BUSINESS & AG LIFE
2B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
BARN
Continued from Page 1B
preserve it. Arlene pressed
her husband to consider
removing the old hay chute
and repurposing the barn
into a wedding venue. The
move would provide funds
to maintain the building.
“It took her years to con-
vince me to take out wood
my grandfather had put
there,” he said. “It was a
hard sell.”
Preston winced as he
thought back, but said the
wisdom of his wife’s advice
fi nally soaked in. Removing
the old chute, he realized,
was much like cutting off a
man’s gangrenous fi nger to
save his life. They removed
the chute and refurbished
the space with a glossy,
tongue-and-groove fl oor.
The wedding venue opened
in 2008. Until the pan-
demic, about 25 couples
each wedding season have
started their married lives
in the barn.
Last year, Preston retired
from teaching agriculture at
Blue Mountain Community
College after 28 years there.
Arlene, a former teacher
and mortgage loan pro-
cessor, continues to func-
tion as Winn Homestead’s
TREES
Continued from Page 1B
product, while only 49%
described artifi cial trees
this way.
Real trees were also
described as “special” by
76% of survey respondents
compared to 46% for artifi -
cial trees.
Consumers see real
Christmas trees as an
opportunity to “salvage
the year” and make their
homes more comfortable,
said Ryan Tandler, vice
president of the Fleishman
Hillard public relations
fi rm, which designed the
survey.
“What we see is people
asking themselves how
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian
Waverly Seymour plays Oct. 1, 2020, in her family’s 104-year-old Gothic arch barn near
Weston. The vintage barn is being used as a wedding venue.
master landscaper and
bookkeeper after handing
off the client relationship
management and marketing
duties to her daughter.
Kendra embraces her
new role, while marveling
at her circular journey.
She had happily departed
Weston after graduating
from high school in 2003,
not expecting to live full-
time in the area again.
She earned a bachelor’s
degree in international rela-
tions and studied in Latin
to have positive experi-
ences close to home,” Tan-
dler said. “People were
fairly unanimous in saying,
‘Because 2020 was not a
good year, I want to do
something special.’”
About 79% of respon-
dents said they wanted this
Christmas to be more spe-
cial than normal and 82%
said they wanted to make it
more memorable.
The pandemic con-
vinced 62% of respondents
to reconsider what they
consider “inconvenient”
and 72% want this year’s
Christmas to be more
“hands-on,” both of which
bode well for real trees,
Tandler said.
Activities, such as gar-
dening and baking, which
America, married Tim,
then headed to Washington,
D.C., to begin her dream
job. For several years, she
shepherded members of
Congress and White House
staffers on foreign policy
trips to Latin America. Tim
worked as an IT consultant
on the Hill.
Five years ago, the
couple moved to Port-
land where Tim continued
his job remotely. Waverly,
now 4, arrived. Kendra did
research, writing and mar-
many previously saw as
inconvenient are now more
likely to be viewed as
enjoyable, he said.
A similar dynamic
may also inspire people to
pick out and set up a real
Christmas tree, Tandler
said. “That work is very
rewarding.”
Even so, the real
Christmas tree industry
can’t afford to rest on its
laurels and assume many
consumers will abandon
their artifi cial trees, he
said.
“There’s always a dif-
ference between intentions
and behaviors,” Tandler
said.
The industry should
try to dispel the notion
that real Christmas trees
keting for Stillwater Asso-
ciates, a transportation
fuels consulting fi rm, and
ran her photography busi-
ness, Kendra Joy Photog-
raphy, both of which she
continues.
Then came an unex-
pected proposition from
Preston and Arlene. They
wanted to retire over time
and transfer ownership
in the wedding business
(called Winn Homestead
Events) and the family farm
to the next generation.
require a lot of expertise
and added work, he said.
Many consumers have
“already sold themselves
a real tree in their minds,”
so the industry should try
to remove the low-level
knowledge barriers that
may impede a purchase,
Tandler said.
To that end, the promo-
tion board is working with
the social media infl uencer
Rob Kenney, who will pro-
vide tips about selecting
and maintaining real trees
on his popular Youtube
channel, “Dad, how do I?”
Tandler said the real tree
industry should also fi ght
the persistent belief among
some consumers that
plastic trees are more envi-
ronmentally friendly.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020
“Often in agriculture,
the older generation is not
willing to turn loose assets
until late in life, oftentimes
not until their 80s,” Preston
said. “The younger genera-
tion doesn’t have the oppor-
tunity to shape those assets
into whatever their vision
is. Arlene and I see that as
kind of a tragedy.”
After careful consid-
eration, Kendra and Tim
bought in.
“It all came together
rather quickly,” Kendra
said. “We sold our house
and moved just in time for
the pandemic.”
Then Tim was laid off
from his IT job. Book-
ings dropped to just nine
as couples canceled and
postponed because of the
virus. The couple, along
with Preston and Arlene,
channeled their energies
into continuing to renovate
a 408-square-foot house
where George R. Winn and
his wife Imogene Sloane
Winn honeymooned and
later raised Preston and his
two older siblings, turning
the small home into a bridal
cottage. They also updated
a tiny bunkhouse on the
property to a groom and
groomsmen ready room.
The magnum opus is
a new cedar roof for the
barn. Helix wheat farmer
and roofer Matt Wood
and members of his crew
(which include Preston and
Tim) donned roofi ng har-
nesses and started removing
the barn’s aging tamarack
(western larch) shingles.
Wood, an afi cionado of old
barns, said he feels a sense
of reverence when he looks
at the structure.
“It’s an agrarian cathe-
dral,” Wood said. “Barns,
to me, are more than old
buildings. It’s nice to see
someone committed to
keeping a barn alive and
functional, even if it means
repurposing.”
Wood said he feels
honored to work on the
barn, which landed on the
National Historic Register
in 2011.
“It’s like working on a
‘32 Packard,” he said. “It’s
a classic. It has beautiful
lines.”
Kendra, 35, said her
appreciation of the historic
barn has increased.
“As a kid, I didn’t see the
value of the history,” she
said. “My perspective has
changed a little bit. I now
see how cool the history
is. It’s tangible; you can
walk where your ancestors
walked. There are a lot of
stories in those walls.”
MOVE
comprehensive tax services
for individuals and small
businesses and offi ce sup-
port that ranges from fi le
management, to payroll and
human resource services.
In spite of the COVID-19
pandemic, Jones said some
businesses have done and
she has been busy this year.
Continued from Page 1B
has a bachelor of science
degree in sociology from
Vanguard University in
California.
The bookkeeping ser-
vices she provides includes
• At freeway exit
• Fuel
• Restaurant
• Clean bathrooms
• Convenience Store
• Interesting Gifts
• Food to go
• Bus Terminal
• Barber Shop
• Showers
• Shorepower electric
• LPG
• Dump Station
• 4 hotels adjacent
• 1 mile from downtown
Old Fashioned Hospitality
6 am to 12 am Daily
Take out and Catering is Available.
515 Campbell Street Baker City
541-523-4318
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by Stella Wilder
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020
YOUR BIRTHDAY by Stella Wilder
Born today, you are always thinking, think-
ing, thinking and coming up with one unusu-
al idea after another -- and sometimes your
ideas add up, in the opinion of others, to
something controversial or even dangerous.
You have such power over language that you
are able to express virtually anything in any
way you like -- and you can adopt almost any
point of view and argue any side of an issue
because your expressive powers are so keen.
Words and language combined will surely be
your ticket to greatness.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- You’re in no
mood for a fight, though you may be drawn
into one if you’re not careful to remain firmly
neutral -- no matter what is said.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- You can
rise above any sort of conflict today and deal
only with those who are of like minds. You
can come up with a big plan in no time.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- It’s
never too late to do the right thing, and you
may realize that you’ve waited long enough.
Get in touch with all concerned parties.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Say
what you have to say, and move on. You have
little time to spend on preludes and epi-
logues. A businesslike approach is best.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Get in
touch with all those who have a vested inter-
est in what you are doing these days, because
a major change is about to take place.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Someone
reaches out to you today -- but is it for the
right reason? Be careful that you don’t think
too much before offering assistance.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Think
twice before doing what comes most natu-
rally today, as someone isn’t likely to think it’s
appropriate. Try to find a balance.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- You may
find yourself on the wrong side of a major
decision today -- and you’ll have no one to
blame but yourself. Did you do your home-
work?
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- You’re in a
much better position to see what lies just
ahead than almost anyone else in your circle.
Be sure to warn everyone in time!
CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- You will
want to make sure that you are ready to
receive what someone is offering. This
involves more than just your point of view.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- You must be sure
that you’ve prepared for all eventualities
today. Fail to acknowledge a single possibility
-- and that’s the one that will cost you.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- You should
be able to fulfill a loved one’s every expecta-
tion today, and even go a little further, per-
haps. The result will please you.
(EDITORS: For editorial questions, please contact Hollie Westring at hwestring@
amuniversal.com.)
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