Camp Sherman celebrates the red, white and blue

Store owners Roger and Kathy White offered up their 15th year of 4th of July celebrations at the Camp Sherman Store last Saturday.

Roger still makes his secret rustic baked bean recipe, the crowd gathers, and burgers and brats sizzle, tempting everyone to come back for thirds.

The Stars and Stripes of our American flag always take center stage on Independence Day. Camp Sherman has its own set of stars in the people who live here and visit, creating a history of their own.

Jill and Allen Methven, owners of Methven family vineyards made a return visit this year with their award-winning wine selections. They poured a pinot gris that was a 2009 double Gold Winner at the 2009 Oregon Wine Awards, and brought an assortment of pinot gris, pinot noir, riesling and chardonnay.

These stars of the wine industry will return to their home turf next week in McMinnville's wine country to do a fundraiser for migrant workers on behalf of the Virginia Garcia Foundation, the local Cancer Foundation and other Rotary charities. They hope to raise over $350,000.

Big Pine and the Pitchtones were the evening's star performers on the Ponderosa Stage. They enthralled the crowd with country music, '50s, '60s, and rock classics, and some Sons of the Pioneers/Riders in the Sky Western music.

"We like a lot of different genres of music," guitarist and banjo player Pat Erwert told The Nugget.

Tom Freedman, Jo Booser, Mark Barringer and Brad Jones performed along with Pat Erwert. Some of them have been together for just two years, some for eight or 10. None of them are the lead in the group.

"Whoever gets the gig is the big pine for the night," said fiddler Jo Booser.

Over the holidays, Camp Sherman has the distinction of being filled with residents and guests with ties to the area's history.

The Gribskovs, Karol and Craig, were guests of Craig's mother, Joyce Gribskov, owner of the Tifft cabin, originally built by their uncle Art Tifft in 1927. It was the first cabin built on Tract O. A drawing of Tifft's old Model A from the days he was postmaster in Redmond is displayed on the sign installed by the bridge next to the store.

"We called it 'The Whoopee,'" Craig said, "because we did lots of whooping in the car."

Another Camp Shermanite with some history, deputy sheriff Dave Blann, came to say hello to friends and neighbors. His grandfather, Luther Metke owned the Camp Sherman store in the 1940s and was immortalized in an Academy Award-winning film, "Metke at 94."

Kitty Warner is a Realtor whose family sold Luther Metke his Metke Lane property, site of the cabins featured in the film. Warner is a longtime Camp Sherman resident, and her guests Erin and Gwen Debernardo stopped for the barbecue and sampled some Methven wines.

"Kitty has so many stories about Camp Sherman," Debernardo said. "It's really interesting to hear about the area's history."