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Dwayne Stevens, the owner of Gold Fantasys in downtown Roseburg, climbs a ladder Tuesday on the roof of his building to stand beside a new loudspeaker system in Roseburg. The system, which was put up by the Roseburg Business Association, plays bells at intervals during the day.
The bells are back. And soon spooky sounds, Christmas music and maybe a few bars of “Mustang Sally” will follow.
A group of downtown business people have pulled together donations to bring back the tradition of the Winchester chimes sounding every half hour through the streets of downtown Roseburg.
The idea came from a monthly luncheon meeting the group, the Roseburg Business Association, held about two and a half years ago, explained Ken Deatherage, standing in the Jackson Street building that houses the “bells,” as well as the jewelry store Gold Fantasys.
“We were talking about the bells that used to ring around here,” said Deatherage, as fellow business owners Ken Dresser, Bob Pearson and Dwayne Stevens looked on.
It turned out one group member, Dick Filley, helped produce the sound during the late 1960s and early 1970s, Deatherage explained.
Filley would have to sometimes go “fiddle” with the rolls of hole-filled paper that fed the player piano-like device then located in the basement of the same Jackson Street building.
The bells rang three or four times a day, the group remembered. The machine also produced music, such as “Happy Days Are Here Again,” recalled Dresser.
“That was at 5 o’clock every day,” said Pearson, with a smile.
After the meeting, members decided to try to revive the tradition. Although the original music-making machine no longer exists, the business owners started raising money to buy a reasonable facsimile, a computer-generated system.
Through word of mouth and handing out flyers, the group eventually raised about $6,000 from 38 donors. The donations ranged in size from “a couple thousand dollars to $5,” Deatherage said.
At times, the fund-raising efforts waned, but when Stevens bought the Jackson Street building in October 2007 and moved his jewelry store in, he helped get things back on track.
“I got excited,” Stevens recalled from the roof of the building, which houses the new speakers. “I was kind of the new blood.”
Several businesses donated to the cause. The Steel Outlet built the heavy-gauge steel speaker stand. REKathy Korengel 10/30/08 cq Noah & Co. offered its crane to mount the equipment on the building’s roof.
Eventually, the computer and other equipment that generates the sound was installed in a back room of the jewelry store. About a month ago, the business association started testing the system, initially sounding the bells every quarter-hour from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
“Some people thought it was a bit much,” recalled Stevens. So they curtailed the carillons to ring the full Winchester chimes every hour, with bells marking the hour. A shortened version of the Winchester chimes rings on the half hour.
And after a few complaints from residents who live on the west side of the South Umpqua River, the bell’s volume was adjusted down.
But overwhelmingly, the men have heard compliments about the bells.
“I haven’t heard that for years,” is what Dresser, a downtown attorney, has heard from clients.
“I love it, I love it,” has been the response from Stevens’ customers.
“People (hear the bells and) look down at their watch,” said Pearson, with a grin.
The regular ring of the bells is only the beginning of what may come.
To kick off the system, big band sounds were played during a recent, special after-hours event for downtown shoppers.
On Friday, creaking doors, sinister laughter and other spooky sounds will emanate through downtown to mark Halloween. Christmas tunes are planned for the holidays.
And the men hope to welcome Graffiti Week revelers with hot rod songs such as “Mustang Sally,” Deatherage said.
They have dreams of installing a wireless system that would allow announcers to keep crowds apprised of passing parades.
Stevens has even offered to hook up a phone line to the speakers that could make it an emergency alert system, although the city hasn’t taken him up on the offer yet.
But the men see the bells serving a bigger purpose than entertainment.
“This is historic downtown Roseburg,” Dresser said. “We want to just put back some of that atmosphere and see if it will draw people downtown.”
“We’re old farts trying to relive their childhood,” he joked.
“We’re trying to keep something alive,” Stevens countered.
“ ... for the next generation,” said Deatherage, completing the thought.
• You can reach reporter Kathy Korengel at 957-4218 or by e-mail at kkorengel@nrtoday.com.
A group of downtown business people have pulled together donations to bring back the tradition of the Winchester chimes sounding every half hour through the streets of downtown Roseburg.
The idea came from a monthly luncheon meeting the group, the Roseburg Business Association, held about two and a half years ago, explained Ken Deatherage, standing in the Jackson Street building that houses the “bells,” as well as the jewelry store Gold Fantasys.
“We were talking about the bells that used to ring around here,” said Deatherage, as fellow business owners Ken Dresser, Bob Pearson and Dwayne Stevens looked on.
It turned out one group member, Dick Filley, helped produce the sound during the late 1960s and early 1970s, Deatherage explained.
Filley would have to sometimes go “fiddle” with the rolls of hole-filled paper that fed the player piano-like device then located in the basement of the same Jackson Street building.
The bells rang three or four times a day, the group remembered. The machine also produced music, such as “Happy Days Are Here Again,” recalled Dresser.
“That was at 5 o’clock every day,” said Pearson, with a smile.
After the meeting, members decided to try to revive the tradition. Although the original music-making machine no longer exists, the business owners started raising money to buy a reasonable facsimile, a computer-generated system.
Through word of mouth and handing out flyers, the group eventually raised about $6,000 from 38 donors. The donations ranged in size from “a couple thousand dollars to $5,” Deatherage said.
At times, the fund-raising efforts waned, but when Stevens bought the Jackson Street building in October 2007 and moved his jewelry store in, he helped get things back on track.
“I got excited,” Stevens recalled from the roof of the building, which houses the new speakers. “I was kind of the new blood.”
Several businesses donated to the cause. The Steel Outlet built the heavy-gauge steel speaker stand. REKathy Korengel 10/30/08 cq Noah & Co. offered its crane to mount the equipment on the building’s roof.
Eventually, the computer and other equipment that generates the sound was installed in a back room of the jewelry store. About a month ago, the business association started testing the system, initially sounding the bells every quarter-hour from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
“Some people thought it was a bit much,” recalled Stevens. So they curtailed the carillons to ring the full Winchester chimes every hour, with bells marking the hour. A shortened version of the Winchester chimes rings on the half hour.
And after a few complaints from residents who live on the west side of the South Umpqua River, the bell’s volume was adjusted down.
But overwhelmingly, the men have heard compliments about the bells.
“I haven’t heard that for years,” is what Dresser, a downtown attorney, has heard from clients.
“I love it, I love it,” has been the response from Stevens’ customers.
“People (hear the bells and) look down at their watch,” said Pearson, with a grin.
The regular ring of the bells is only the beginning of what may come.
To kick off the system, big band sounds were played during a recent, special after-hours event for downtown shoppers.
On Friday, creaking doors, sinister laughter and other spooky sounds will emanate through downtown to mark Halloween. Christmas tunes are planned for the holidays.
And the men hope to welcome Graffiti Week revelers with hot rod songs such as “Mustang Sally,” Deatherage said.
They have dreams of installing a wireless system that would allow announcers to keep crowds apprised of passing parades.
Stevens has even offered to hook up a phone line to the speakers that could make it an emergency alert system, although the city hasn’t taken him up on the offer yet.
But the men see the bells serving a bigger purpose than entertainment.
“This is historic downtown Roseburg,” Dresser said. “We want to just put back some of that atmosphere and see if it will draw people downtown.”
“We’re old farts trying to relive their childhood,” he joked.
“We’re trying to keep something alive,” Stevens countered.
“ ... for the next generation,” said Deatherage, completing the thought.
• You can reach reporter Kathy Korengel at 957-4218 or by e-mail at kkorengel@nrtoday.com.
