Chick and I headed to Eugene last Friday to spend the weekend with my Pop, Rosemary and Steve for Father's Day!
First stop was breakfast on Friday at Fin's Drive-In. When Fin's opened back in 1994, I was one of the first waitresses they hired. I worked there for a summer before jetting across the world, and I haven't set foot in the place since.
We had a relaxing afternoon at E Street, the house in Springfield where I grew up. My parents recently remodeled the inside and painted the outside so the place doesn't look the same...it looks better!
For dinner Friday night, we headed over to
Ciao Pizza, but they serve much more than pizza.
Everyone at the table had something different and bites were bartered for, plates were split and wine was sipped. An excellent family dinner after a busy day.
My hometown, Springfield, OR was first settled by the Biggs Family in
1848. The city was named after a natural spring located in a field.
The area was timber resource dependent, but since the 1990's the economy
has diversified.
Day Island Park (McKenzie River)
Main Street in Springfield, has
suffered over the years. As the timber industry collapsed, businesses
failed and families moved over the river to Eugene. Recently, the
economy is improving and a re-gentrification of the downtown area is
underway.
Old Time Springfield - Pictures courtesy of the Springfield Museum
In
1871 the main line of the Oregon and California Railroad bypassed
Springfield for Eugene. The story goes that a group of prominent Eugene
Businessmen paid railroad financier, Ben Holladay, $40,000 to bypass
Springfield by crossing the Willamette River near Harrisburg instead of
Springfield this began a rivalry that lasts to this day.
Pop took us over to the old train depot, which currently houses the Springfield Chamber of Commerce.
The city of Springfield is surrounded by filbert (hazelnut)
orchards. The production has declined over time as fields have been
developed into homes. Filbert harvesting occurs in October and 98% of
American filbert production is harvested in the Willamette Valley.
We also explored the Springfield historical museum, which was really cool.
After the depot and the museum, we had the opportunity to check out the Oregon K-9 Competition at Silke Field in Springfield. It was a real treat for Uncle Steve who loves German Sheppard dogs.
We then headed over to
B2 Wine Bar to meet up with family friend, Vicki Bell (who Sandra has known for over 30 years).
Cheers from B2 Wine Bar!
Saturday night's dinner was at a new place in downtown Springfield called
Plank Town Brewing Company.
Our meal consisted of Pulled Pork Tacos, Seared Steelhead, two Rib Eye Steaks and a Bacon Irish Cheddar Burger.
Cheers from Plank Town!
Of course, cards and celebration on Sunday, officially Father's Day! Pop cooked breakfast for all of us before Chick and I headed back to Portland.
It was a wonderful family weekend!
Enjoy!
Stacy
