Wilsonville Volunteer Hits 15,000 Hours as the Clackamas County Fair Kicks Off

TOGETHER WITH

Good Morning, South Metro. Never take for granted the person who chooses to do life with you. Maybe that’s a little heavy for a Monday morning, but as someone who lost his wife to cancer in 2019, it’s a lesson I learned the hard way. Maybe someone needed to hear that as we start this week. Love that partner of yours. Tell them. Show them. Don’t assume they already know. 💖

Coming up in today’s South Metro Weekly:

15,000 hours and 140,000 books
Canby sets new laws for eBikes and Scooters
And get ready for the Clackamas County Fair & Rodeo

South Metro Realtors… We’re launching a new section this week featuring an awesome home for sale somewhere in the South Metro. Want your name right next to it? Just reply to this email and let’s talk!

Thanks, friends!

-Scott Michaels

📚 Someone’s Been Very, Very Busy at the Wilsonville Library

Courtesy: City of Wilsonville

Some people volunteer for an afternoon. Hilly Alexander has volunteered for the equivalent of more than seven years of full-time work.

Alexander recently reached an extraordinary milestone: 15,000 volunteer hours serving the Wilsonville Public Library and the surrounding community. She began volunteering 25 years ago, when the library was much smaller, and has watched both it and Wilsonville grow around her.

Over the years, Alexander has taken on nearly every volunteer job the library offers. She has organized shelves, helped patrons find books, tagged an estimated 140,000 library items and supported countless library events.

But some of her most meaningful work has happened beyond the shelves. Alexander has championed Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides free books to young children, and serves as director of the Wilsonville Imagination Library through the Wilsonville Public Library Foundation.

Alexander says the real reward comes when parents tell her what those books have meant to their children — or when she can simply help someone standing in the library find exactly what they need.

“There hasn’t been a major library event without Hilly being here,” one library representative said. “She has done just about every volunteer job or task that there is available.”

Fifteen thousand hours is the number being celebrated. But the better measure may be the thousands of books, children, families and small moments of kindness that filled them.

🚌 Your Usual TriMet Route May Look a Little Different Next Week

If your bus number has become part of your morning muscle memory, it may be time for a quick refresher.

TriMet is making route and schedule changes across the metro area beginning Sunday, Aug. 23, including several lines serving Lake Oswego, Tualatin, Sherwood, West Linn and nearby communities.

Among the larger changes, Lines 38 and 97 will be combined into an updated Line 97 running between Sherwood and the Barbur Transit Center. Lines 37 and 96 will also be combined, with the revised Line 96 serving Boones Ferry Road and PCC Sylvania before continuing toward Portland during commute times.

TriMet is also eliminating Line 76 service between Legacy Meridian Park Hospital and the Oregon City Transit Center. Line 153, which serves the Stafford and Salamo Road area, will be eliminated entirely due to low ridership.

The short version: if you regularly ride Lines 37, 38, 76, 96, 97 or 153, check before heading out next week. Updated routes, stops and schedules are available at TriMet.org.

TOGETHER WITH WEEKLY REACH EMAIL MARKETING

Some people still say email marketing doesn’t work. Which is a little funny because… well, here you are, reading an email.

For local businesses, email remains one of the simplest ways to stay in touch with customers without hoping a social media algorithm decides to show them your post.

That’s why we created Weekly Reach. We work with business owners to figure out what matters each month, then we plan, write, build and send one professional email every week.

The cost is $790/month, including Constant Contact for lists up to 2,500 contacts.

If email marketing has been sitting on your business to-do list for a while, we’d be happy to take it off.

Learn more and schedule a quick conversation at WeeklyReachEmail.com.

🛴 Canby’s New Rules for Electric Riders Are Now Official A few weeks back, we told you that Canby was considering new rules for scooters and e-bikes. Those rules are now on the books, banning riders from sidewalks and other pedestrian-only areas, carrying extra passengers, performing stunts, using distracting devices and riding while impaired. Until the start of 2027, anyone younger than 16 is prohibited from operating an e-bike or motor-assisted scooter; after that, restrictions will vary based on age and the type of bike. First violations start at $250, while careless or reckless riding starts at $500, with repeat offenses potentially reaching $1,000.

🎓 Want to Major in Sherwood? Sherwood Citizens University returns this fall, giving residents a six-week, behind-the-scenes look at how their city operates—from what the City Council and city manager actually do to how Sherwood plans for future growth. Classes meet Thursdays from 6–8 p.m., Oct. 1 through Nov. 5. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Sept. 11, with enrollment notifications going out Sept. 18. No dorm room or student loans required.

🎂 Two Birthdays, One Very Old Church McMenamins Wilsonville Old Church marked a double milestone over the weekend: 15 years for the pub and 115 years for the historic church itself. Naturally, the celebration included plenty of live music and food—because this is McMenamins, after all. This throwback photo shows the property 15 years ago, while construction was still underway on the amphitheater that has since become a favorite Wilsonville gathering place.

Courtesy: McMenamins Old Church & Pub

🏫 Summer Break 2027 Will Have to Wait a Few More Hours The West Linn-Wilsonville School District is making a small calendar adjustment for primary school students to meet new state instructional-time requirements. The final day of school—Friday, June 11, 2027—will now be a full day instead of a shortened one. The change gives the district 901 instructional hours for the year, just enough to clear the state’s 900-hour requirement.

📚 Sherwood Is Getting Some Extra Homework Help Huntington Learning Center is preparing to open a new location this month at 20508 SW Roy Rogers Road, just as families head into another school year. The center will work with students from kindergarten through high school, offering help with reading, writing, math, science, study skills and SAT/ACT preparation. Students will begin with an academic evaluation, followed by a learning plan built around the areas where they need the most support—or an extra challenge.

🌱 You Can Give Your Garden a Local Upgrade Tualatin Riverkeepers’ fall native plant sale is now open, with 115 species of habitat-friendly plants available through Sparrowhawk Native Plants. The selections can help attract birds, bees and butterflies, while a portion of each purchase supports work to protect and restore the Tualatin River. Preorders are required by Sept. 13, with local pickup available Oct. 23 or 24. Browse the plants and place your preorder here.

🚨 A Place Where First Responders Can Finally Hit Pause Hope Chaplain is raising money to purchase a five-acre property near Sherwood and create Hope Station, a free refuge for first responders and their families. The space would give firefighters, police officers, paramedics and others a private place to decompress after difficult calls, talk honestly, walk the property or simply breathe before returning to work or heading home.

🛑 Bullwinkle’s in Wilsonville Closed this Tuesday and Wednesday. If you were looking to zoom around the track or hit the batting cages at Bullwinkle’s one more time before school starts, go today or after Wednesday. The traditional fun stop in Wilsonville will be closed for private events on Tuesday and Wednesday.

🏡 This Sherwood Home Comes With a Little Extra Magic

30545 SW Ladd Hill Road | Sherwood, Oregon | 97140

The main house is plenty impressive—five bedrooms, three bathrooms and nearly 4,000 square feet on more than 14 wooded acres—but honestly, it’s the tiny cabin beside the year-round creek that won us over. Complete with its own little stove, it looks like the perfect place to disappear with a book, a mug of coffee and absolutely no intention of answering your phone. The rest of the property can have the nearly $2 million price tag; we just want the cabin. See more here.

Your next home can have ONE completely unnecessary—but wonderful—extra. What are you choosing?

🎈 = family-friendly event
💲 = ticket or purchase required
🎵 = includes live music
😋 = there will be food

🎈😋🎵💲 Clackamas County Fair & Canby Rodeo
Clackamas County Event Center, Canby | Tuesday–Saturday, 10 AM–11 PM | Fair admission: $5–$10; ages 6 and under free
This is the big one: five days of carnival rides, livestock exhibits, 4-H competitions, fair food and a packed schedule of local musicians, dancers, magicians and roaming performers. The Canby Rodeo takes over each evening at 7:30 p.m., bringing bull riding, barrel racing, roping and plenty of cowboy dust to the arena. Rodeo admission is separate, and Friday and Saturday are already sold out—so anyone hoping to catch it should look at Tuesday through Thursday.

🎈😋 Legally Blonde in the Park
Willamette Park, West Linn | Tuesday at 8:45 PM | Free
Elle Woods brings her pink wardrobe, tiny dog and surprisingly effective legal strategy to the big outdoor screen. Bring a blanket or low-backed chair, enjoy some free popcorn and settle in for a movie that remains far smarter than anyone initially gives it credit for. Showing up in pink is optional—but very much on theme.

🎈😋🎵 Taken by the Sky: Fleetwood Mac Tribute
Westlake Park, Lake Oswego | Wednesday, 6:30–8:30 PM | Free
Taken by the Sky brings the harmonies, musicianship and unmistakable songs of Fleetwood Mac’s golden era to Westlake Park. Bring a blanket or low chair, grab dinner from one of the onsite food vendors and prepare to spend the evening resisting the sudden urge to purchase a tambourine.

😋💲 Veterans Night at Vanguard Brewing
Vanguard Brewing Company, Wilsonville | Thursday, 5–8 PM | Free to attend
Local veterans are invited to gather for an easygoing evening of beer, food and camaraderie hosted by Forward Assist. No complicated agenda—just a welcoming place to relax, connect and spend some time with people who understand the experience.

🎈😋🎵 Party in the Park
Town Center Park, Wilsonville | Thursday at 5:30 PM | Free
Wilsonville is bringing together food trucks, a farmers market, games and live music from the Brandon Jones Band for one big community evening. There will also be rubber duck races—because apparently even Wilsonville’s ducks have a competitive streak—and opportunities to meet the people and organizations helping shape the city.

MORE EVENTS

🐾 Each week, we introduce you to a local adoptable pet hoping to find the perfect South Metro home. Some are playful adventurers, some are champion couch warmers, and others are still figuring out the whole “living with humans” thing. They may have different personalities, but they all deserve a fresh start, a little patience and plenty of love. This week’s furry friend is ready to say hello.

Courtesy: Clackamas County Shelter

🐶 Meet Hamilton! He is the kind of puppy who makes falling in love pretty easy. This 16-week-old Great Dane mix is already about 24 pounds, and he’s got plenty of growing left to do! He’s curious, playful, wiggly and very much a puppy, which means his new family should be ready for training, socialization, patience and, yes, a little puppy chewing. With some guidance and a lot of love, Hamilton has all the ingredients to grow into one pretty wonderful companion.

You can learn more about Hamilton and find a time to meet him here.

Summer is behaving itself this week, with mostly sunny skies and afternoon highs in the mid-to-upper 80s through Friday. Overnight temperatures will cool into the mid-to-upper 50s, making for comfortable evenings and mornings. No rain is expected—just a steady stretch of classic August weather.

THANKS!

“The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy.”
—Meryl Streep

A final thought... Empathy is more than understanding what someone else is going through. It’s choosing to care. We rarely know the whole story behind the person we pass at the store, work beside, live next to or even love. A little patience, an encouraging word or simply listening can matter far more than we realize. We may not be able to fix what someone is carrying, but we can make sure they don't have to carry it feeling completely alone.

Be a little kinder than necessary today.

See you Thursday morning!

👋 15,000 Hours at the Library + The Fair Is Here

Your next home can have ONE completely unnecessary—but wonderful—extra. What are you choosing?

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