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State's children fare poorly in report
Matriarch's death
spurs grant saving local history
Grant makes good
on Champoeg Promise and more
Celebration
of 1000
Shovels attendees
moving dirt |
Groundbreaking for regional medical facility
Saturday unofficially breaks record |
By Schellene Clendenin, Newberg
Graphic Reporter
E-mail Schellene at sclendenin@eaglenewspapers.com
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Balloons floated on the air, children dug in the dirt with toy
shovels and visitors lined up for free hotdogs, soda and chips. The Newberg High School
pep band — led by composer Carlos Kalmar, conductor of the Oregon Symphony —
played “Washington Post,” by John Phillip Sousa.
Such was the carnival-like atmosphere that surrounded the Celebration of a 1,000
shovels event on a hot Saturday afternoon.
Organizers hoped to attract at least 1,039 people to the event to break the
Guinness Book of World Records record for groundbreaking, set by the Goodyear Tire and
Rubber Factory in Lawton, Okla., in 2001.
When the dust settled at the end of the dig and with an unofficial count of
2,453, they more than succeeded.
“Isn’t it better to be No. 1 in something other than hunger and
unemployment?” asked state Rep. Donna Nelson.
In fact, so many people attended the event that police were concerned about
possible traffic problems after the event concluded.
“This was more than we expected, but we are dealing with it,” said
Sgt. Tim Weaver of the Newberg Police Department. “It was a great turnout.”
Of the people that signed up for the event, most were from the area, but
according to Lisa Scardina, senior coordinator of marketing and public affairs at
Providence, there were some who listed their home towns from as far away as Japan, Brazil
and Skagway, Alaska.
City Council President Bob Larson, said he was amazed at the turnout.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I’m just shocked.
It wasn’t just people from Newberg, Dundee and Sherwood. We ran out of stickers, ran
out of shovels. It’s just unbelievable.”
Newberg resident Marilyn Carte said she was excited to see so many people
turn out for the event. Carte is one of four generations of residents who have utilized
Providence’s services.
“I think it’s good to see so many people turn out to support the
hospital,” she said. “It’s more than community, it’s family.”
The row of brightly decorated shovels attracted Kevin Winterfield and several
friends. Winterfield, 11, and a student at Mountain View Middle School, sported a sticker
bearing the number “737.”
“It’s going to be a nice event,” he said.
Clark Weber, also a 11-year-old MVMS student, agreed. “It’s cool we
beat the record.” Weber said his favorite shovel was one decorated with flags
and eagles.
“It’s pretty cool for people to take time to decorate
shovels,” said Alex Haslett, 10, a student at Mabel Rush Elementary.
More than 150 shovels were decorated for the event by local businesses with
themes like patriotism, holidays and even one decked out in a full police uniform.
In addition to complications with traffic, one other snag that broke up the
day occurred shortly after people began moving away from the dig site.
According to Marcia Williams, regional director of public affairs at
Providence Health Systems, coordinators contracted with a company to put up the truss bar
and platform, with the truss bar elevating the banner. With the unexpected wind and a bar
and platform that were not firmly secured by the company, the wind blew it over.
No one was hurt, she noted, and the other truss bar was immediately lowered
to the ground to ensure the safety of the attendees. |
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From Oct. 1,
2003, Newberg Graphic
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