Happy Monday, South Metro. Yesterday was the start of summer, and the heat is going back up today and tomorrow. Totally unrelated, but today is both National Kissing Day AND National Onion Ring Day. Uh, one before the other probably. 💋 🧅
In today’s South Metro Weekly:
A $5 million gift with deep Molalla roots will help train future CCC students.
Tualatin turns an overgrown corridor into a new neighborhood trail.
Lake Oswego gets ready for one of its biggest weekends of the year.
Plus: a new ice cream stop, a Lake O football standout headed to Oregon, events, weather, and Mulberry.
By the way, if you represent a business and want to learn about advertising in South Metro Weekly, just reply to this email and I’ll hit you back pretty quickly.
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🌲 From Molalla With Love; a $5 Million Gift
A scholarship helped open the door for one local student decades ago. Now that story is helping shape a major investment in future CCC students.
Drawing of one of the new NRC classrooms at Clackamas Community College.
Clackamas Community College has received another historic $5 million gift, this time to help advance its planned Natural Resources Center.
The donation comes from Terry and Cheryl Holden, longtime supporters of career and technical education with deep Clackamas County roots. Cheryl grew up in Estacada. Terry grew up in Molalla, and after graduating from High School, he received a scholarship that helped make college possible.
That experience stayed with him, and helped shape the couple’s belief in paying it forward for future students.
The new Natural Resources Center will serve programs including horticulture and wildland fire, with updated indoor and outdoor training spaces for students preparing for high-demand natural resource careers.
Why It Matters: This is more than a big check. It is an investment in students who want practical, hands-on career paths close to home. Wildland fire, horticulture, environmental work and natural resources may not sound flashy, but they are deeply connected to the future of our community.
The new gift follows the Holdens’ previous $5 million donation that helped create the Holden Industrial Technology Center, along with support for CTE scholarships, student veterans, health sciences training and the automotive department.
🌿 Tualatin Turns an Overgrown Corridor Into a New Neighborhood Trail
Tualatin’s new Nyberg Creek Trail is now open, adding a three-quarter-mile connection through a once-overgrown wetlands area near Meridian Park Medical Center.
The trail runs off Southwest 65th Avenue, behind Rolling Hills Apartments and Orchard Hills Condominiums, before ending near Horizon Christian Elementary & Middle School.
Tualatin Parks and Recreation Director Dustin Schull said that when he first walked the site last year, the area was filled with invasive plants, blackberries and garbage. Now, it’s an 8-foot-wide concrete trail built for walking, rolling and connecting through the neighborhood.
The $1.6 million project was funded through Tualatin’s 2022 parks bond. City leaders say it is the first phase of a larger long-term vision that could eventually extend the trail under I-5 and connect toward Southwest Martinazzi Avenue.
🎨 Get Ready for Lake Oswego’s Big Arts Weekend
The Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts returns this Friday through Sunday, bringing art, music, vendors and family activities to both the Lakewood Center for the Arts and George Rogers Park.
This year’s featured exhibit is “Wild & Luscious,” a botanical art show focused on heirloom and heritage plants. Translation: yes, it is art — but it is also about the food we grow, cook and somehow convince our kids to try at least once.
The festival also includes Art in the Park, live demonstrations, guest lectures, vendors, and a music lineup at George Rogers Park. Friday night features Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, the swing/ska/punk/big-band group best known for “Zoot Suit Riot,” while Mike Skill of The Romantics performs Saturday night.
There’s something for kids, too. Conservation artist Matt Patterson will host a children’s turtle drawing demonstration Sunday morning, tied to his upcoming book about the rehabilitation of a 42-pound snapping turtle. And honestly, “giant turtle art demo” is a pretty strong pitch for the younger crowd.
🎈 = family friendly events 💲 = cost required 🎵 = includes live music
Monday 6/22
Morning Group Run / Hammerle Park - West Linn
🎈 💲 Make A Difference Monday / Langer’s Entertainment Center - Sherwood
Sit & Stitch / Wilsonville Library - Wilsonville
🎈 💲 Champ Camp / River Grove Elementary - Lake Oswego
Tuesday 6/23
Flourish Networking Group / Elden’s Restaurant & Bar - West Linn
Intermediate ESL / Wilsonville Library - Wilsonville
🎈 Tiny Tots Reading Time / Tualatin Library - Tualatin
Wednesday 6/24
🎈 Coffee with a Cop / Willamette Coffee House - West Linn
🎵 🎈 THIS The Funk / McMenamins Wilsonville Amphitheater - Wilsonville
Post Partum Support Group / Tualatin Library - Tualatin
🎵 Summer Nights with Joseph Habedank / Timberline Baptist Church
🎵 🎈 Summer Street Market / Willamette Neighborhood - West Linn
Thursday 6/25
Intro to Pickleball / Juanita Pohl Center - Tualatin
🎵 🎈 Live & Local at the LORAC / Lake Oswego Rec & Aquatic Center - Lake Oswego
🎵 🎈 Farmer’s Market / Montague Park - Wilsonville
🎵 🎈 Music In The Park: Aaron Nigel Smith / Town Center Park - Wilsonville
🎈World’s Largest Swim Lesson Family Event / Goldfish Swim School - Sherwood
Don’t forget - the Thursday edition of South Metro Weekly will be full of events taking place this weekend in our area.
🍦 Stella’s Opens in Sherwood / A new Stella’s ice cream shop is now open in Sherwood, bringing scoops, cones, and the company’s “serving all kinds” mission to town. Stella’s says it believes ice cream can bring people together and make the world a little sweeter, which feels like a pretty easy argument to win on a summer afternoon.
🦆 Lake Oswego Standout Commits to Oregon / Lake Oswego defensive end Josh Christensen has committed to play football at the University of Oregon. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound recruit reportedly chose the Ducks over Oklahoma, Washington, and Cal, giving local fans another South Metro name to watch in Eugene.
🌳 Tree Pest Gets Closer to Sherwood / Emerald Ash Borer has been confirmed in King City, which means Sherwood residents with ash trees may want to start paying attention. The tiny beetle can kill ash trees, making this one of those updates that sounds boring right up until it’s your tree.
🔥 About That Smoke Plume Near Molalla / A large barn fire near South Mathias Road and Feyrer Park Road in Molalla sent a huge plume of smoke into the sky last Thursday night, prompting plenty of “what’s on fire?” posts online. KATU reported the barn was destroyed, with no official word at the time on what started the blaze.
🚧 Bridge Closure Reminder / Since bridge work is apparently South Metro’s new summer hobby, here’s the latest reminder: ODOT has overnight work planned around the Boone Bridge beginning this week, plus a full northbound I-205 closure near the Abernethy Bridge project Saturday night into Sunday morning.
🐾 Every week, we'll feature a local adoptable pet looking for a forever home. Some are playful, some are chill, and all are hoping their next stop is a South Metro living room. This week’s featured furry friend is ready to meet you.
🐾 Meet Mulberry - She’s a sweet, playful 6-month-old Pit Bull Terrier mix who is still growing into her paws — and probably into a pretty big girl. She currently weighs about 32 pounds, has a black coat, and comes with a few nice puppy bonuses already: she is kennel trained, has good potty habits, and knows how to sit.
Like any young pup, Mulberry is still learning the ropes and would do best with a family ready for training, structure, exercise, and plenty of positive reinforcement. She has previously lived with children, dogs, and a cat, but slow introductions are still recommended. If your family is looking for an energetic, loving companion who is ready for playtime, adventures, and continued learning, Mulberry may be your girl.
🐶 Mulberry is currently available for adoption at the Clackamas Pet Shelter and would love to meet her future family.
⚠ Heat Advisory from Monday until Tuesday night. If you have outdoor plans today or tomorrow, aim early and check on pets, kids, and neighbors who may not have easy access to cooling.
Monday 6/22
95 🌡 62 | ☀ | 0% ☔
Tuesday 6/23
100 🌡 61 | ☀ | 0% ☔
Wednesday 6/24
93 🌡 55 | ☀ | 0% ☔
Thursday 6/25
82 🌡 53 | ⛅ | 20% ☔
Friday 6/26
71 🌡 52 | ⛅ | 20% ☔
THANKS!
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