Go for the gold

If you need motivation to clean out your jewelry box or junk drawer, here it is.

Dave Spalding of Timmreck & McNicol Jewelers is collecting scrap gold. He plans to take it with him when he attends the Independent Jewelers Organization’s semi-annual show in Charlotte, N.C., the third week in July.

Fellow IJO members will refine the gold and donate it to Charlotte-based Jeff Gordon Foundation, which is dedicated to fighting pediatric cancer.

Spalding told me the IJO moves its shows around the country. It adopts a charity operating near each site as a beneficiary.

Recently, IJO was able to pay for the training of two guide dogs paired with veterans blinded while serving their country. The group’s goal for the Charlotte show is $25,000, and organizers fully expect to meet it.

Timmreck & McNicol, located at 428 N.E. Third St. in downtown McMinnville, also maintains a charity jar. Certain services are performed in exchange for a donation, which typically nets about $300 a month for local charities.

Customers also may turn in the gold for cash or use it as a trade.

Styring Vineyards, 19960 N.E. Ribbon Ridge Road in Newberg, received the first David Lett Award for its 2006 Wit Reserve Pinot Noir. The honor is reserved for the best pinot noir in the state, as judged at the 2009 NorthWest Wine Summit.

The six-year-old, family-run Willamette Valley winery also took home two gold medals, one for the 2006 Wit and the other for its 2006 Premier Estate Pinot Noir. 

Fondly known as “Papa Pinot,” Lett was the first to plant the pinot grape in the Willamette Valley in 1965, coming to Oregon with 3,000 baby vines and his own dream. He gained both worldwide attention and respect in 1979, when his 1975 Eyrie Vineyards vintage nearly surpassed one of Burgundy’s best in blind judging in Paris.

Styring Vineyards was established in 2003 by Steve and Kelley Styring, who relocated from suburban Dallas, Texas, to a 40-acre parcel of previously untilled land in the Ribbon Ridge AVA. Private tours and tastings are available by calling 1-503-866-6741. 

Oregon First Community Credit Union has experienced an influx of new members, a significant increase in deposits and a record volume of mortgage and commercial loan originations so far in 2009, according to President and Chief Executive Officer Dal King.

The credit union has added more than 2,000 members in recent months, pushing its total past 36,000. That makes it the largest credit union network in Oregon.

“By design, we chose not to participate in sub-prime mortgage lending and mortgage-backed investments, and it’s paying off with far fewer losses than our peers,” King said. “In addition to record mortgage loan applications, we’re seeing excellent growth in deposits.”

For more information, visit www.oregonfirstccu.org.

“Medical Marijuana in the Workplace” will be the theme of the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce hot topic breakfast set for 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 22, at the Chemeketa Health Science Center, 306 N.E. Norton Lane.

The speaker will be Jerry Gjesvold, a consultant and trainer for companies on the West Coast since 1983. He specializes in policy and procedures related to the management of alcohol and drug problems in business and industry.

The $10 cost includes breakfast. RSVP to Leslie Banke at lbanke@mcminnville.org by Friday, July 17.

The Allison Inn & Spa, due for a September opening in Newberg, has hired Nathan Lockwood as executive chef. Lockwood comes with experience at the Fork and Acquerello restaurants in Northern California and a degree from the Culinary Institute of America. 

He will oversee the inn’s restaurant, Jory. It’s set to open Sept. 24, along with 85 deluxe guestrooms and suites, a signature spa and catering and conference facilities.

General Manager Pierre Zreik said Lockwood has a garden-to-table philosophy that translates into serving the freshest vegetables, fruits and herbs, along with Oregon-grown nuts, poultry and meats and seafood.

Lockwood was raised in a remote area of California, with his family living off the land. He and his wife, Rebecca, are expecting their first child and he wants to return to his roots.

He plans to prepare house-cured salami, prosciutto, sausage and bacon, make jams and marmalades from berries plucked from nearby patches and even process his own pickles on site to accompany rotating sandwich selections. 

Jory, named for the rich vineyard soil in the area, will be open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with the addition of brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. 

The Have it Your Way Foundation and more than 2,300 Burger King restaurants recently partnered with the Muscular Dystrophy Association for the 2009 “Crowns For a Cure” promotion. It raised more than $1.2 million for MDA.

Safeway officials announced the first Freedom from Hunger Food Drive, which will involve all 117 Safeway stores in Oregon and Southwest Washington through July. The drive is a benefit for the Oregon Food Bank and its network affiliates.

Customers can drop off food at any Safeway location. Special Freedom from Hunger displays have been set up at all locations, featuring food items in high demand for local food banks and pantries.

The number of people seeking emergency food boxes has soared during the recent recession, and the summer months provide an increased challenge for local families to obtain healthy and nutritious meals.

The inaugural Discover the Wines of the McMinnville AVA, sponsored by the McMinnville Winegrowers’ Association, will run 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 18, at Yamhill Valley Vineyards, 16250 S.W. Oldsville Road. Activities include a seminar on geology, terroir and viticulture of the AVA, along with winetasting and other elements, at various wineries and vineyards.

Cost is $25 per person. Tickets may be purchased online at www.mcminnvilleava.org.

The next free concert in the Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Tunes on Tuesday series will run 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in Rotary Centennial Park, located at the corner of School and Sherman streets in Newberg. Matt Kirk and Global FM will perform rock music.

A tasting panel for The Wall Street Journal, led by wine expert Hugh Johnson, recently chose the 2007 Big Fire Pinot Noir of R. Stuart & Co. in McMinnville as one of the 12 best wine buys of the year.