show of support for Workman and to state that the Frolic’s mission is “to be a family-oriented entertainment organization focused on the traditions on which the community was founded, namely our Western heritage and the logging industry. We plan, carry out and support events which reflect the contemporary interests of our community while promoting volunteerism, public involvement and a love for learning throughout the region. We are committed to the principle that every individual brings value to our organization. We recognize the value of diverse backgrounds and identities and celebrate the common interests we all work to achieve.”
The Frolic and Rodeo’s board added that it does not exist to make political statements or take stances on social issues and will continue to allow different viewpoints to be expressed in the parade, even if they happen to contradict its own organization’s values.
“Regardless of intent or impact, the Frolic and Rodeo will not sensor individuals’ or groups’ desire to express themselves in a legal, positive manner,” the release stated.
The City Council will take up grant funding at its meeting this coming Monday at City Hall. According to the meeting’s agenda and packet, funding recommendations that ended up coming out of the Finance and Administration Committee included $15,000 to the Frolic and Rodeo along with $1,500 each to the Benton County Historical Society and Philomath Area Chamber of Commerce.
READ AND LISTEN • Read the letter written by a Philomath resident
• Watch the July 23 Inclusivity Committee meeting
• Watch the Sept. 18 Finance and Administration meeting
• Read the press release from the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo’s Board of Directors
2. Turkey Bingo is back
During a School Board meeting Thursday night, Philomath Middle School Principal Steve Bell announced the return of Turkey Bingo, a fundraiser that had become very popular in the years before the pandemic in support of Outdoor School, a weeklong nature-focused program for sixth graders.
Turkey Bingo will be offered in the Philomath High School auditorium on the evening of Nov. 22 — the Friday before Thanksgiving.
Outdoor School started to receive funds through a measure approved by voters back in 2016 so the money raised at Turkey Bingo went into an account to help support other middle school programs. With its rebirth next month, Bell said money raised will go to support performing arts (band, choir and theater).
The last time Turkey Bingo was held in 2020, it was in its 16th year. More than 500 people showed up that evening to play, eat dinner and bid on silent auction baskets. The event raised over $5,000.
3. Geographic features renamed
Earlier this month, I received an email from Oregon Black Pioneers with news that two geographic features in the state received approval to be renamed. This is something I wrote about a couple of years ago.
Last month, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names officially approved proposals to change the name of Negro Jack Creek in Tillamook County to Jack Creek, and the name of Negro Creek in Douglas County to Triple Nickles Creek. Both names have been changed in the Geographic Names Information System, and federal maps will be updated as their revision cycles come up.
Triple Nickles Creek honors the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, a segregated all-Black Army unit created during WWII. Popularly known as the Triple Nickles, the 555th trained as smokejumpers to put out remote wildfires in Oregon caused by Japanese balloon bombs.
Some of you might recall that in 2022 at the Quilts of Valor event at Philomath Scout Lodge, Robert Bartlett, a Vietnam Era veteran and son of a World War II veteran from Spokane, Washington, gave a presentation on the Triple Nickles. You can watch video of that presentation here.
Jack Creek honors a man known only as “Jack” who lived alone in a remote cabin in the Tillamook County forest in the 1890s. The complete identity of the man remains unknown.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
