A great pick for the weekend
By Gretchen Ammerman
Oregon Coast TODAY
Get a feel for real, down-home Oregon when the Logsden Community Club celebrates its 60th anniversary with a community picnic in the “historic” clubhouse on Saturday, July 16.
“It’s a historic site because it was where the original Logsden School stood,” club member Teresa Simmons said. “My mother was offered a teaching position there in the 1940s but she was very shy and she knew one of the boys was someone she couldn’t control so she passed on it.”
Were she still with us, Simmons’ mother sounds like someone I would love to sit down with for a chat.
“She was a very intelligent woman who got two scholarships, one to OSU, and ended up going through aeronautical engineering training,” Simmons said. “She worked at Boeing until she met and married my father, who had served in World War II.”
The couple moved to Logsden and had kids, including Theresa, and enjoyed living in an area that attracted people like the late artist Harold Lofton and his wife, Joan, who were married for 68 years until his passing in 2019.
Some of Lofton’s eye-catching metal sculptures can be seen on properties a few miles east of the clubhouse along Logsden Road.
Another local celebrity is international gold medal winning cheese maker Pat Morford of River Edge Chèvre, who, according to Simmons, honored the love story of Harold and Joan with a special cheese called “True Love.”
“Many of the people that choose to live out here are eclectic and very interesting people,” Simmons said. “If you come to the picnic, I can almost guarantee you will have some enjoyable conversations.”
The event will also have tables for local groups to promote their programs.
“We are going to have educational information available so that people know about places like Bright Horizons Therapeutic Riding Center,” Simmons said, referring to the equestrian center located between Siletz and Logsden. “They have been a boon to the community and it's a wonderful program.”
Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy while listening to the sounds of Banjo Bobby Llewellyn and Friends. The band plays bluegrass and country music on traditional acoustic instruments, including stand-up doghouse bass, banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin and dobro.
“The band is all local,” Simmons said. “They are a group of very talented musicians who jam together on a weekly basis and they offered to do this for us.”
Forgot to pack lunch? Not to worry. Hot dogs, meat and veggie burgers and soft drinks will be for sale. There will also be games for children, a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle.
“We’ve had 17 items donated so far, including a couple of bicycles and a ukulele,” said Simmons, herself the source of the ukulele donation. “Some of the items are not new, but it’s not going to be garage sale things, it's going to be quality things.”
The Logsden Community Club is a non-profit organization made up of a group of friends and neighbors who strive to enhance the quality of life in the area. The organization donates a portion of its profits to community organizations like the Siletz Valley Fire District, Bright Horizons and Food Share of Lincoln County. Club members meet for monthly potlucks, often featuring educational presentations and other times just for fun and socialization. Recently, club members worked together to get Logsden recognized as a Firewise Community, to help combat the effects of drought conditions and prevent spread of fires that threaten the area. In addition to being recently refurbished, the clubhouse building is designated as a Red Cross receiving center in the event of a natural disaster.
Today’s facility, built in the 1980s, is available to rent for local gatherings including weddings, birthdays, classes, family reunions and other events.
“The facility is in great shape,” Simpson said. “Part of the reason for this event is to let people know we’re still here, we’re available and, with the cost of everything so high for things like weddings and reunions lately, we are a nice, affordable option for smaller events. We even have a commercial kitchen.”
Club members qualify for a reduced rate. Cost for club membership is $25 per year for those living in the greater Logsden area.
The event runs from noon to 4 pm. Admission is $10 per family, $5 per individual and free to club members. The Logsden Community Club is located at the junction of the Logsden/Siletz Highway and Moonshine Park Road. For more information, go to the Logsden Community Club Facebook page.