Local News

Blue sky returned to the area late Tuesday morning, but it will be a while before the clouds hanging over local flood victims clear away.

For the third time in the span of six years, the village was struck by a major episode of flooding.  Torrential rain fell in two waves Sunday and into early Monday morning, forcing the evacuation of an estimated 12-18 homes and causing extensive damage.  Local rain gauges indicated roughly five inches of rain fell, some during a late afternoon storm and more still when another storm cell moved through just after 11 p.m.

The hardest hit was the flood prone neighborhood of Prairie View and Lincoln streets just east of Soden Drive, where a number of dwellings were rendered uninhabitable, and water damaged virtually all of the belongings of several families.

One resident of a Prairie View Street duplex, Jeanette Sergent, said the family was preparing to leave when water burst through a window, “and after that we couldn’t even save anything.”

No one was injured in the flooding or aftermath, according to fire and EMS chief Randy Sellnow.

Authorities began arriving on the scene just before midnight.

Police Chief and Emergency Government Director Doug Pettit said there were three and a half feet or more of water in some of the structures, and the Village Public Works department was stymied because “you really can’t discharge that water back into the stormwater system – it comes right back into the basements.

Alliant Energy was summoned to disconnect meters of the most severely affected dwellings, about eight of them.  Twenty volunteers and staffers from the American Red Cross set up an emergency shelter at Oregon High School.

Historical Museum

It’s one of Oregon’s best-kept secrets.  The village has a historical museum.  And a very good one.  The museum, located on the corner of Lincoln and Market Streets, is filled with thousands of items, many of them dealing with Oregon’s earlier days, all of them dealing with an earlier period of history.

It all started in 1987 when the Oregon Historical Society was formed.  The first meeting, headed by Eeda Lumley, the society’s first president, was attend by 18 members. In attendance was Bob Keenan, who still devotes time to the museum on a daily basis, and other stalwart members like Bill Baumgartner, Wes Wethal, Stan Gefke and Max Gefke.  The organizers didn’t have any money, any historical items to speak of, or a building, however, they did have dreams.

At a subsequent meeting Lumley gave each member a sheet of paper and asked them to write down their short and long term goals for the society.  All long-term goals were to eventually establish a museum in Oregon. 

There were some buildings available, but even the most modest cost $70,000 to $80,000.  Then in 1989 the building at the corner of Lincoln and Market became available at its assessed value.  Although the price was right, the destitute society still couldn’t afford it.  Enter Florice Paulson.  She said she would buy the building and donate it to the society.  Thanks to her, the society was one step closer to its foremost dream.

As it turned out, the next step was not easy.  Lumley said when they opened the door the first time, they were overpowered by the stench. Then once inside they discovered a hundred years of dirt. “What have we done?” she wondered.

At that point Keenan and the other stalwarts in the society went to work.  They cleaned, tore down, put up dry wall, poured concrete, all depicted in a photo album kept by Lumley.

On October 31, 1992, there was a grand opening.  Since that time the building has been stocked with more and more items collected by members, and many others generously donated by area residents.

Society, never short on dreams, has a complete plan for future improvements.  Current President Norm Champion and his wife Pauline displayed the plans that call for a three-stage improvement.  Champion said they first want to install a new ramp and steps to improve the entryway, then put in an elevator so members can take heavy items up to the 2^nd floor display area and finally put in a library and meeting room.

To get money the society serves luncheons to businesses, holds card parties and ice cream socials, enlists members and solicits donations.  Individual memberships are $5, household memberships $10 and donations of $25 and $50 are sought.  Anyone interested can send a check to the Historical Society, Box 262 Oregon, Wi.

School

After having almost a week off after their last track meet, the Oregon boys and girls track teams used all of that stored energy to turn in a good showing at the Janesville Parker regional on Monday.

The girls did the best, taking third with 113 points, with Monroe winning with just 30 more points.  The boys weren’t quite as good, earning sixth with 66 points, Monroe also winning that meet with 133. The lady panthers advanced participants on to sectionals in nine events.  Just five girls, Allison Schnelle, Jena Outhouse, Katie Freis, Christy Torhorst and Briana Schnelle, make up the Oregon representatives in those events.  

“We finished pretty much like we expected to”, said girls head coach, Jim Hanson.

Allison Schnelle had the best day, winning the long jump with a 16-8 ½ mark and the triple jump with a leap of 34- 2 ½, both good enough for personal bests. As if that wasn’t enough Allison also won the high jump (5-2) and ran the opening leg of the 1600 relay team that placed first in 4:07.5. Joining Allison on that team were Briana Schnelle, Outhouse and Freis.

Street Talk

Question: Is the spirit of Memorial Day as strong as it once was, or is it becoming just another 3-day weekend?

Rick Olson– Oregon Assistant Executive Housekeeper says, “I’d say 50% strong. There are a lot of people who don’t care about it or it’s just another weekend”.

Nikki Pribbenow-Oregon 8^th grade says, “I think it’s kind of becoming a long weekend for a lot of people.  I know my family always goes up north for the weekend. We don’t really think about why we’re together – it’s just going together”.

LuAnn Thering – Oregon teacher says, “It’s another three-day weekend. When I was a kid, I remember that was my birthday.  We always had off school and we had a parade and a flag. Now kids don’t know what it means”.

Peter Groth – Oregon college student says, “I think it was stronger after World War II and some of the other wars.  I think it is because the general population was more involved in the conflict and felt more a part of it”.

Kelli Outhouse – Oregon CNA and student says, “It’s not as strong as it once was. Our veterans are not as appreciated as they once were. It is essentially a commercial holiday for sales”.

Leo Drabek – Oregon retired says, “I think a three-day weekend is what they are trying to make every weekend”.