Marcus Larson/News-Register##Square dance caller Leonard Snodgrass calls out each move during the Braids & Braves dance. Snodgrass said he has to plan the calls so couples end up together.

Stopping By: Beyond the call

Braids & Braves square dancers wouldn’t do-si-do without Leonard Snodgrass, the “caller” who tells them when to step forward or back, turn right or left, or spin their partners. “For ...

Marcus Larson/News-Register##Nate and Jennie Ramer partner at a Braids & Braves dance. Four couples form a square that moves according to directions from the caller.

Stopping By: Hip to be square

The music might be “All About That Bass” or a Macklemore song, but the dance moves will still include sashays, pass-throughs and allemande lefts and rights, with a few do-si-dos sprinkled in. ...

Marcus Larson/News-Register##Rhonda Robins poses with the friendly scarecrow she made to resemble her dad, Milt Robins, who loved to garden. His overalls, shirt and glasses adorn the scarecrow.

Stopping By: One of a kin

A very special scarecrow greets visitors to Rhonda Robins’ McMinnville garden. Tall and smiling, the scarecrow resembles her late father, Milt, who joined her mother, Ruth, in starting the garden. ...

Marcus Larson / News-Register##John Castle and Dewdrop in one of Castle’s small greenhouses. He enjoys propogating plants here. Dewdrop likes watching the chickens in the adjacent coop.

Stopping By: Tending the Castle garden

The “grandfather tree,” a venerable Douglas fir so large it would take at least half a dozen children to link their hands around it, stands watch over the Castle place. So do an array of native ...

Rockne Roll/News-Register##Kaylee Williams, right, shows classmate Ashley Dickens her media alert bracelet during recess at Yamhill-Carlton Intermediate School. Kaylee was recently diagnosed with diabetes.

Stopping By: A canine for Kaylee

YAMHILL — Shortly after Kaylee Williams was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, she and her family visited some friends whose daughter also suffers from the disease.  The older girl’s service ...

Marcus Larson/News-Register##Kurt Gibson-Zeigler, who recently joined the ranks of docents at the Evergreen Aviation Museum, shows off a MIG fighter jet similar to the one he flew in India. A Royal Air Force pilot, he spent time 
on an exchange in India that happened to coincide with the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War.

Stopping By: Flying for queen and country

On Dec. 10, 1972, a few days after arriving at his new base in India, Royal Air Force pilot Kurt Gibson-Zeigler heard a sound he’d never expected — the winding blare of a klaxon, just like ...

Marcus Larson/News-Register##Benita Cole and Xena enjoy living in McMinnville, where a sunny bedroom serves as the artist’s studio.

Stopping By: With an artist's eye

Busy with her technology job, artist Benita Cole didn’t paint much for a few years. Then, when she tried again, her paintings didn’t meet her expectations. “I thought I couldn’t ...

Rockne Roll/News-Register##Nadya King, left, and Terra Stein paint in a section of Sepha Nisbet s Witness Tree in the Currents Back Door Studio in McMinnville.

Stopping By: Nurturing creativity

Everyone can be creative, according to Sepha Nisbet, artist, teacher and catalyst for others’ creativity. “I want to spark fire in people,” said Nisbet, who refers to herself as a creative. ...

Rockne Roll/News-Register##Ted and Lynne Desel both attended Linfield College. They returned to McMinnville when Ted became theater director at Linfield. Lynne opened the Linfield Preschool and served as its director.

Stopping By: A full, happy life

Ted and Lynne Desel had demanding schedules when they were working, he as a professor of speech and drama, she as director of the Linfield Preschool. They thought they were busy then. Now that they’re ...

Marcus Larson/News-Register##Marshall “Rocky” Wade, Man of the Year, said he’s enjoyed spending his life in McMinnville. He appreciates the size and beauty of his hometown, and loves its people.

Stopping By: Banking on community

Although he officially retired more than two years ago, former First Federal CEO Rocky Wade remains busy with meetings, mostly associated with boards and organizations. He doesn’t usually wear a ...

Marcus Larson/News-Register##Mary Martin, Woman of the Year, has been a book store owner and Realtor. Now she’s focusing on helping her community and all its residents.

Stopping By: ‘Bridge across a divide’

Mary Martin will tell you she’s no angel, no goody two-shoes. She’ll say, in her very straightforward manner, that the positive things she’s done in McMinnville aren’t that special. ...

Marcus Larson/News-Register##Larry Hood walks along the path that circles through the vineyards on the Evergreen Aviation Museum campus. The paved path is walkable in all weather.

Stopping By: We're walking, yes, indeed

Songwriters know the importance of walking, be it for fun, for breaking up and making up, or for getting and staying fit.  Turn on the radio or YouTube, and it won’t be long before you’re ...

Marcus Larson/News-Register##Teacher Brad Pearson, left, leads yoga poses during a class at 4 Elements. He calls the McMinnville studio “my happy place” where he feels stress-free.

Path to healing

When Brad Pearson relocated to McMinnville three years ago, his body was contorted by stress, his movements were limited, and he had little energy, stamina or hope. “I was a wreck,” he said. Today, ...

Marcus Larson/News-Register##McMinnville High School student body president Maria Martinez, seated on the 2016 senior bench, calls the leadership role challenging but rewarding.

Stopping By: Leading students together

McMinnville High School is a big place, with about 2,200 students in a building that sprawls over more than four city blocks. “It doesn’t feel that big,” though, to Maria Martinez, the ...

Rockne Roll/News-Register##Evergreen Aviation Museum docent Dick Wood spends Thursdays telling visitors about the Spruce Goose. He’s been volunteering since the Goose arrived in McMinnville in pieces in 1993.

Stopping By: Landing in the right place

Aviation enthusiast Dick Wood has a knack for landing in the right place at the right time. The future airline mechanic, private pilot and aviation museum docent was even born in the right place — ...

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