Local News

A home on Buffalo Park Road was destroyed by fire on Sept. 20.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, said Doug Saba, spokesman for Evergreen Fire/Rescue.

Evergreen firefighters saw smoke rising from an area near the home about noon and began responding to the incident before the fire station received a 911 call from a neighbor, Saba said.

The resident, who was not identified, was not home when the fire started, according to Saba. She later returned while firefighters were working at the scene.

Evergreen High School’s homecoming week isn’t just for students and alums, but for the whole community.

The community portion of homecoming begins with the annual 5K Cougar Stride, sponsored by the EHS instrumental music department, on Saturday, Sept. 29. Participants in the Cougar Stride, which starts at 8:30 a.m., should park at the high school and take a bus to the starting line. The race, for both runners and walkers, goes through Alderfer/Three Sisters Park before heading back to the school.

 Lively music and beer flowed freely at the third annual Oktoberfest on Sunday afternoon at Evergreen Lake.

Musicians dressed in German attire played oom-pah tunes inside the large white tent where food and beer were served. The fare included sauerkraut marinated in wine and other Bavarian-style cuisine.

Outside, festival-goers danced to music performed by the 3 Twins Broadband and other groups and took in a display of Volkswagen campers and Beetles.

Jim Norton is turning pine logs into square posts with his hydraulic saw while working outdoors on a crisp afternoon.

Standing nearby is his wife, Vicki, who is helping her husband with his venture as a tree farmer, custom sawmill operator and furniture maker.

The Nortons live on 48 acres of family property in Soda Creek that has been their home for many years. For the past year, Jim and Vicki have been using the forest to establish a new business that they hope will become a thriving enterprise.