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Changes Announced at Botinic Gardens

Roundhoust Band Returns to Dallas

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Wednesday August 6, 2025 | Volume 150, Issue 32

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Youth garden grows more than vegetables Couple

brings elegance to historic Monmouth landmark

By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor

A popular program hosted an open house Aug. 2, but in name only. As the Dallas Youth Garden’s main attraction is getting students life skills related to the great outdoors. The Dallas Youth Garden was created 13 years ago by coordinator Dean Anderson at the Trinity Lutheran Church. “A couple other gardeners and I decided that we wanted to teach interns, or teach kids, how to work in a garden,” Anderson said. “We met with the church and they said, ‘We have land.’ It was a good match up.” Trinity donated one acre of land to germinate the idea. The program has grown from six interns its first year to 10 this summer. Morrison High School senior Claire Elsey is now in her third year growing a varied crop within the Youth Garden. Chloe, her sister (who is now a senior intern) joined the Youth Garden program first and told Claire all about it. “I showed up one time to see her garden and it seemed interesting. I saw it (advertised) around school on posters, too,” Claire said. She got in the program, despite initial nervousness. “I didn’t do very good on my interview, though. It was like my first time doing an interview, and I was a freshman, too,” Claire recalled. “But I got a lot more social being here. And I made more

By LANCE MASTERSON For The Itemizer-Observer

PHOTOS BY DAVID HAYES

Morrison High School senior Claire Elsey proudly stands before her rows of vegetables she cultivated within the Dallas Youth Garden during an open house Aug. 2. friends. It definitely helped not being inside all summer.” Anderson said the program has grown in popularity over the years, regularly getting more than 20 applicants, which have to be whittled down to 10. Each intern gets paid and they have one senior intern who helps out.

For the program’s first few years, the program operated under the County’s 4-H umbrella, Anderson said. But during the COVID pandemic, when 4-H was forced to shut down, they moved to Polk County Family and Community Outreach. All the funding for the program comes from private donations. In addition to Polk County Family and

Community Outreach which pays for the staff, the Dallas Community Foundation contributes grants for much of their other expenses. The water is donated by the city of Dallas to water the garden. And several other businesses in town donate other resources, too. See YOUTH PAGE A2

Shared passion for beer leads to new Dallas brewery “That was part of it. Low key, relaxing vibe. It was what we were after.” Forrest Pass Brewing’s space was There’s the old saying, it takes one big enough to install a seven barrel to know one. brewhouse that produces a couple Longtime Dallas residents Jeff hundred gallons per batch. They can Claire and Bill Cresswell met about ferment three beers at a time. And a decade ago over a shared love of around back is cold storage for seven beer at the West Valley Taphouse. barrel circuit tanks. They plan to have That passion for locally brewed suds their brewery online by September eventually germinated into an idea and concentrate on their favorite, that came to fruition last week. The IPAs. two combined their prospective busi“I’m a hop head,” Claire said. “I ness acumen to open their own joint love the smell of them, the taste. So, in Dallas July 30, the Forest Pass IPAs are a very popular style.” Brewery. They also plan to feature light “We decided let’s try a brewery lagers from recipes they figure will out,” Claire said. “That’s what we do. PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES appeal to those who enjoy light beers, We go to brew pubs and breweries. Jeff Claire and Bill Cresswell stand before their recently Mexican lager and pilsners. We love tasting different beers. We opened pub, Forest Pass Brewery, located at 735 SW Maple “For those people who want a 4 ½ thought Dallas needs one of these, St. in Dallas. to 5 percent beer. Especially in the why can’t we do this? Here we are.” summer time,” Claire added. “Then pretty excited about that opportunity,” “Nobody wants to sit in a back Claire said he’s lived in Dallas 20 there’s red ales, ambers and stouts. Cresswell said. alley, drinking beer,” Claire said, years, Cresswell 18. With their extenHave to have the full compliment of One of their biggest challenges was downplaying the downtown locales sive travels, they wondered when styles.” finding the right location. They literthey were shown. their community was going to wake In addition, they’ve reached out ally stumbled across a home for their “We wanted to tie it into the comup a little bit. Finally, the time felt to offer wines from local wineries, brewery. Their real estate agent didn’t munity,” Cresswell added. “On the right. including Bennedeto’s, Scynthian’s, even have the location on Maple coast, there’s a lot of things targeted “Downtown vitalization grants Dante, and ciders from Salt Creek Street on his list of possibilities. to Portland areas. We thought the have been given, things have been Cider House. And there will be non “My wife walked by, this place eastern slope of the Coastal Range starting to move, homes being built. alcoholic drinks for kids. was surrounded by arborvitae, you was a cool tie-in, particularly this We thought maybe this is the time,” To give their customer somecouldn’t even see the building,” community, all the history, recreClaire said. thing to dine on while they sample Claire recalled. “She just happened to ational and economic history.” Cresswell added that in a county the home crafted brews, the duo see a for sale sign in the branches and Their logo was designed by Jeff’s of 90,000 and growing fast, it was a researched offering the best in craft thought, ‘Hey, why don’t we look at niece who took his photo he took of shame there was only one other brewpizza options. this one?’” the coastal mountains as viewed when ery in the county, Parallel 45. “We had an opportunity to visit The building used to be overflow coming into town and converted into “So where you see a lot of conwith a Colorado boy brewing in storage for the Rusty Gate (now the graphic art. centration of breweries in Portland Montrose, Colorado, and learned a lot Shabby Barn) across the street on The duo took the best ideas from metro and Marion County, we felt from them,” Cresswell said. “In fact, Fairview Avenue. After looking at a their travels to other brew pubs to there was a good opportunity to many of their recipes we have taken few places downtown, they kept comcreate their own unique vibe. service this community, this county, ing back to the Maple Street location. “We have the best outdoor seating with another really nice brewery with See BREWERY PAGE A2 area in the city,” Claire bragged. an indoor/outdoor space. So, we’re By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor

IN THIS ISSUE Voices Corrections Obituaries Puzzle Solutions Social Public Records Classifieds Puzzles

A4 A4 A4 B2 B2 B6 B4 A6

Mary and Yul Provancha have spent more than two decades breathing new life into some of Monmouth’s and Independence’s oldest structures. Their latest project, the old Ross Theater complex in downtown Monmouth, is nearing completion. It stands as testament to the couple’s mission: to preserve historic integrity while ensuring long-term sustainability in their remodeling. “We want to put these old buildings back to the way they were,” Yul explained. “But we also want to make sure they can financially survive. It’s about creating a marriage between historic and income-producing.” The Provanchas’ track record proves they are doers, not dreamers. Starting in the early 2000s with the purchase of the Tan Republic building in Monmouth, the couple has since built a sizable portfolio. Past efforts also include restoring the former JTE Floor Coverings, Gilgamesh Brewing: The River and Craven historic house in Independence. As for the Craven house, the couple converted the dilapidated three-unit apartment building into a thriving commercial space that now hosts a pilates studio, esthetician, business consultant and the recently opened Kravens Cafe. “It’s not about the money,” Mary said of the couple’s objective. “We want to provide spaces where people can run their own businesses and support their families.” Many of their restorations received funds through granting sources, including the Oregon’s Main Street Revitalization Program. The Ross Theater project, for example, benefited from said grant and required careful coordination with the city and former tenants. In addition, the space destined for a new life as a restaurant, was where Haugen’s Galleri had served the area’s studio photography needs for some 45 years. “We couldn’t just hand them a pink slip,” Yul said. “It took a year to help them relocate and get permits for their new setup … Due to modern technology they have a beautiful studio” on property they own just outside of town. Restoration of the theater involved extensive work, such as seismic retrofitting, installing new utilities, returning windows to their original form and uncovering long-concealed columns and other gems from a bygone era. The building now boasts stateof-the-art HVAC systems, ADAcompliant facilities and plans for an upscale dessert and wine theater, See LANDMARK, page A2

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