Back, and Forth: Finding the fun in the nooks and crannies of Carlton
In my two years in Yamhill County, I have gradually come to appreciate the small joys that make up Carlton. The number of pleasures packed into the downtown of a 2,100-population town is remarkable.
My first memory of Carlton was from around 15 years ago, passing through and being aware that this town was seeing a burgeoning winery presence. I think there were three or four wine bars then — by my count now there are 16, all but three in the town core within five minutes of one another.
Ladd Park in the center of downtown is tiny by some standards but feels large with all it has to offer: the popular outdoor pool (opening this weekend), playground, lawn, room for a musical stage, well-kept basketball courts, and the numerous historical and commemorative plaques, including a nearly hidden time capsule marker.)
The park will be the center of events for Carlton Fun Days, Friday and Saturday, June 23-24.
All these places and more were on display in the June 10 Porklandia festival all around Carlton; restaurants and watering holes served up varied pork and bacon specialties.
As a first-timer to the event, one that prevailed through the buffets of the pandemic, I was not sure what to expect. Clues popped up in bright pink: All around town were three-foot porcine balloons, bobbing in the wind, telling you something was going on, and where. (The pigs’ faces were happy ones; it is a remarkable tradition in American culture that a happy pig serves as the emblem where pork products are served. Do you ever see images of cattle, sheep or chickens with smiles on their faces?)
My stops for Porklandia had to include Blind Pig, a much-transformed tavern that when new ownership took over, happily kept the tap handles made of brass tools, knobs and metal pieces of various shapes, a cool steampunk lineup. I talked with bartender and McMinnville resident Jenny Shaffer, who not only lent elbow grease to the remodel but was mixing drinks on day one of Blind Pig, which happened to be one year to the day of my visit. Yes, there had been a run on the unusual bacon-spiked Bloody Mary that was its Porklandia featured drink.
Blind Pig is one of the many nooks and crannies of Carlton I’ve enjoyed in the last year or so, along with Carlton Corners’ dining room and cozy tap room, and the narrow scenic patio at the Bull Run Distillery tasting room — likely one of the few places you’ll find with a distillery-view directly across the fence to a bucolic city park. Other spaces small and large include the well-curated beer cooler at Park and Main and the lovingly made ice cream at From Another Udder, a nook inside the restaurant-store.
Bucolic does not quite describe the vigorous crosswalk replacement project happening in recent weeks (and scheduled for completion before Fun Days) and Carlton residents will see big changes in the next two years with the planned rerouting of the Highway 47 truck route, as well as a pending hotel project just west of the downtown core.
And, a recent discovery: the wine bars and patio of the North Kutch Building. Lavinea, 40:31 and Celestial Hill are tasting room neighbors on the block. The 40:31 space has pivoted in a pleasant way, with owner Steve Taylor’s artwork still on the walls of the space that had been his eponymous gallery. Bill and Shari Price of 40:31 explained that when they took over the space in February, they asked Taylor to keep some of his art on the walls for its enhancement to enjoyment of the wine. In addition to the cozy tasting room (with nooks and crannies bearing Taylor’s intriguing paintings), the tasting room has a well-shaded patio out front. And it so happens that Celestial Hill is its neighbor in town as well as the vineyard neighbor to 40:31’s “Ten Peaks” vineyard west of McMinnville.
Back on the middle of Main Street at Violet Vines, the newest Carlton winebar, owners Brian and April Zawada revealed another surprising detail that’s kind of an echo of the 40:31-Ten Peaks connection: After taking over the space, the Zawadas learned that several years ago it had also been the tasting room for Noble Pig — the vineyard they purchased six years ago.
In an artistic nod to the land beyond the tasting room, geometric cutouts hanging over the bar to deflect the light are shaped like the nine vineyard blocks that comprise the Zawadas’ vineyard— a surprise touch done by designer Jonny Garrett of Carve Construction of Gaston.
Then there is the airy basement of American Legion Post 173, 158 E. Main St., where on Flag Day the Legionnaires held a flag retirement ceremony on June 14. One new thing I learned about the tradition is Legionnaires asked that flags include tags showing where they were flown. In a culture where flags are flown in many ways and for many reasons, it is gratifying that the Legionnaires pay close attention to Old Glory’s disposition.
On this day, other colors were flying: bean bags, as cornhole was set up outside the entrance. Derick and Tailyn Garcia of Carlton were teaching the game to their son, Ryken, 3. I walked down the ramp to the basement dining room and met Nathan McMullen, vice commander, who was making up some Sonora dogs, a new tradition at the post: a hot dog buried in a capacious bun underneath layers of beans and other toppings. The post this year held Saint Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo events, and wants to host more dances, bingo and other events involving food and music.
McMullen said when he heard about Porklandia, he knew he had to serve Sonora dogs, named for the town in the Mexican state of Jalisco. McMullen, who proudly wore his red U.S. Marines T-shirt, said he was visiting Ace’s Bar in Gaston, where the chef served a Sonora dog to a friend. “It was something special he made, not on the menu, and I said, ‘I gotta do this at Porklandia.’” McMullen is in charge of food for special events, and said the post, which has a certified commercial kitchen just off the dining hall, is working on acquiring a standing permit for events, rather than needing to request individual permits.
McMullen, who is self-trained and loves to cook, said, “It’s great to connect a personal passion to community work.”
Contact Kirby Neumann-Rea at kirby@newsregister.com or 503-687-1291.
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