##(Dec. 12, 1975) Oranges in bags are being sold by JayCees for $1 per bag. Members will be canvassing area door-to-door on Monday. Pictured are Bill Maas, left, and John Youngblutt. JayCees have sold 1100 bags with 700 remaining.

##(Dec. 8, 1965) Monday found the Bazaar Committee of McMinnville First Christian Church busy preparing for Friday’s event, which will be an all day affair in the basement of the church. In addition to numerous Christmas items for sale, there will be morning and afternoon coffee breaks and luncheon will be served. Committee members pictured here are (left to right); Maxine Rice, Lucille McGhehey, Coral Dancer, Thelma Beeler, Alta Fisher, Donna Axtell and Maxine Shields.

##(Dec. 9, 1970) Mrs. Albert Winkler, McMinnville area chairman for the Willamette Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease Association, shows Christmas Seal signature scarf, a gift from the Salem office. Scarf depicts a “townscape” in which designer Jerry Snyder, young California artist, has put together 100 different seals. In a complete sheet of the small seals for use during the holiday season one can find symbols such as the town clock, church doors, the wooden soldier, a parade and “Hi” over a front door.

##(Dec. 9, 1955) Members of VICA, Vocational Industrial Clubs of America, are making plant holders out of metal in order to meet club operational costs. Holders are available at school store. Here, club president Jon Wilder, a junior, puts finishing touches on project.

##(Dec. 8, 1965) Kunnie Hendershott decked this tree with more than 800 eggs trimmed with glitter to create a holiday decoration which reminded viewers of Easter. The tree, viewed by Jim Hartzell and children, was one of many trimmed by members of the McMinnville Women’s Garden Club for their Holiday Inspirations show Sunday

##(Dec. 9, 1960) Officers from the McMinnville State Police detachment, Sgt. Al Cianni (left) and Patrolman Fred Kielhorn, check traffic flow with radar. In the background is a recently installed billboard inferring broadly that motorists should slow down. State Police have promised increased patrols over county highways and greater use of radar in an effort to prevent more accidents and deaths during the remainder of 1960.

##(Dec. 12, 1955) Too busy to pose - these men in the McMinnville Post Office went right ahead with getting the morning’s delivery ready as the Christmas rush of mail was building up this morning. Sorting letters, Christmas cards and other mail at his case is Dean Longfellow, business carrier. Adding another package to the already high stack is Claude Mickey, clerk.

##(Dec. 9, 1955) Easily moved on a hard surface by two men, this 1500-gallon-per-minute pumper is ready to supply water in an emergency. At right are two 40-kilowatt generators which made up part of the shipment to McMinnville Wednesday by the Federal Civil Defense Administration. In center background are smaller generators.

##(Dec. 7, 1955) Dan O. Smith, McMinnville turkeyman, wouldn’t be content with an ordinary hamburger at the Pacific Coast Turkey Exhibit. He goes for turkeyburgers at 20-30 Club booth. Booth also features turkeydogs for the first time this year.

##(Dec. 7, 1955) This group of Carlton Boy Scouts learned what conservation really means when they took part in a tree reforestation program Saturday in the Tillamook Burn. The Scouts taking part in the all-day work session were Robert Laughlin, Jack Williams, Carroll Ritter, Larry Strahle, Robert Tschan, Larry Wasson, George Aheart, Wayne Wiebke, and Larry Wiebke.

Vintage NR/Memory Lane Dec. 12, 2025

10 years ago

-- The McMinnville City Council approved a traffic light for the intersection of Fifth Street and Lafayette Avenue, instead of a roundabout originally favored by staff. Although the roundabout idea had broad support with councilors, the extra $500,000 cost and potential impact on surrounding streets and property ruled it out for them.

-- State officials estimate the total negative impact of the recent closure of Newberg’s WestRock paper mill at more than $223 million, based on the loss of 220 mill jobs. The mill closed before Thanksgiving. Company officials say the facility was idled because of poor market conditions, and could eventually reopen.

25 Years Ago

-- McMinnville’s population this year topped 25,000 for the first time, as Yamhill County’s largest city added 830 people to close a decade of hot growth. The latest population estimates released by Portland State University show Yamhill County to be among the state’s leaders in population growth over the decade.
Dundee had the highest growth rate of the decade, while Dayton had the highest growth rate of the year. Yamhill County’s population hit 83,800 this year, growing 28 percent during the decade, ranking sixth in the state.

-- The Yamhill County Interagency Narcotics Team dismantled another methamphetamine lab Tuesday, the 11th discovered in the area in the past three months. YCINT officials termed the operation, discovered at 410 S.W. Brockwood Ave. in McMinnville, a “sophisticated lab able to produce up to a couple of ounces of methamphetamine per reaction.”

-- The McMinnville City Council gave engineers the green light this week to design improvements to Evans Street than can be carried out during the coming construction season. The work includes widening the mostly residential street and adding bike paths. While some people who live on Evans north of downtown worry the widening will create traffic safety issues, they were pleased to learn curbside parking is not part of the plan.

50 Years Ago

-- Governor Bob Straub was supposed to be the first northwest Oregon driver to have a Deceleration Alert System (DAS) installed on his car. But he waited too long, and the first belongs to McMinnville resident Jerry Boone.
It is appropriate that the first private vehicle owner with DAS lives in McMinnville since Vendtronics, a McMinnville-based full-line vending firm, recently was designated regional distributer of DAS. The company is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Lyons and Gary Lyons.
DAS is a lighting system which warns drivers whether the car in front of them is accelerating or coasting. The system has one green light to indicate acceleration and two amber lights which come on when the driver’s foot comes off the accelerator.

-- Two stories high and powered by a 4,000 horsepower electric motor, Cascade Steel Rolling Mills’ new $1.8 million light metal recycler will process 8,000 tons per month of old car bodies, hot water heaters, refrigerators, ranges, washer, dryers and other bulky metal discards. Assembly of the new machine continued this week.
The recycler will reduce a complete automobile to fist-sized chunks of scrap metal in about 50 seconds. It will be on a 10-acre tract purchased from McMinnville Industrial Promotions. The recently acquired property brings the Cascade Steel complex to 70 acres, 10 acres of which are a landscaped buffer.