In a town steeped in history and community spirit, a new grassroots initiative is quietly growing at Philomath Museum — one conversation at a time.
The Philomath Phellowship was born out of a desire for deeper connection and honest dialogue within the community, said Rose Bricker, who has helped organize the group. Sparked by the limitations of formal meetings — where time constraints, structured agendas and the presence of livestreams sometimes curbed open discussion — the Phellowship offers a relaxed, in-person space for meaningful exchange.
Meeting once a month, the group welcomes all who are interested in building a stronger, more inclusive Philomath. The format is simple — community members gather to introduce themselves, share stories, reflect on personal experiences and engage in thoughtful conversations.
Each session includes light refreshments and often features a “courageous volunteer” who speaks about their life and perspective, sparking discussion that continues into the evening.
“The last part of the gathering is for conversing — reflecting on what was shared, activities that inspire discussion and introspection, sharing of Philomath lore and reflection on how the community has grown and changed,” Bricker said.
The Phellowship’s broader mission aligns with the work of the city of Philomath’s Inclusivity Committee, aiming to foster equity, connection and belonging. By encouraging the exchange of diverse ideas and experiences, the group hopes to identify gaps in understanding and opportunities for collaboration that can strengthen the fabric of the Philomath community.
The next Philomath Phellowship gathering will take place from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, May 15 at Philomath Museum. Organizers encourage anyone interested in learning more or receiving updates to contact philomathphellowship@gmail.com. As the group continues to grow, they are working to find the best day and time to ensure everyone has a seat at the table.
2. Girls basketball team to Cali
Philomath High’s girls basketball team plans to play in an out-of-state tournament this coming season with a late December jaunt down to Southern California. The Warriors will be playing in the Surf City Holiday Classic in Huntington Beach.
For those not familiar, Huntington Beach is located about 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles and has a reputation for its long, sandy beaches, surfing culture and the iconic Huntington Beach Pier. In fact, it’s known as “Surf City USA,” which obviously came into play when organizers were coming up with a name for the tournament.
The team will leave Dec. 26 and see game action on the very same day. The return trip is scheduled for Dec. 30.
“The plan is to fly down the morning of the 26th and play an evening game,” PHS coach Ben Silva said.
Trips that occur beyond the state’s borders require Philomath School Board approval, which came for the team during Thursday’s meeting. School Board Chair Rick Wells had a few questions related to logistics and Superintendent Susan Halliday shared comments that seemed to indicate that PHS may be looking to no longer participate in its traditional holiday tournament at Ketchikan, Alaska, a trip that occurs every other year.
To clarify, Silva said the California tournament is not taking the place of Ketchikan, which has been a traditional trip for the Warriors for several years. The boys first played at Ketchikan clear back in 1999.
Philomath actually played in the Clarke Cochran Christmas Classic just last year, so a trip north wasn’t planned for this coming season anyway. Whether or not PHS returns to Ketchikan in December 2026 remains to be seen.
As for the girls’ trip in December, the team will fly from Portland to Los Angeles and then rent vehicles for the drive to Huntington Beach. In a trip request form, coaches said they are looking at either getting a rental house where the team will stay or perhaps book hotel rooms, whichever option is most cost-effective and convenient.
The PHS girls basketball team is coming off a state runnerup finish at last season’s 4A tournament.
3. Feature profiles local 4-H’er
The Oregon State University Extension Service published a feature story a few days ago spotlighting the fascinating and impressive accomplishments of 4-H’er Kyah Weeber, a name that will likely be familiar to those who follow Philomath High student news.
In a story penned by Grace Xue, an OSU Extension Service communications specialist who includes 4-H among her beats, Weeber’s talents in fashion, mentoring and the culinary arts are highlighted.
The story, “4-H’er blossoms through community service and creativity in sewing and cooking,” delves deep into Weeber’s commitment to 4-H and gets into her family background. Her mother, Leslie Weeber, grew up herself in 4-H and they both have a lot of ribbons and medals to show for it.
“My mom is my role model,” Weeber, a Philomath High senior, told Xue for the story. “I learned how to use the sewing machine from her, and she would always help me make little clothes for my dolls. So, I knew sewing and cooking was something I wanted to do.”
At this year’s Samaritan Awards, Weeber was named the recipient of the Future First Citizen honor, which goes to a volunteer age 18 and younger, Weeber also became the second recipient of the chamber’s Art Helkey Scholarship in the amount of $1,000.
Weeber has been a member of the OSU Extension Service’s 4-H Youth Development Program for nine years. Over this past winter, she represented Oregon 4-H at a national event in Texas.
Back in February, Weeber was still deciding on her college choice to pursue a degree in elementary education but based on this more recent profile, she appears to have settled on George Fox University.
“Kyah is one of those 4-H’ers where you wonder how she handles everything she does — and still does it all at such a high caliber,” Elli Korthuis, program coordinator for 4-H in Benton County, was quoted as saying in the feature story. “She’s serving as a youth mentor and always finds all the ways that she can build others up. I can easily see her being an incredible teacher.”
Click here to read the full story.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
