Roy and Melissa Robin and their five boys, River, Trenten, Sef, Destin, and Hunter, will get the home of their dreams on Sunday, December 4th, when Junction City/Harrisburg/Monroe Habitat for Humanity hosts a dedication ceremony and reception from 2:30 to 4:00 pm at their new house at 501 South 6th in Harrisburg.  The community is invited to join the festivities.

The fourth annual Tomato & Salsa Fest will be held Saturday, September 10 at Timeless Gardens Nursery from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Anyone is eligible to enter the tasting contest. The price is $1 and contestants must bring a quart, or less, of their salsa. Proceeds will go to Hannahs House, a division of Teen Challenge.

The festival contains three salsa categories: Best All-Around, Hottest and Most Unusual. There will also be a Largest Tomato Contest. A Master Gardener will be on hand to answer tomato questions and provide assistance along with a taste of a few tomato foods such as a roasted tomato soup, fried green tomatoes and a tomato bunt cake, all with recipes available. For a small cost a Tomato Recipe book with about 6 different recipes will also be available.

Timeless Gardens will have pansies and some other plants on special pricing.

From a press release

Willamette Valley well owners are invited to attend free nitrate screening clinics to be held this spring.

Screening will be available from 1 to 4 p.m. on April 17 at 32640 Peoria Road near Albany and from 4 to 7:30 p.m. on April 20 at the Monroe Health Fair at Monroe High School.

A portion of the Southern Willamette Valley has been designated as a Groundwater Management Area by the Department of Environmental Quality due to elevated nitrate levels in well water. While it is especially important for households with pregnant women or newborns to test for nitrate, all residents of all homes with private wells should be aware of their nitrate levels.

For a free nitrate screening, participants can bring half a cup of untreated well water in a clean, water-tight container and either wait for results (the test takes 5 to 10 minutes if the well water clinic is not busy) or leave contact information for results to be delivered after the clinic date.