Photos: Oregon golf course is staging area for firefighters battling Lookout Fire

Scenic Tokatee Golf Club in McKenzie Bridge, Oregon, is serving a different purpose this week.

Scenic Tokatee Golf Club in McKenzie Bridge, Oregon, is serving a different purpose this week.

It has become a staging ground for hotshot crews battling the Lookout Fire raging through the Willamette National Forest about 50 miles east of Eugene.

Smoke from the Lookout Fire as well as the Bedrock Fire is filling the skies. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued an air quality advisory, according to the Eugene Register-Guard. On Tuesday, DEQ issued a similar advisory for elevated levels of ozone in Salem, Eugene-Springfield, the Portland-Vancouver metro area and the Medford area.

Tokatee Golf Club announced Monday it was closed until further notice. According to the club’s website, the construction on the course started in 1964 and nine holes were opened in 1966. The second nine opened in 1969. The course was built on an old-growth logging site.

The big challenge was land clearing because much of the area had been an old-growth forest logged in the 1940s. The stumps had to be “blown” with dynamite, then the roots dug out and piled to be burned. A few stumps were left to show the size of the trees and how they were felled with cross-cut saws.

The Willamette Valley has been under a heat wave, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees. A large part of the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Region is under a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service on Monday, reports the Register-Guard.

Notre Dame’s Dylan Jacobs is national champion in 10,000 meters

Big moment for the Irish track team.

The national track and field championships have arrived, and Notre Dame already is bringing home some hardware. More specifically, senior distance runner [autotag]Dylan Jacobs[/autotag] is bringing it home. On the first day of the championships in Eugene, Oregon, Jacobs won the 10,000-meter championship in 28 minutes, 12.32 seconds. He’s the second athlete in program history to win the national championship in that event, and he understandably was thrilled:

Jacobs was one of four Irish representatives in the 10,000. Junior [autotag]Matthew Carmody[/autotag] set a personal best with a time of 28:34.28 while placing 16th. Sophomore [autotag]Joshua Methner[/autotag] was 21st in 28:57.31, and senior [autotag]Andrew Alexander[/autotag] finished last in the field at 24th in 29:09.02.

Jacobs also will compete in the 5,000 final later in the week. He’s one of only two Notre Dame athletes who will compete in two events during the championships. The other is [autotag]Tom Seitzer[/autotag], who is set to take part in the 3,000 and steeplechase.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

‘Pride of Oklahoma’ steps in to help Oregon Marching band short members due to snow in Eugene

In a sign of camaraderie, members of the “Pride of Oklahoma” marching band volunteered to support Oregon’s band short members due to snow.

If you’ve ever been around marching band at any level, you understand that it’s a community that extends beyond your school. That was on display during the River Rally in San Antonio ahead of the Valero Alamo Bowl.

With members of the Oregon marching band stranded in Eugene, Oregon after heavy snowfall the last couple of days, the “Pride of Oklahoma” Marching Band volunteered to step in and support the Ducks during the pep rally.

University of Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione called it “college athletics at its finest.” In the video he posted to his Twitter account, you can hear people exclaim, “that’s cool” and “and that’s great.”

Though the Oklahoma Sooners and Oregon Ducks will be competitors come Wednesday night, the Sooners showed kindness by backing up the Ducks members that were present.

This is what the marching band community is all about. My three siblings each were in their high school’s marching band and what remains in their minds from their time is the relationships built and the support received during their time in the marching band.

From Barry Switzer presenting the “Pride” with the game ball after the Sooners stormed back in the 1983 Bedlam matchup to supporting their fellow man, the “Pride of Oklahoma” continues to give Oklahoma alumni and fans a lot to be proud about.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.