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McMinnville, OR Real Estate News

By Jean Elmore, GRI, e-PRO
(Prudential Northwest Properties)
Among the many treasures to be discovered in McMinnville is our Gallery Theater.  Saturday evening was the last performance of the current production,  A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum  and I was fortunate to be among a nearly sold-out house that enjoyed every minute of it.   Where do these talented performers come from?By day they are shop clerks, business owners, high school or college students, or maybe your next-door neighbors whom you greet daily without ever knowing they possess acting talent, trained voices, a knack for comedy timing or once considered a professional dance career.  It's even possible that the polite person who carried your groceries to your car today has appeared in over 50 plays.  The theater is a labor of love for the community volunteers who, for...
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By Jean Elmore, GRI, e-PRO
(Prudential Northwest Properties)
We've done it again!!  Last year the Yamhill Valley was listed among theNew York Times list of  28 havens for a relaxing escape.  While thumbing through the March issue of Sunset magazine yesterday  I was delighted to see (drum roll please) McMinnville listed second in the Food and Wine Haven  category of the article  20  Best Small Towns in the West.   The selection criteria included "... possesses  a sense of connectedness you find only in places so small you  can't get lost in the crowd" and dubbed the towns "we-topias" for their blend of self-reinvention and community.The rest of the intro mentioned that "These towns inspire dreams (and maybe moving plans)" which gives me a natural  opening to mention  my website, JeanElmore.com  for more information about McMinnville and a searchab...
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By Jean Elmore, GRI, e-PRO
(Prudential Northwest Properties)
We in Yamhill County like to think we've achieved a degree of sophistication with our vineyards in the hills, world-famous pinot noir, fine dining and local artists.  After all, the area was recently written up in the "Havens" series in The New York Times. The article entitiled Rural Vistas, Natural Healing and Pinot  Noir   is a testimony to our arrival on the national scene as "a place to be".That article was published on November 28, the same day as the McMinnville Santa Parade, and the irony was inescapable.  There were thirty-seven entries in the parade and each was a reminder of our real selves - an agricultural  area of small  towns full of residents with a sense of fun. The mounted Sheriff's posse with the lead horse sporting antlers and a red nose started things off,  followed ...
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By Beth Caster
(Prudential Northwest Properties)
Weather here in the beautiful Yamhill Valley ( check out www.yamhillvalley.org) is for the most part very mild. Even when it is raining hard, it is still relatively warm, rarely dipping down below 40 degrees. Then we get a "weather event" like we are having today and tomorrow. That means a lot of forecasting for the s word -- SNOW. What that really means here is that if there is the slightest skiff of snow on the ground for more than 15 mintues, everything shuts down. We are not experienced snow drivers, we are not prepared for it and even though I may be an excellent snow driver the chances are good that my neighbor is not. It was snowing steadily around 6 AM and now at noon it is more rain than it is snow. We have to settle for our white christmas being the white lights in our award w...
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Ok a pre note, I should call this blog a blog by a grammatically challenged person, as I'm sure you will notice, punctuating and spelling are NOT my strong point and spell check can only go so far my fingers seem to find other keys lately as well , so In stead of stressing over it I'm just going to embrace it and just say, well I cant spell worth a darn so I hope you get a chuckle out of what I'm sure to be many errors and just accept that if you chose to read my blog. Let's talk a little about cameras I'm not a professional photographer nor have I taken any photography classes since high school a long long time ago! But I am an avid photographer and armature graphic designer, I have shot somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000 pictures in just the last 3 years alone, I have helped advise w...
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By Timothy Ciulla
(Ticor Title Insurance)
This is my first post this is some great information I read and wanted to pass on , Have you ever walked into a home, readied for an open house and smelled it? Or what about when you enter the proud new abode that has just received "the works" by clients, now beaming new homeowners? We have all smelled it. In fact, it has become a calling card of a well-maintained cottage, recently updated rambler, or niche condo with "the works"- it is the new paint smell. But have you ever wondered why paint has that distinct smell - what is it? Well, it is the by product of volatile organic compounds. Hmmmm...organic, good, right? Not so much. Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs, for short, are emitted as gases from common everyday solids or liquids. The kicker is that VOCs are comprised of a variety ...
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By Jean Elmore, GRI, e-PRO
(Prudential Northwest Properties)
In McMinnville, Oregon, of course! The same Evergreen Aviation Museum complex that houses Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose and a state-of-the-art IMAX Theater recently opened a Space Museum.  The solar system walkway is just the beginning of a beautifully done display and history of the United States space program as well as the early rocket designers and the great minds that enabled development of the systems and technology required to make space flight possible. A centerpiece of the museum is a Titan II rocket.  Watch a simulated launch sequence from a Mission Control reproduction complete with sound effects.  Interactive displays for kids of all ages is another feature.  My husband and I began our married years near Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida just after the his...
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By Jean Elmore, GRI, e-PRO
(Prudential Northwest Properties)
Alien invaders were back in town for the ninth year and the UFO Festival in McMinnville was bigger and better than ever!  The first documented sighting of a UFO happened in 1950 on the Trent farm near McMinnville, Oregon.  At least we like to think it did. The theme lends itself to unbridled creativity and a great excuse for yet another good time and great parade in a town that is always looking for another source of fun.  For information on events in this dynamic wine country town visit my website at www.jeanelmore.com and click on Local Events.
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By Sara Goodwin, Portland, Oregon Appraiser
(Estimation Nation Corporation)
This post is a bit of a tease as the festival is currently in full swing and if you are just now reading this, you will likely miss the festivities... but put it on your calendar for next year! What could be better?  Small town Americana meets... Mars! McMenamins originally hosted the first UFO Festival 8 years ago based on a UFO siting in 1950.  Thirty (now thirty-eight) years later, whether hoax or reality lies behind this tale, it has spurred on a new tradition in this small town.  Events include documentaries, guest speakers, a 'fun run', a parade, alien dog costume contest and an alien party costume ball.  I have yet to spend the weekend enjoying all the festivities, but my friend mentioned that the McMenamins lodging package is great.
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By Jean Elmore, GRI, e-PRO
(Prudential Northwest Properties)
                     I was driving down 2nd Street today and something caught my eye -- was I really seeing mules harnessed to a plow on a bare lot in the suburbs?  Curiosity got the best of me and I turned around hoping the camera in my purse was fully charged.  What I found was an inspiration--the McMinnville Community Garden is constantly being relocated by our rapid development and robust growth and this is the new location for now.  Plowing with mules turned out to be an excellent idea, but the larger mule had a much better plan for the day and refused to budge.  (Was he a Realtor in a former life?)I was given a brief update on the Community Garden by the volunteer Master Gardeners who, along with the Salvation Army, sponsor the event.  Each person who wants to grow their own veget...
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I've had the pleasure of seeing two presentations at the new IMAX Theater in the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum complex in McMinnville and each was an amazing experience.  Cirque du Soleil The Journey of Man is an audio/visual delight presented in 3-D.  The state-of-the-art sound system, the five story high and seven story wide screen plus the comfort of the theater seem to put you right in the picture.Last week we took in Tom Hanks' narrated movie Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon, also in 3-D.  We had the unforgettable experience of living in the Cape Canaveral area from 1969 to 1972 while my husband was working on the space effort, so the presentation brought back some strong waves of nostalgia for us.  It's now been twenty-five years since the last Apollo mission and ...
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By Jean Elmore, GRI, e-PRO
(Prudential Northwest Properties)
 McMinnville is the county seat of Yamhill County, Oregon in the heart of Oregon's Wine Country.  The charming historic downtown area has been restored and energized by unique shops, excellent restaurants and is a destination for locals and tourists. There is always a sense of fun and something to do for everyone.  Stop in a wine bar for the adults or step back in time at the Serendipity ice cream parlor for kids of all ages.  And don't forget the Evergreen Aviation Museum, home of Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose, and the recently opened IMAX theater, the only 3-D IMAX in Oregon.  Our location couldn't be better!  Tucked away in the Yamhill Valley just 51 miles from the beautiful Oregon coast or 40 miles to Portland.  Drive another hour past Portland for skiing on Mt. Hood.  I love showing ...
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McMinnville, OR Real Estate Professionals