By DEAN REA/Correspondent/The Herald — People who have been unable to be inoculated against COVID-19 will have an opportunity to do so Saturday during the Pine Needlers’ quilt show and mini-Blackberry Jam celebration in downtown Lowell.
A Vietnam veteran also will be honored at 2 p.m. Saturday during a “Quilts of Valor” ceremony in the Lowell High School Gym as a new feature of the two-day show.
Meanwhile, people interested in attending as many as 30 garage sales in Lowell, Dexter, Jasper and Fall Creek may pick up a map as early as 7:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Stomping Ground Coffee Shop whose owner-manager Kristen Prenevost has organized several events in downtown Lowell.
Vintage cars will parade through the streets of Lowell beginning at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and will end at Rolling Rock Park, where the cars will be on display, reports George Wild, who organized the unofficial mini-Blackberry Jam event.
Residents are invited to vote on their favorite as cars travel a route beginning on Lundy Street. A number will be posted on each car. Wild invites spectators “to pick a favorite car, head down to the park to see the cars again and vote.”
At the coffee shop site, Lowell High School volleyball team members will sell T-shirts. Football team members will sell blackberry cobbler and ice cream. Softball team members will sell hamburgers and hot dogs from noon to 8 p.m.
Twelve vendors will offer wares, including homemade jewelry, lawn ornaments, clothing, greeting cards and signs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Saturday festivities will conclude with a free concert by Eugene vocal artist McKayla Marie, who is scheduled to perform earlier that day during the Lane County Fair.
Meanwhile, the local quilting club will stage its 17th annual show Saturday, July 24 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Sunday, July 25 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission will be free but donations will be accepted.
The Lane County Public Health Department mobile unit will be at the park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., reports chairperson Robyn Newell. Walk-ins and persons interested in scheduling vaccinations are welcome.
“We’re trying to get everyone aboard by getting them vaccinated,” Newell said. “If you haven’t had an opportunity to be vaccinated, this is an easy way to get it done.”
A “Quilts of Valor” ceremony honoring Gary Smith of Dexter is scheduled at 2 p.m. Saturday in the gymnasium where more than 100 quilts will be on display, said Sheila Snyder, who is assisting with the event.
Raffle tickets for the 74- by 100-inch “Diamond in the Rough” quilt are $1 each or $5 for six, and a raffle will be held for five themed baskets. Tickets for the basket raffle will be available for a dollar. The winning ticket for the “Diamond in the Rough” quilt will be drawn on Sunday. The winner need not be present.
Lisa Bee-Wilson founded Pine Needlers and created the quilt show after moving to Lowell in 2003.
The club normally raises about $3,000, which has been shared with the fire hall, food pantry, library, elementary school clothes closet and has provided scholarships for Lowell High School students.
The 25th annual Blackberry Jam was conducted two years ago before being interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an official city function headed by a committee.
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