Blog Posts
McMinnville is on the Map
The accolades have been rolling in for McMinnville this fall--I think it's safe to say, we're on the tourist map.
Thirty years ago you could find McMinnville listed as a small dot on Highway 99W between Portland and the beach. It was a small town, great for a pit stop on the drive to the coast, and home to a lovely little liberal arts college. The wine industry was here, but still in its infancy, without the tell tale signs that exist today. As wine pioneer Susan Sokol Blosser said at my Rotary lunch a few weeks ago, today you can't walk thirty feet in downtown McMinnville without tripping over a wine bar. And it's true. It's amazing what a few decades, fabulous civic leaders and a common vision can do for a place.
And this fall it seems as though the rest of the country has really started to wake up and take notice. McMinnville was named the number two foodie destination in America by Bon Appetit magazine, recognizing the fact that we have an amazing array of fine dining options clustered within a few blocks in a historic downtown setting, as well as fabulous festivals celebrating food and wine throughout the year. The magazine article hit the highlights like IPNC, but failed to note outstanding events like Sip! and Uncorked. So the good news for their readers is that there is still plenty left to discover on their own.
Following on the heels of the Bon Appetit article was a designation by CNN for Oregon's Wine Country as the number 9 affordable luxury destination in the world. CNN's feature noted that while Oregon's Pinot's are more expensive than those on California's well trod wine road, the accommodations are much more affordable, there are fewer crowds and the food is equally (or even more) fabulous.
And finally this past week McMinnville (not surprisingly to those of us who live here) was included in a book featuring the most beautiful towns in the Northwest. It's hard to find many places more picturesque than downtown McMinnville any time of the year, but thanks to new holiday lights, our historic downtown will be aglow this winter with a festive spirit.
So as you unroll your map of Oregon make sure that you pause and take note of McMinnville. It seems like suddenly its the thing to do.
Good to see you Summer. . .
Finally! After months of grey days (only four sunny ones since April 1st, to be exact) Summer has finally arrived in McMinnville. I'm not sure if she took the slow train from Timbuktu, but at least she's finally here. And there is nothing better than a bright warm Thursday during summers in McMinnville.
I know Thursday isn't a typical choice for a favorite day of the week. Friday lays claim to the relief of a work week ended; Saturday to the exuberance of a full day to celebrate life; Sunday a day to relax. But in historic downtown McMinnville, Thursday rules for two simple reasons--free music and an amazing Farmer's Market, which happens to take place in the street just below the flats.
Good living is what Thursday is about in McMinnville. From noon to 1:30 the US Bank Plaza fills up with business people and tourists alike, all settling in to enjoy great music at our summer time Brown Bag Concert Series. Children dance under the watchful gaze of a bronze Ben Franklin, and everyone else smiles and laughs, nodding there head or tapping their foot in tune with the music.
When the concert ends, people begin to make their way slowly down the street to our fabulous Farmer's Market, which features more live music, artisan booths, fresh local and organic produce, and a different wine maker each week. The street is flooded with color, good smells, and all the very best of summer.
About to go Top Secret. . .
Well, this is it. Up until now we've been detailing our renovation project on our Facebook fan page, and posting photos of the progress as we go. But that has to come to an end this week, as we round the final bend in the Design Challenge and the design teams close their doors to the cameras to start decorating their flats.
Little things have started to arrive, and it's hard not to peek. A sofa wrapped tight in cardboard and plastic, with a few holes where wandering eyes have tried to get a look; closets jam packed with various design elements; a stunning table or some chairs tucked away here and there.
On Saturday May 1st, Doreen Wynja of Eye of the Lady photography, (one of our featured artists at the Flats) will come up to the to photograph the finished product. That morning the design teams will meet to do the official 'unveiling' to one another, and then our videographer Melissa will go into hyper speed trying to get it ready for everyone else to see. The video will be posted to our site on May 15th, and the voting begins. I've added a survey monkey link to our 'Design Challenge' page, so it will be easy to make yourself heard, as you weigh in on your favorite transformation at Third Street Flats!
Inching toward the finish line. . .
Life can be hard sometimes when you're an optimist. You know the sort--we move through life with big ideas, just knowing in our hearts that if we work hard enough and put enough good energy into the universe everything WILL work out. And you know what? Sometimes it does! Not always as fast as I'd like it to, but it does.
This week things felt slow with the renovation of Third Street Flats, but there was a lot happening behind the scenes. Carl, one of our contractors, has worked tirelessly all week in his own home shop to fabricate the Paperstone we're using for the countertops. I had read online that Paperstone was really easy to fabricate--that it worked just like wood--so when our installation bid came back much higher than inspected, Carl, who had never worked with the product before, offered to take it on. Well apparently it does work like wood--if wood were so hard you could only get a saw to go through it an 1/8 inch at a time. Yeah, imagine that times four kitchens.
So Carl is my hero, tirelessly working away on the counters. For the last two weeks I keep hearing that the counters will be ready in a day or two, and then in a day or two I hear it's another day or two. But we're so close to the finish line now--stay tuned for Paperstone pictures on our Facebook fan page this week!