Philomath appears to be getting a little love, maybe a lot of love, for consideration of an award through a contest orchestrated by The Oregonian/Oregon Live.
A little more than a week ago, the newspaper published a story asking for nominations for “the best small town in Oregon” — one of the categories in The Oregonian’s Readers Choice Awards.
A couple of days ago, the newspaper’s Mims Copeland provided a followup story with how the nominations went and listed seven small cities that are in the running for the distinction — Ashland, Astoria, Jacksonville, Joseph, Philomath, Sisters and Yachats.
“Philomath has a whole lot of fans judging by the number of nominations you sent in,” Mims wrote. “This Willamette Valley spot received more than 10 times the number of nominations that any of the other towns did.”
OK, that sounds promising when it comes to Philomath’s chances. Mims quoted one nomination with the comment, “It’s a great place to live and play!”
For those interested in voting, the poll remains open until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5.
I doubt very much that I need to say much to encourage folks to vote for Philomath, but here’s my quick take on our community:
- Location — Awesome natural surroundings with short drives to popular outdoor attractions, including the Oregon Coast. We have easy access to hiking, biking and wildlife viewing with Marys Peak and Siuslaw National Forest in our backyard. Plus, all types of adventures are possible from wine tasting to farm-to-table dining. There is also easy access to Corvallis when needs found only in a larger city come up.
- History and culture — Philomath’s history runs deep with a strong timber, agriculture and education background. Founded with the establishment of Philomath College, that institution’s main building still stands today and operates as Philomath Museum. Community events like the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo highlight local heritage and bring together residents.
- Volunteerism — The “City of Volunteers” embodies small-town friendliness where neighbors know one another and civic engagement is strong. Many volunteers are involved in the schools, service organizations and other local projects.
- Downtown — A handful of very good restaurants, a popular brewery and various other shops and businesses can be found in the downtown area. This part of town recently underwent a streetscapes project as the city ups its game not only when it comes to long-term revitalization and drawing in visitors but also to create a sense of place for us local residents while fostering civic pride.
- Family — Philomath is a great place to raise a family with a strong public school system and attractive private school options. The Philomath School District has seen strong support in the areas of academics, the arts and athletics. Plus, the city has a good number of parks and recreation opportunities that fit into the pace of life that many of us are seeking.
That was fun to write. I’m sure I missed some great things about Philomath to mention in the preceding list but that’s what came to my mind. Bottom line — we love where we live and of course, Philomath received a vote from the Fuqua family.
2. PYAC receives Nike grant
The Philomath Youth Activities Club received a financial boost recently as a recipient of a $10,000 grant through the Nike Community Impact Fund.
Established 15 years ago by the Oregon Community Foundation, the fund doles out at least $550,000 a year in grants. A quick look at a list of past recipients indicates that the majority of these grants go to organizations in the Portland metro and northern Willamette Valley regions.
Eddie Van Vlack, PYAC’s executive director, said the grant was awarded to Philomath for rural nutrition-related education and activities.
“The grant will be used for nutrition education and cooking classes at the (Clemens) Clubhouse during the school year and weekly at Fun in the Sun through our partnership with Corvallis Environmental Center,” said Sarah Woosley, PYAC associate director and child care director. “The funds also go towards healthy snacks.”
In addition, Woosley said those dollars will help cover staffing expenses related to leading “the children in healthy group games and fun physical activities that promote movement and exercise.”
According to the foundation, the Nike Community Impact Fund “takes a collaborative approach to grant making by partnering with Nike employees to participate in the grant-making process and directly impact the local communities where they live and work.”
3. Sip and Stroll followup
The Philomath Area Chamber of Commerce’s Sip and Stroll event seems to have been a success. The organization’s board president, Lindsey Free, didn’t provide hard numbers but had positive news to report.
“While we may not have had as many vendors or host locations as in previous years, we exceeded past sales for glasses, tumblers and tickets,” Free said.
The event played out over four hours on a Saturday afternoon a couple of weekends ago. The lineup included 11 wineries, three distillers and two breweries.
“Feedback from our vendors and host locations was very positive,” Free said. “They seemed happy with the turnout and the overall energy of the event.”
A portion of the proceeds will go toward supporting the chamber’s Samaritan Awards scholarship recipient, she added.
Free said the chamber thanks everyone who came out for the event and expressed gratitude for the support of sponsors who made the event possible.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
