Letters to the Editor 09/13/2017

To the Editor:

A recent visit during "Solar Eclipse" week to Camp Polk Cemetery found the flagpole and American flag posted by local Sisters VFW and American Legion Posts, to honor veterans buried there, on the ground. The pole had been bent at the base and the flag ruffled in the dirt. On Wednesday, first day of school, the flag and pole at Sisters Christian Academy was lifted from the mount, and tossed into the parking lot, smashing the solar light system. The flag was stolen.

Both flagpoles honoring veterans have been repaired/replaced by an anonymous donor, and are proudly flying again. If anyone has any information concerning the two flagpoles, or knows of any other flags being damaged, please call 541-549-1132 and leave a message as VFW and American Legion would like to remedy the problem as soon as possible.

Bill Anttila

VFW Post 8138 Service Officer

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To the Editor:

Thank you, Sisters Folk Festival Board of Directors. This was a very difficult and courageous decision (to cancel the event), and it was the right one. The renowned quality of the festival would have been compromised, and many who could not have enjoyed their tickets would have been forced to forfeit the value because of the smoke.

For these reasons, and in appreciation of what the festival has brought to my community, musically and financially, I will not accept a refund for my tickets. Use the money to put the festival back on its feet for an even better event next year!

Erik Dolson

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To the Editor:

Are you going to investigate why the Forest Service waited several days to tackle the Milli Fire?

It was a small blaze and could have been put out easily. Now the folk festival is cancelled, school is out, and local businesses are suffering.

Darin Burgstahler

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To the Editor:

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the Sisters Folk Festival Board of Directors, its working directors, and employees for their handling of a truly rotten situation.

Many days of angst and deliberation preceded the ultimate decision to cancel the festival. We're positive that it wasn't arrived at lighty or easily, but it was the right decision to make. The forecast for improved air quality over the weekend itself had to have made the decision even tougher. However, a forecast is just that... a forecast, not a

known.

Even bigger than that is set-up. A lot of people may not realize how extremely complex and labor-intensive the festival infrastructure is. It starts actively on Wednesday afternoon, and continues all day Thursday and Friday, with hundreds and hundreds of man-hours required for the festival to come off "seamlessly" every year. Those were the days of our absolute worst air quality, so there was no question that it just wasn't possible.

It was a sad, sad weekend for our whole community. What can we do to help at this point? Patronize all the local restaurants and businesses as much and as often as possible! We all need each other.

Sage and Lynne Dorsey