Below is a "Stopping
By" story/column by 1982 Linfield grad Starla Pointer which appeared in the Oct. 21, 2014,
McMinnville News-Register. Wildcatville added two links to the story. In the:
- third paragraph is a link to Linfield football Memorial Stadium crowd noise from the 10/18/2014 Willamette at Linfield football game on Maxwell Field.
- seventh "graf" is link to a video of a train passing by Linfield tennis courts and Maxwell Field on 2/21/2013.
Do you hear what I hear?
By Starla Pointer of the McMinnville News-Register in
10/21/2014 edition
Any recent McMinnville High
School student can tell you the loudest sound in Yamhill County: The homecoming
assembly in the main gym. Nicknamed The Furnace, the 2,400-square-foot space
literally vibrates with the effort of trying to contain the joyful cheers and
stomps of 2,000 fired-up Grizzlies.
Boisterous and exuberant,
it’s the sound of McMinnville.
Drive past the school on
Friday night or through the Linfield College campus on a Saturday afternoon,
and you’ll hear the screams and claps of football fans urging their teams to
score touchdowns. Get out of your car and take a walk, listening to the honks
and flapping of wings as geese migrate south for the winter.
Visit the McMinnville
Aquatic Center and hear the rhythmic splash of lap swimmers doing their daily
laps. Stroll through City Park and smile at the joyous laughter of children on
the play structure.
All are sounds of
McMinnville.
The general alarm blares
from the fire station near the park, signaling a crisis for someone. Engines
roll out, sirens wailing. Help is on the way.
Down the street, bells ring
and lights flash as a train approaches the railroad crossing. Drivers figet in
their cars as the engine snorts past, followed by the clackety-clack of wheels
turning beneath boxcars, flatcars, the caboose.
These are sounds of
McMinnville.
On the edge of town, the
steel mill clanks. A little farther out, farm equipment purrs through fields,
turning the dirt in preparation for the next season. Vineyard cannons boom,
pause, boom to warn the birds away from juicy grapes.
Rain begins, pattering on
rooftops and roadways — remember the rain? The wind picks up, dislodging dying
leaves and sending them floating to the ground where they will crunch beneath
our feet.
These are sounds of
McMinnville.
Drive slowly down 17th
Street on a school day. Listen to the Twilighters blending their voices on a
tune arranged by Dana Libonati, or the band warming up for its next concert.
Go inside Wednesday evening
and hear youngsters singing alongside professional artists in the annual
Koncert for Kids. During other seasons, groove to music outdoors at Linfield
College or Third and Davis.
These are sounds of
McMinnville.
Awaken to the pealing of
bells on Sunday morning. Pause to listen when the carillon plays atop
Linfield’s Pioneer Hall -- not just bells to mark the time, but beautiful
music, as well.
And remember, once again,
the familiar noises of long ago. Horses’s hooves pounding along dirt streets;
cattle bawling at the auction yard on the south end of town; the steam whistle
marking time at Farmers Coop Creamery.
These are sounds of McMinnville.
Memorial Stadium/Maxwell Field photo from Linfield Athletics Sports Information
