Pop’s Branding Iron: A Nice Place for Family and Friends

There is a log building at 901 Pacific Blvd on the corner of Pacific Boulevard and Madison Street in Albany. There you will find one of the most interesting restaurants in this part of the state. The food at Pop's Branding Iron is as hearty as its decor, with a history as interesting as its customers.

 The BLT sandwich with a side of clam chowder makes for a satisfying lunch, and at $5.95 for the sandwich and $2 for the cup of chowder, it will also satisfy your wallet. The "Hired Ham" hamburger,(despite the funny name), also with clam chowder is just as filling. The hamburger and cup of chowder meal is also $7.95.

BLT Sandwich

The BLT was nicely toasted with fresh tasting ingredients that were nice and crisp. The fries were hot, lightly crispy and lightly seasoned. The clam chowder was quite good considering the restaurant is about 80 miles from the nearest coast line. My wife said that the "Hired Ham", hamburger was good, but there could have been more mushrooms. The waitress was very nice and asked us a least a couple of times how things were. We nodded with our mouths full and continued enjoying our meal. We aren't the only ones who like Pop's.

Kay Spencer posted on nowtown.com, "Pop's Branding Iron is the best place to eat in the valley. FANTASTIC!!! And you can enjoy great drinks with friends in their quaint saloon. We had a great experience, and will be back often!"

"Hired Ham" hamburger

InsiderPages.com has a review from Linda S.,""We have had breakfast at Pop's several times and have never been let down. Prices are good and portions are great. They give you very large plates of food!. Waitresses are nice and food is always hot."

I don't know of anywhere else in the Mid-Willamette Valley one can get a meal like this with this kind of price, service and environment at anytime of the day or night. 

People in the area have been coming to Pop's for years. Everyone from old men having their morning coffee and talking about the weather and politics to teens who just want to get out of the house for some Coke, french fries, and company.

Originally known as Scotty’s Inn, the restaurant was later called Pop’s Café and was a landmark for travelers on the old 99 Highway East. Owner, Pop Uken, was also known as a race horse breeder. During the off season Pop could commonly be found at the end of the counter telling stories of his horse racing ventures, according to nowtowns.com, and was filled with photos, ribbons, and trophies of his victories.

Courtesy of PBI

In 1964 Pop’s Café was purchased by Harold and Dolores Heuvel and Melvin and Julia Goode. In 1966 the restaurant was built as it is today. The lounge, called The Lariat Room, was opened three months later. Pop's,(as the locals call it), has a unique décor of the Old West with saloon type chandeliers for lighting fixtures, deer and elk mounted on the walls, old cowboy photos, as well as posters from old cowboy movies. For anyone who favors the country-western “lifestyle”, this will surely feel right at home.

Courtesy of PBI

Pop’s Branding Iron brags of seating for 70 in their main dining area and a banquet room that will hold 75. Today Susan Holman and Debbie McTimmonds, the daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Heuvel, run the restaurant and have been since 2003 when Mr. Heuvel passed away, according to their My Space page. Ms. McTimmonds claims, “This is the type of restaurant a person can come to alone. Our staff and our regulars make you feel welcome. Our dad always said he wanted this to be a muddy shoe restaurant ... comfortable for someone just out of church or a guy getting off the night shift.” Pop's, however, isn't just for the lonely worker.

The restaurant is also known for catering to groups. Kiwanis Club, Lions Club, Boys and Girls Clubs, and even church groups have meetings in their large banquet room.  Pop’s even has a place to wet your whistle, for those who would enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine with dinner, or just pop in for a beer with friends.

Even though Pop’s Branding Iron seems more famous for its breakfast menus, they do other an extensive lunch and dinner menu. They have an omelette for most every taste as well as several different burgers and sandwiches, and a very satisfying dinner menu. None of these Items are over $20, which makes it a great place for the family, or an after-party snack, or just a place for good comfort food.

If you are looking for a four star restaurant with the attitude to go with it, you won’t find it here. The food is fulfilling and the service is capable and friendly. Pop’s even offers Oregon lottery.


I found Pop’s Branding Iron to be a relaxing place for friends and family. The food and service makes for a delightful experience. Day or night, anyone can get anything on the menu. That makes Pop's unique place to go no matter what your schedule or the company you keep. The only problem I seen with the restaurant is on off hours they may under-estimate their waitress staff. This causes a little bit of a Wait to take your order. Other than that, no problem. I give Pop's Branding Iron four stars out of five.

At a glance;
Name: Pop's Branding Iron restaurant
Hours: Open 24 hours a day- seven days a week
Menu: American cuisine; breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu at any time.
Dress: Wear anything.
Features: A buffet, banquet seating, a lounge, take-out orders, and reservations accepted.
Price: Nothing over $20. Pay with Visa, Mastercard, or cash.

You can find Pop’s Branding Iron at 901 Pacific Blvd SE in Albany
 (541) 926-5755

* All images courtesy of Pop's Branding Iron.

Amateur Radio Works When The Unthinkable Happens.

I t was a dark and stormy night. The trees bent and swayed to the will of the crazed wind and the rain came smashing down against the window pane. The National Weather Service had advised that adverse conditions were on the way; however, this appeared to be very serious. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind crossed some power wires nearby and a bright blue flash illuminated the entire neighborhood. Seconds later the lights went out all over that side of town. The cell phone antenna receive bars drop from full to nothing. Nothing worked! How do I contact people? How do I contact the emergency services? When all else fails, ham radio works!

Since the turn of the century people have been using amateur, or “ham” radio for emergency and other kinds of communication. Hams are best known for jumping to action during times of bad weather, floods, earthquakes, or any other type of adverse condition.  They even use their own equipment to help their communities in times of need. A national organization for emergency communication is called The Amateur Radio Emergency Service, (A.R.E.S.).

 The storm of 2007 battered the Northwest part of Oregon with 120 mph winds and torrential rain that knocked out all power and communication to the region. About 200 ham radio operators, according to computerworld.com, volunteered their time and equipment to provide vital communication for the well being of the area. Emergency communications, however, isn’t the only use for ham radio.

With ham radio, you can talk to people across the street, across the state, across the country, or across the world. Some of the most interesting people are hams, and interesting people have interesting conversations. Among people who are hams are singer/song writer Ronnie Milsap, pop singer Lance Bass from ‘N SYNC, country singer Patty Loveless, Joe Walsh of The Eagles, Greg Walden, Oregon Congressman, and Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple. Anyone can be a ham. There is no age limit. All anyone needs to do is take a test for a Federal Communication Commission license. There are people you may know who are hams. Marcene Olson is the safety and loss prevention manager at LBCC. She is also a ham. Her call sign is KF7PGK. Mindy McCall is clerical specialist III at LBCC safety and loss prevention office. Her call sign is KF7PGH.

Marcene Olson came up with the Idea of getting volunteers at LBCC to take classes for ham radio licenses through the Linn County Amateur Radio Services, (L.C.A.R.E.S.) Group. More information on the local ARES group is at qsl.net/lcares/. 

Marcene obtained her technician license about 10 months ago and is involved with emergency preparedness and response in the community. She says ham radio is an addition to social media and there is good potential for learning. Like anything else, there is a bad side to the hobby. Expense and some neighborhoods don’t allow antennas. The greatest appeal, according to Marcene, is helping others during times of need and the nostalgic feel of being a radio operator.   

Marcene is not the only person in the area who enjoys being a licensed radio operator, Steve, in Corvallis, has found pleasure as well. Steve Hilt, KC7NUD, has been a ham for 15 years.

 "I spent my youth listening to shortwave broadcasts and listening to my uncle talk on his ham radio, which made me want to join the fun", Steve said. His allure to the hobby is hams can communicate in any condition. It gives him piece of mind. "A lot of the technology of today was because of the help of hams", Steve continued. He also enjoys the comradery of the amateur radio society. The bad side: cost and, like anywhere else, there are always personality conflicts.

Tony Masvidal lives in Albany and has been a ham for 46 years. In high school he was confused on whether to take wood shop or electronics. About that time the 1964 Alaskan Earthquake occurred and he heard a lot of broadcasts from Alaska calling for help or giving reports. Tony knew then what he wanted. Today Tony is the president of the Linn County Amateur Radio Emergency Services Group and helps in neighborhood watch programs. He really enjoys the hobby and likes helping people.

Not just anyone can be an amateur radio operator. Citizens band, (C.B.) radios and ham radios are not the same. Anyone can have and operate a C.B. No license is required; however, ham radios require a license and some responsibility for use. This helps to ensure a better quality of radio operators.

 There are currently three levels of ham radio licenses, technician, general and extra class. Some radio clubs offer classes and testing sessions. Many clubs have “elmers”, or ham tutors. These people are experienced operators who help new hams with the hobby.

There are several different ways a licensed operator can communicate on the ham “bands”.  Many entry level licenced people, or “techs”, talk on 2 meter, (VHF) and 440 centimeter, (UHF) repeaters. This allows for mainly local or regional communications.

 High Frequency, (HF) communication requires the operator to hold a general level license. HF allows for communication around the country and around the world. For most hams this level is sufficient, however, to many operators this is not enough.

 The extra class license allows the operator to go anywhere in the amateur radio frequency spectrum. Along with voice there are several modes of communication in ham radio like Morse code, digital, radio teletype, PSK, which is a form of digital, and television.

As mentioned before amateur radio can be expensive, as much as $10,000 for one “base” radio plus coax ,antenna, and equipment , but as little as $100 for a 2 meter handie-talkie,(HT) radio. Like most things, it depends how much effort you want to put in it. Next to a cell phone, a hand held ham radio can be cheaper. After the initial cost, except for the cost of electricity, it’s free to operate.

There are different ways to look in to ham radio. The American Radio Relay League,(ARRL), is a national organization that helps hams and people who want to get into ham radio. The website, arrl.org, is an excellent place for information and study material, as well as gordonwestradioschool.com. Both of these sites are very good source of information when the “bug” bites.

The amateur radio operators of today is not your grampa’s type of operator. Hams have launched in the 21st century with style and vigor. To check out what amateur radio is like today go to youtu.be/varHL752Odk.

If anyone on campus has an interest in ham radio or obtaining an amateur radio licence, staff can contact Marcene Olson at (541) 917-4940 and students may contact Mindy McCall at. (541) 917-4309. 

 73.

Note to reader: The author is a general class licenced amateur radio operator. Call sign KL2BO.

Grabbing Your Money or Protecting the Public?

Ah yes, it’s that magical time on the calendar when things are started over and we receive a “second chance”, if you will. It’s the New Year. Students weren’t the only ones busy last year. Our elected officials in Salem also had their nose to the grindstone to bring us the new laws for the 2012 model year. As with all laws, some seem quite legitimate and useful for the safety of the public, while to others it may appear to be a huge waste of taxpayer time and money.

Hundreds of new laws went into effect in Oregon on the first day of January of 2012 according to TDN.com. A few of them could affect the life of college students and their pursuit of higher education or just a good time.

A modification law on drinking and driving is back. Anyone who has been convicted of driving while intoxicated will need to use a computerized breathalyzer in order to start their vehicle. The price of installation of the analyzer would be about $75 and $50 to $75 a month to monitor the device. The penalties and fees for this infraction, as of the New Years, has went up from $391to $591. It would be a very expensive hangover.

The “cell phone while driving” law has also been changed. As of December 31 2009 there was a loop hole in the law. You could talk and drive if the call was directly related to your business. As of January 1^st, of this year that loophole no longer exists. The only people who can use wireless devises while driving now are first responders, tow truck drivers, and utility workers. No more checking the LBCC baseball and basketball scores while behind the wheel. You can be fined $142 if you are caught!

A couple of new laws help kids in foster care and Veterans. Children in foster care in the State of Oregon will be eligible for free tuition in Oregon colleges. To help out those brave souls who have proudly served our country, a new law helps vets find work. The law requires public employers to give interviews to vets looking for civil service positions. Yeah! One for the Troops!

And finally, some good news to report to those students trying to pay their way through college the “old fashioned” way. It will be good news to hear of the rise of the minimum wage. It has gone up from $8.50 to $8.80, as www.examiner.com tells us.

Weather the government is trying to overload us with meaningless laws in a sad attempt to pick our pockets, or someone in Salem got it right with some much needed guidelines to improve our lives, ready or not, here they are. To see more information on the new laws that came into effect on January 1^st 2012 in Oregon and other States, go to www.ncsl.org.