Getting ready for a comeback celebration

BLUE RIVER: People from all over the McKenzie Valley were busy over the weekend when a call went out for volunteers to help during a Cleanup Day. Over three dozen people were armed with rakes, pruners, bucket loaders, and motorized brush hogs last Saturday.

The activity was all in anticipation of a Rebuilding Block Party scheduled for Blue River this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The May 11th event is being sponsored by the McKenzie Community Land Trust (MCLT), McKenzie Valley Long Term Recovery Group (MVLTRG), and Locals Helping Locals (LHL).

“History is in the making!” was how Brandi Crawford Ferguson, Interim Executive Director, McKenzie Community Land Trust, summed up the work day. “It’s time to bring people together to celebrate great progress in rebuilding the community of Blue River and the volunteers making it happen!”

Activities will include a Tour of the new Upper McKenzie Fire Station #2 and its brand-new yellow fire truck. People can also look at the design plan for rebuilding Meyer’s General Store (scheduled to break ground in a few weeks).

There’ll also be opportunities to check out the progress made by the O’Brien Memorial Library and the McKenzie Valley Wellness Clinic, both scheduled to reopen this fall. Just a few blocks away is the site where the McKenzie Community Land Trust, a new nonprofit founded by locals, will be breaking ground on six firewise workforce homes this fall.

Maps will be available for self-guided tours of ongoing rebuilding projects and opportunities to see what’s being planned by visiting information tables hosted by local groups and community organizations.

Just a half-hour after noon, celebratory remarks will be part of the dedication for the Patricia “Pat” Stanley Memoria Fire Station. Speakers will include community rebuilding organizations and Lane County Commissioner Heather Buch. The McKenzie Valley Long Term Recovery Group will provide hot dogs and beverages for the first 100 hungry people.

BusinessOregon and The Ford Family Foundation fund this community Rebuilding Celebration.

For more details, visit the Events tab at mckenzieclt.org