By Bill Evans

The Kia Sedona idled in front of my Pearl District apartment at 5:30 a.m. on Monday, an early start to a most unusual week on the job as camp counselor, goodwill ambassador and official Internet correspondent for the “Make it Better” Statewide Summer Tour.

Ninety minutes and one venti coffee after we began, our equipment van was loaded and the caravan was en route to Eugene, the first stop on a 19-city tour to visit team broadcast affiliates, host free basketball clinics and the spread the Blazers gospel.

Joined by a cast of characters that included Vice President of Broadcasting Dick Vardanega, Vice President of Community Relations Traci Rose, Community Programs Director Alissa Moore, Basketball Outreach Manager Michelle Butler, radio analyst Antonio Harvey and Marv, the driver of the equipment bus, we headed south to connect with Blazers fans throughout the state.

In Eugene, we were met by Bill Schonely, who joined Harvey on Early Morning Update with Alan Craig and Diana Russell on 1120 KPNW, officially tipping off the four-week long tour. At a basketball clinic at the Boys and Girls Club of Emerald Valley later that morning, Mike Barrett stopped by, offering camp counselor skills that rivaled his play by play and Sun E. Smart of Providence Health & Services provided free sun screen and tips on staying safe in the sun.

After one day, one thing is evident – everyone wants to talk Blazers basketball. At KLSR/KEVU tv, the Blazers television affiliate in Eugene, staff were curious about the addition of Rudy Fernandez, the rehabilitation of Greg Oden and the outlook for the 2008-09 Trail Blazers. We had a good chat, dropped off a few gifts and, after the two-plus hour drive to Coos Bay, readied for day two with a game of Bananagrams, burgers and a few games of pool in our coastal enclave. The locals eyed our Trail Blazers gear and didn’t hesitate to chat us up about the excitement of the upcoming season.

Summer Tour Stops: Eugene | Coos Bay | Roseburg | Klamath Falls | Trip 1 Homepage