A coronation to celebrate the reigns of the incoming Philomath Frolic and Rodeo and Benton County Fair and Rodeo queens is coming up Feb. 10 with an event that doubles as an important fundraiser.
The coronation, held at the Benton County Event Center Auditorium at the fairgrounds, begins at 5 p.m. with dinner served at 6 p.m. Catered by Eats and Treats out of Philomath, the event will have a “cowboy Valentine” theme. A silent auction, live auction and line dancing lessons provided by an Oregon State group are also a part of the evening.
The 2024 queens are Katie Kilcullen for the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo and Naomi Bailey for the Benton County Fair and Rodeo.
Kilcullen, a junior at Elmira High School, earned her first rodeo queen title.
“From before I could walk, I was horse crazy of course, however, I have been participating in equestrian events for about six years now,” Kilcullen said. “I used to barrel race pretty competitively, however, now my main focus is cattle events such as sorting and cutting along with ranch/trail equitation.”
Kilcullen and Seven, a palomino gelding, have competed in several equitation shows and with the high school’s equestrian team.
“I look forward to continuing to connect with the amazing Philomath community this year and grow so many relationships,” Kilcullen said.
Bailey, who attends Oregon State University as a biology pre-veterinary student, said she plans to dedicate her reign to two things — youth agricultural programs and promotion of the American mustang.
“I am going to work towards the education of my community’s youth by visiting local schools to talk with students about the types of agricultural involvement that are available to them … To gain interest from today’s youth is to support the agricultural economy of tomorrow.”
As for the American mustang, she said the wild population grows 15% to 20% annually and holding pens do not represent a cost-effective or realistic permanent solution.
“One solution is to raise the general public’s opinion of the breed and to gain interest in ownership of the breed,” she said. “They are incredibly versatile and my rodeo horse, Ochoco, is one of them. The breed deserves a chance and I hope to help give them that by displaying them in the positive light that they deserve.”
Tickets, which can be purchased online, are $25 per person or $250 for a VIP table, which includes premium seating and a bottle of wine. Limited tickets will also be available at the door for $30.
2. Oak Creek evacuation route
The images coming out of Paradise, California, during a fast-moving wildfire in 2018 were difficult to view. According to a Los Angeles Times article, up to 27,000 residents trying to escape the flames instead were stuck in traffic. Some died in their cars.
In rural Oak Creek Valley northwest of Corvallis, 1,300 residents and visitors have only Oak Creek Drive to get in and out of the community. Residents living in the community, which is surrounded by dense woodlands, want to avoid the possibility of a Paradise-type situation with their vulnerability to wildfire. So, they approached Benton County about coming up with a solution.
Through a collaborative effort, those folks now have a new wildfire evacuation route. And it could ultimately save lives.
Bryan Lee, Benton County emergency manager, realized the urgency of the situation.
“We often hear wildfire will never happen here, it can’t happen, it can’t burn down Corvallis, there’s too much moisture,” Lee said during a Jan. 24 event that recognized the accomplishment. “But what we’re seeing, of course, with the change in climate in general is that this is becoming our reality.”
The Benton County Commissioners, along with public works and emergency management, teamed up with key partners such as the Corvallis Rural Fire Protection District, Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon State University, city of Corvallis, and the Benton County Community Foundation.
Over the past two years, a comprehensive solution was developed, culminating in the completion of the Oak Creek Evacuation Route.
The collaboration included Oregon State University to establish a limited-use service road through its Sheep Center property. The new route connects Northwest Oak Creek Drive with Northwest Ponderosa Avenue, providing an alternative exit path for residents in the event of a mass evacuation. The gravel road is accessible to regular-sized vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.
Perhaps similar efforts could apply to areas in other parts of rural Benton County.
“As we move forward, we want to take the nuggets and lessons learned from this effort and apply them to other communities and actually make it a model for other areas and other counties because this same challenge that we’re facing here in Oak Creek is modeled everywhere else,” Lee said.
State Senator Sara Gelser Blouin (D-Corvallis) was among those recognized during the Jan. 24 event for her role in securing funding through the American Rescue Plan Act to be used toward the project.
“This is a project that happened because people wrote to their commissioners, their university, their fire protection district, their legislators, so keep sending all of those letters,” she said.
3. Dirt Road Brewery expansion
Dirt Road Brewery owner Chuck Cox has seen a great deal of success in Philomath with his brewing operation, which includes a taphouse on the corner of Main and North 13th. Cox has been busy with expansion plans, part of which can be seen in a current site design review application with the city.
According to the application, Cox wants to construct a metal building and patio structure. Filed under Cox’s Blind Dog Properties, the paperwork shows this addition to be located on the east side of 13th in an area behind the current building and an alleyway. The area is currently used for parking.
“The structure is intended to house brewing operations and to allow for customer seating,” the application reads.
The building will be 55-by-60 feet with the patio seating area measuring 55-by-20 feet.
This addition is just one part of Cox’s plans to improve and expand the Dirt Road Brewing footprint at this prime spot. Perhaps there’s opposition that I don’t know about but on the surface it seems to make sense not only from a business standpoint, but to create an even more attractive option in the downtown area as the streetscapes project progresses.
Anyone who wants their viewpoints to be included in the city’s decision-making process can send their comments via email by 5 p.m. Feb. 12 to Chase Burghgrave, the city’s associate planner. See the notice of application paperwork on the city’s website.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
