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McMinnville wraps up weekend of fun

Special Reports | Sat, 07/11/2009 - 2:33 pm | Read 4417 | Commented 14 | Emailed 0
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See an additional video about the Artists' Village at Who's On Third?

NewsRegister.com reporter Hannah Hoffman blogs throughout McMinnville's big three-day weekend.

Saturday
1:24 p.m.: The lunch rush for turkey was still in full swing. Ken Privatsky, who was in charge of cooking the turkeys, said members of the Elks Lodge had been barbecuing all 800 birds since 11 p.m. the night before. The food will continue to be served until 7 p.m. tonight. The birds were purchased from Foster Farms in California.

1:00 p.m.: Second Winds Community Band begins its concert for Turkey Rama in Wortman Park. Among the songs they played were "Come Fly With Me," "Ghostbusters" and "Sousa Scramble."

12:24 p.m.: Off to check out Wortman Park and Turkey Rama!

12:15 p.m.: Bryce Anderson, 10, and his brother Tomy, 8, enjoyed meeting Skye, a red-tailed hawk. He is owned by Cathi Wright, and is part of the "Wild on Wildlife" display in the children's area. At 1:15 p.m., the screech owl will come out to visit. Wright also has a falcon. The Anderson brothers were enthusiastic about the whole thing. Bryce said Skye looked like he belonged on the Discovery Channel, and Tomy said, "I like hawks." Both have seen them in the wild, as they are native to Oregon.

12:01 p.m.: The Frank Messina Big Band packs up after finishing their performance on the main stage on Third Street. Various musical acts and performances use the stage throughout the festival. They have included a patriotic band, a Andean band and even a karate demonstration. (That wasn't musical.)

Friday
3:25 p.m. I talked with artists Doug Roy, John Casey and Kathleen Buck. This year all the artists are grouped together in an "artists' village." Sales haven't been great so far, but many are taking the opportunity to work on some of their projects. For more on these artists and their work, see our video section.

3:07 p.m. Miles Briggs, 4, gives me a tour of the reptiles he has met at Hart's Reptile World. His favorite is the iguana, but he noticed that the scorpion was trying to escape the aquarium and said the tarantula appeared to be hiding. Tent manager Mike Brown, who works for Hart's outside of Canby, Ore., said the company brought about 50 animals (mostly reptiles) to Who's on Third. His favorite is Fluffy, the 12-foot, 105 lb, Burmese python.

2:12 p.m. Karishma Prakash of the Seventh Day Adventist Church sits inside "Noah's Ark" and tells the story and hands out animal stickers to kids who visit. The ark is filled with stuffed animals and the church offers books and CDs for the adults as well.

1:53 p.m. While finishing my sample from the Golden Grill, I met Linda Anderson and Sydney Leneve. Linda, of McMinnville, was enjoying a plate of ribs and some curly fries (excellent) and Sydney, visiting from Kansas, was eating a Greek-inspired chicken gyro. The food court really has something for everyone. Linda said she likes the way the street fair is laid out this year, with food grouped together and the Green Zone in one place.

1:50 p.m. The lunch rush was kind to the Golden Grill, which serves Hawaiian food in the food court area. Owner Gina Dankenbring, who has been working all day with her husband and son, said business was good and so was the weather. She let me sample the booth's most popular dish, Hawaiian chicken and noodles. The chicken is marinated in a lemon teriyaki sauce, which has a lot of flavor. She wouldn't tell me the ingredients in the noodles though. "I can't give away all my secrets," she said. Eat it with a big glass of water though, because it's pretty salty!

12:57 p.m.: The "Beautiful Flute" band performs Andean music outside the Los Molcajetes restaurant while customers eat lunch. CDs are on sale for $5.

12:55 p.m.: Ellie, 5, of McMinnville gets a butterfly painted on her cheek at the face painting booth. (Donations accepted.)

12:52 p.m.: The News-Register has officially given away six free subscriptions.

12:49 p.m.: Gary Johnson, Ian Harrison and Sadie (a German Shepherd) have given away about 200 baby Canadian spruce and Scotch pine tree so far for the Green Builders Guild. Their booth is part of the "Green Zone" at the east end of Third Street.

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Comments (14)

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Wed, 08/05/2009 - 4:59pm - Posted by: Stephanie81

I am so sick of the mistreatment of helpless animals that I think that legislation should be passed to jail these abusers! The woman that drug her dog behind her car to punish it and the poor dog that was chained up with no water and then died after suffering in 102 degree heat was enough to make me sick! Last winter i was driving home in the snow at dark and spotted a young dog around a year old. I went door to door and finally a child around 10 answered the door and said that the pup belonged to them and that his mother had taken the collar off so that someone would take him. He said that they didnt want the dog anymore and had tried to take it to the pound but that the pound wanted money to take the dog and they didnt have the money.
He said that if the dog continued to to stay out in the freezing cold that maybe someone would feel sorry for it and take it home. There has got to be an easier way to return abused animals to the shelter so that they can be re-adopted by good homes. The current system encourages abusers to keep unwanted pets because they are NOT going to pay to "dispose" of their unwanted pet!!

Tue, 07/14/2009 - 3:12pm - Posted by: grin

I hope that some of the organizers see that out of 13 posts that 12 was not in favor of this event. My friend told me that he went and didn't like it so my wife and I didn't attend this year. Maybe those new business owners that spoke up against the old Turkey Rama will have a change of heart and try to get it back, but I doubt it.. OH, here is an idea, don't shop in those business then they will go out of business and we can have the old Turkey Rama back.. Or go to the next meeting of the event and demand the old Turkey Rama back, might change their minds when they see the crowd overfill into the street... It is all up to you, you can complain about it one person at a time on here or you can join together and do something about it.. What do you say???

Tue, 07/14/2009 - 10:37am - Posted by: beautygal73

NativeOregonian,
Nobody is forcing anybody to do anything. We will simply choose not to shop or attend events that smack our values in the face. When did Turkey Rama (I refuse to call it by the other name) become a political event? I've attended for over 15 years and never before have I been asked to sign petitions and join PAC's. Yes they have the right to voice their opinion (thanks to our soldiers who protect their right to voice dissent) but really is a family festival in downtown the place to do it?

You are missing the point all together. Turkey Rama was a tradition to celebrate the success of local Turkey ranchers and farmers. Apparently those agricultural traditions are not progressive enough and aren't the rage anymore. So now we have overpriced wine boothes, expensive fine art, and have moved all the "family" events away from downtown to please the snooty business owners. Clearly the businesses downtown are marketing to the tourists because they obviously don't want local McMinnville citizens to shop there. The "buy local" campaign, and the MDA is simply a front for a political agenda and I think it is going to cost those businesses dearly. I used to enjoy shopping down there but can no longer afford it or stomach it.

The MDA ruined Turkey Rama and you are the only posting on here that say anything to the contrary. Average, ordinary, small town people don't want your progressive agenda shoved down our throats on most days, but certainly not when it comes at the expense of a loved McMinnville tradition......TURKEY RAMA.

Bring it back or shut it down.

Mon, 07/13/2009 - 11:48am - Posted by: NativeOregonian

I've been to many Turkey Ramas, and I honestly don't understand all of the complaining. What are the changes that are getting everyone so upset? The only real change I see is moving the amusement rides.

I wasn't aware that the "traditional values" of McMinnville consisted of excluded those (like the Peacemakers and anti-landfill expansion folks) who have a different opinion than yours. I love how you call those who are exercising a great freedom of our country in gathering signatures by saying they don't value individual property rights, yet you are screaming because the people who run the businesses on 3rd Street don't sell the things you like. If you had your way, you would force those business owners to accept the Turkey Rama that YOU want. What happened to their "individual property rights"? What a hypocrite!

Me and my non-elite family had a very nice time on 3rd Street and with the amusement rides. Get a grip on yourself and enjoy life for a change.

Mon, 07/13/2009 - 11:41am - Posted by: carlrye

check out the Newsrister forum to add your 2 cents. See what others have said.

http://forum.newsregister.com/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=0&Number=4...

Mon, 07/13/2009 - 10:35am - Posted by: Fluer

I am really really disappointed with the whole thing. Either put it back to the fun event it used to be or quit having it. I have lived in McMinnville for 50+ years and have always looked forward to this weekend. Not the last couple of years. The old fun festival has been destroyed and it is so sad.

Sun, 07/12/2009 - 10:45pm - Posted by: dragonfly4

I'd love to see the News Register write an article on how the 'common people' really feel about the new and improved event.

'Turkeys on Third' has a nice ring to it.

Sun, 07/12/2009 - 10:31pm - Posted by: sadmacker

Kuddo's to beautygal73. you said what i was feeling but said it so much better. Thank you.

Sun, 07/12/2009 - 4:55pm - Posted by: McMinnvilleDude

Samasbefore,
Ummm, congratulations, you are the first person to post something positive about the MDA's butchering of Turkey Rama. I wonder if you have really been to Turkey Rama prior, as at no point, ever, did I feel unsafe at past Turkey Ramas. I also wonder if you are one of the folks who chose, despite community objections, to change our local traditions under the guise of "being to crowded". Elitest talk for culling the undesirables, at least according to their definitions. I may not be impressed with all who have shown up at Turkey Rama in the past, but at least I would not be arrogant enough to try and exclude them from future community events, as the MDA is going out of their way to acheive. The response from my friends and family has been universally negative. Not one person I spoke with or who went to "Who's On First" was impressed, and in fact, were disappointed by the arrogance and lack of community understanding of some of the business owners. Businesses whom, by all acounts, are going to get less traffic after this is over. At least from my friends/family. I am not a small business owner, but I can not think of less inopportune time to cut ones own throat as now, in the middle of a deep recession, but apparently, that is what they have done.

Sun, 07/12/2009 - 2:44pm - Posted by: beautygal73

Dear sameasbefore:
Turkey Rama was started many years ago as a way to support the farmers, ranchers, and agricultural community that made McMinnville and Yamhill County so great. It has become glaringly obvious that the only agriculture welcome in town now is the wine industry and the California transplants it brings with them. Turkey Rama used to have affordable attractions that the LOCALS could enjoy and afford. Now with wine vendors, overpriced merchants (who can afford $150 cotton skirt and $95 sandals?), and the artist booths touting their $2000 paintings it is ever apparent to me that they no longer want the locals to be involved. The Chamber of Commerce and the MDA have cut off their nose to spite their own face.
We are McMinnville natives we take pride in this community and the traditional values that it honored. We used to honor our vets, and now they are mocked by the "peacemaker" booth. We used to honor our ranchers, now are newpaper tells us to "eat less meat' and "go green". What is more green than ranching and farmers? We used to value individual property rights and now you have signature gatherers roaming third street trying to get people to vote against the landfill expansion. We used to value families and now the MDA and chamber have moved the family functions of Turkey Rama away from the snooty businesses downtown.
We keep hearing that the downtown merchants didn't like they type of crowd that gathered down there, well that "type" of crowd is the backbone of this community. If they didn't like them, they shouldn't have moved here. The majority of the stores, restaurants and galleries downtown are elitists who think they are bettering the community with their presence. I've talked with many of them and they complain about the "small town" mentality of the people here. Well if they don't like it they should move. Us "small town" people liked it better before they came in, drove up the price of property and imposed their California values on us.
They should return Turkey Rama to it's roots or shut it down all together. The current state of the festival is not serving the purpose, which was to celebrate McMinnville's agricultural and ranching background. Farmers, ranchers and ag professionals should voice their opinion too.

Sun, 07/12/2009 - 12:14pm - Posted by: Sameasbefore

Umm... well maybe for all you people who hate whats going on now and think that "transplants" are responsible for it should talk to people that have businesses on Third St. and people with families who woudn't tak their children down to Turkey Rama because it felt so unsafe, especially the carnival area which was the only part that was really supposed to be set of for the kids! And maybe you should talk to the Chamber who are the ones that decided to not do it last year for whatever reason and so there wasn't going to be a downtown festival of any kind! And maybe rather that sit here talk about how much you hate what is happening, you should get involved and volunteer to help the planning committee for next year. Though I'm not totally in love with the name they have chosen or the way a few of the things are!! I HATED Turkey Rama!!!!! I refused to go, hadn't been in YEARS!!!! And this year I've gone all 3 days with my family and enjoyed lots of family friendly activites and performances!! All of the downtown businesses are really enjoying having their storefronts back so that they can have that area for store merchandise, which as I remember from about 18 years ago was how it used to be!!

Sun, 07/12/2009 - 10:34am - Posted by: sadmacker

As a life long (over 50 years) McMinnvillian it is overwhelmingly upsetting to see McMinnville change for the worse. Did people start movig to Mac because they liked what they saw or because they new they could change things way to easily. Turkey Rama has always been for the fun of the town and a type of yearly thing where McMinnville people could enjoy the fun and festive affairs. This new "Who's on Third" is a disgrace and a joke. If you have lived here all of your life it is extremely hard to see the negative changes happening. Apparently people transplanted here to get away from the mess they were living in so why start changing things to create they same kind of mess. You transplants moved here hopefully because you liked what you saw. If that's the cased then leave things the hell alone. If you moved here to make "your utopia" then find somewhere else. We were happy before you came and will me happy when you go. As far as "Who's on Third" What gives you the right to do to our Turkey Rama that you have done. At what point did McMinnville start being ran for the good of 3rd street and not for the good for everyone.

Sat, 07/11/2009 - 2:15pm - Posted by: oregonatve72

As I talk to more and more people, and read the unanimous negative remarks towards the McMinnville Downtown Association, I would encourage you to email them directly and explain to them your feelings of how they are, uh, changing things. Here is their direct link to their email. I have a feeling though, despite the complaints, they probably do not care enough to admit they are wrong about one of McMinnville's traditions. As a poster wrote below, they will call it a success, even if revenue is down. They may blame it on the recession, but I suspect this is the beginning of the end for Turkey Rama. Please email these folks and express your dismay, as I have. Thanks!

http://www.downtownmcminnville.com/index.php?option=com_contact&task=vie...