The Contreras family owns a small bakery but bakes traditional Mexican goodies with a big heart. “We love what we do,” says Maria Contreras, who runs Pilos Mexican Bakery in Corvallis with her parents, Celestino Contreras Padilla and Marcelina Lopez de Contreras, and brother Alberto Contreras.

Like most teens in the mid-1960s, Robert Santelli found himself glued to the television as Ed Sullivan introduced the Beatles. And, like so many, it was a life-changing experience. On that day — Feb. 9, 1964 — 12-year-old Santelli made an emphatic decision – he would be a musician.

Every Saturday since 1970, rain or shine, vendors have set up booths to sell their wares in downtown Eugene. Little did Lotte Streisinger, founder of The Saturday Market, know that 48 years later her idea would have such staying power. It’s now the oldest weekly open-air crafts festival in the United States.

“Slow down” are two words Alice Carter does not keep in her verbal dictionary. “I like being very active,” says the 88-year-old, who finished two years of Peace Corps service last year. “The Peace Corps is a good way for seniors to serve in a meaningful way, making connections of a good kind with another country and its citizens.”

What form of exercise equals walking five miles in a single evening, but packed with more fun, health and social benefits?

For some older adults, the connectivity of personal computers, smartphones and Facebook changed their lives for the better. According to AARP, 76 percent of adults over age 50 own a desktop, laptop or tablet. Those aged 65 and younger, and those with higher incomes, are more likely to have access to the internet at home, as well as have a device and consistently use it.

Greenhill Humane Society runs two shelters — the smaller 1st Avenue Shelter, and the larger one, commonly known as Greenhill, on Green Hill Road in west Eugene. Greenhill staff does a great job of keeping the facility clean and inviting to the public, and as comfortable for the animals as possible. But the facility was built in the 1950s with very little updating over the years.

Andrea and Curtis Ryun sold their boat and bought a recreational vehicle, so they could have a fun vacation without worrying about where to stay or what to eat.

For many people, the start of a new year is a time to leave some habits behind and face the upcoming year with fresh motivation and a set of new commitments. For those living with a chronic disease or chronic pain, it can be hard to escape the daily challenges. The good news is, regardless of the type of illness, you can build skills and confidence for managing your health, staying active and enjoying your life.

Celebrating your birthday never goes out of style. “I don’t think there’s ever an age to stop celebrating,” says Dawn Keeney, owner of Unforgettable Service and Events. “Every birthday that you’re alive is a reason to celebrate.”

Oregon’s labor market is doing great. “Jobs are being added at a very good rate,” says Nick Beleiciks, a state employment economist with the Oregon Employment Department. “In fact, Oregon has been adding jobs faster than the nation since 2013. The unemployment rate this year is the lowest it’s been in 40 years, which is as far back as comparative figures exist. These are signs that Oregon’s economy is doing well.”

The little town of Crawfordsville houses a celebrity named Tommy Nelson, a man who has lived in the area for more than 40 years.

Is this the year that you’re finally going to quit smoking, save more money or lose 10 pounds? If so, you’re not the only one.

According to “60 Minutes” journalist Leslie Stahl, the crowning achievement of her life wasn’t her four decades of reporting, covering news from the White House or interviewing heads of state. It was becoming a grandmother.

It’s a Sunday morning at Unleashed Community Church in Eugene. Members of the congregation start arriving and find their seats.

If there’s one person who knows hiking in Lane County, it’s William Sullivan. He’s written five books covering all of the hikes in Oregon, as well as 16 other books including adventure memoirs, novels, mysteries and short stories. “The thing I like about fall is the fall color and huckleberries,” Sullivan says. “For huckleberries the trick is to go to the high Cascades to places where the forest has been cut back by fire or windstorms or clear cuts. The huckleberries only develop fruit if they get sun, so you see huckleberry bushes in the deep woods all over the high Cascades but there’s no fruit.”

The longest running volunteer cat rescue group in Eugene/Springfield celebrated its 10th anniversary in August with a new name. West Coast Dog and Cat Rescue, founded in 2007, is now Cat Rescue and Adoption Network.

For the past several years, Mike and Alecia Gamble of Springfield have raised chickens in their backyard. The Gambles currently have seven chickens who supply enough eggs to feed their family of six an egg breakfast every other day. They also give a lot of eggs away.

Rod Minarik likes to drive. In fact, it was a trip “passing through” Oregon with a 35-foot trailer that changed his life. He’s originally from southern California, but 17 years ago, he was just expecting to pass through Oregon on a tour when he quickly realized his trailer was too big. So he parked it in Eugene and stayed awhile.

By the time many adults reach the grandparent stage they often are retired and their nests are empty. A program sponsored by the Oregon Cascade West Council of Governments gives some of those adults an important connection with children they may be missing.

Dorothy Wallace Foisy sews baby quilts — a lot of them. Often, two a day. In fact, since September, she has sewn 50 blankets. But as she sits among the blankets, folded neatly on the bed by her daughter Lynn Walker, Foisy picks up a blanket, unfolds it, strokes the pink fleece and comments, “Who made these?”

A local company’s products are so diverse that they’re used as flavorings for beers, cooking in the kitchen, for skin care and even herbal remedies.

The Lane County Farmers Market opened April 1 for its full farmers market at the Park Blocks in the heart of downtown Eugene. The market features more than 50 farmers and food artisans selling a range of local food products, from seafood and meats to vegetables, fruits and flowers.

We’ve all seen it, the urban sprawl of a community building housing deeper into farmlands and forests. But that’s not the plan for the city of Eugene and its urban growth boundary, or UGB.