Back, and Forth: Author reflects on four decades in the vineyard

“I’m optimistic about Brand Oregon,” said Allen Holstein, 43-year veteran of vineyard management and winemaking in Dundee. He spoke recently at Linfield University’s Nicholson ...

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##Coastal Hills Quilters founder Cris Darr of Willamina holds up a tray made by her late husband, George. The Rock Candy pattern is made using Kewazinga, curly maple and dyed poplar in a white oak frame. Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register
Coastal Hills Quilters founder Cris Darr of Willamina holds up a tray made by her late husband, George. The Rock Candy pattern is made using Kewazinga, curly maple and dyed poplar in a white oak frame.

Back, and Forth: In Willamina, creative talents and spirit of community converge

Sampling four of the nine stops on the Coastal Hills Art Tour on Nov. 11 added layers to my appreciation for Willamina, a community I have gradually been getting to know. The quilt show was just the starter; ...

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##Dr. Moustafa Bayoumi: “What I am more concerned with is the way the Palestinian story, which is not the same as the Muslim-American one but shares a lot with it, and Muslim-Americans are often the ones trying to tell it. The way the Palestinian story is now being denied, distorted and suppressed in this country, in a fashion, as far I can recall, we have never seen before.”

Back, and Forth: Telling Middle East story takes may voices, views

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the Israel-Gaza situation. I cited schools that enroll a mix of Jewish and Arab students as something that might inspire hope in the otherwise bleak and tragic landscape around ...

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##Ben Franklin’s eyeglasses have been repaired since this mid-fall, but white paint for eyes is newer vandalism arts committee chair Steve Rupp plans to repair. The popular bench sculpture is at Northeast Third and Davis streets.

Back, and Forth: Chronicling comings, goings in the McMinnville art realm

Public art is a growing force in McMinnville. And while most individual pieces are static, the field itself has been increasingly dynamic. Though these things all stand still, there’s some mystery ...

Back, and Forth: The confusion of keeping tech etiquette in context

“Never use your phone on speaker in public places.” That’s the one rule I can totally agree with in the supposed “new rules of telephone etiquette.” And I saw it violated ...

Matthew Rea photo##Northern lights glow green and purple across the bay on Big Shag Lake, Upper Peninsula of Michigan on Sept. 19. Aurora borealis was coined by Galileo using the name of the Roman goddess of the dawn and the Greek name for the north wind.

Back, and Forth: The Northern Lights one of Upper Peninsula's splendors

A week’s vacation proved no less than luminescent. I was able to take eight days and travel to the family place on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, my mother’s birth territory, which holds ...

Tanner Russ/News-Register##Jesse “Duh Duh” Maxwell takes a big swing as striker. The arbiter had threatened to fine Maxwell for having a beard that “interfered with the plate.”

Back, and Forth: A day of aces and A’s

The occasion was the annual Vintage Base Ball game against the Portland Pioneers crew, held at the Yamhill Valley Heritage Center, sponsor of both the game and the McMinnville Gristmillers Club. The game, ...

Rachel Thompson/News-Register##McMinnville’s Andrew Anderson, left foreground, listens as Rep. Lucetta Elmer, right, speaks in her town hall Aug. 23 at Union Block Coffee. The audience was small but the discussion was lively.

Back, and Forth: Despite turnout, town hall maintains traditional spirit

There’s an irony to the term “town hall,” as it can refer to both a gathering and a building. “An event at which a public official or political candidate addresses an audience ...

Back, and Forth: Bouncing around those moments of meaning

Hoops is my hobby, and I plan to keep weaving as long as I can. After a long time away, I’ve gotten back into playing against other guys — competing, sometimes. No matter what happens between ...

Back, and Forth: Criticism is fine, but our content is original

Words challenge us. They do so in trying to find the right ones — the ones to craft a news story or feature that is interesting, informative and, where appropriate, evocative. Our news staff works ...

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##Josh Sager wears the first-issue Mac Locals T-shirt and holds stickers with images including the signature motif (for now) and a black-and-white one inspired by the “you are here” map dart.

Back, and Forth: MacLocals creator inspires McMinnville state of mind

After talking with Josh Sager, I got to thinking — for reverse reasons — of a line from a 1989 James McMurtry song, “I’m Not From Here.” “I’m not from here/I ...

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##Anthony Schuh, Carlton Legion Post commander, gets his turn at a Sonora dog, served up by vice commander and cook Nathan McMullen, right.

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 ...

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##“Tunnel” is made of scrap wood and adorned with newsprint designed “to melt away,” according to art major Marissa Nagano of Hawaii. The work stands in a row of art walk sculptures along the Linfield University wellness trail near Keck Avenue.

Back, and Forth: Sometimes outdoor art features an inside story

One of my favorite things about McMinnville is the art walk on the Linfield University campus. I have found one of the walk’s newest works, installed two weeks ago, particularly dynamic. It got ...

Rachel Thompson/News-Register##Celebrating the life-giving properties of earth-bound insects is Todd Severson of McMinnville as “bearded peacock-feather space fly guy” on the Chapul Farms float.

Back, and Forth: Bearded space-fly guy comes in peace

Town festivals based on flowers, rodeos, derby races or other themes are always full of possibilities. But after seeing my second full-on version of the McMinnville UFO Festival, held May 19-20, I think ...

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##A vehicle decal spotted in McMinnville shows a Venn diagram illustrating the intersection of a trio of prominent works of dystopian literature.

Back, and Forth: May the pendulum swing away from bans and bots

“Read or listen to an entire book in a weekend.” That’s a reading challenge issued by Linfield University’s Nicholson Library, in a pamphlet I picked up on campus last week. I ...

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