LOCAL/REGION
2A — THE OBSERVER
TuESday, May 25, 2021
Today in Work day helps create a ‘Disneyland for mountain biking’
History
By DICK MASON
The Observer
Today is Tuesday, May 25, the
145th day of 2021. There are 220
days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN
HISTORY:
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd,
a Black man, died when a white
Minneapolis police officer pressed
his knee on Floyd’s neck for about
9 1/2 minutes while Floyd was
handcuffed and pleading that he
couldn’t breathe; Floyd’s death,
captured on video by a bystander,
would lead to worldwide protests,
some of which turned violent, and
a reexamination of racism and
policing in the u.S.
ON THIS DATE:
In 1787, the Constitutional Con-
vention began at the Pennsylvania
State House in Philadelphia after
enough delegates had shown up
for a quorum.
In 1935, Babe Ruth hit his last
three career home runs — Nos.
712, 713 and 714 — for the Boston
Braves in a game against the Pitts-
burgh Pirates.
In 1946, Transjordan (now
Jordan) became a kingdom as
it proclaimed its new monarch,
abdullah I.
In 1959, the u.S. Supreme Court,
in State athletic Commission v.
dorsey, struck down a Louisiana
law prohibiting interracial boxing
matches.
In 1961, President John F.
Kennedy told Congress: “I believe
that this nation should commit itself
to achieving the goal, before this
decade is out, of landing a man on
the moon and returning him safely
to the earth.”
In 1964, the u.S. Supreme
Court ordered the school board of
Prince Edward County, Virginia, to
reopen its public schools, which
officials had closed in an attempt
to circumvent the Supreme Court’s
desegregation ruling.
In 1965, Muhammad ali
knocked out Sonny Liston in the
first round of their world heavy-
weight title rematch in Lewiston,
Maine. (ali’s victory generated
controversy over whether he’d truly
connected when he sent Liston
crashing to the canvas with a right
to the head, or whether it was a
“phantom punch,” implying that the
fight had been fixed.)
In 1979, 273 people died when
an american airlines dC-10 crashed
just after takeoff from Chicago’s
O’Hare airport. Six-year-old Etan
Patz disappeared while on his
way to a school bus stop in lower
Manhattan. (In april 2017, Pedro
Hernandez, convicted of killing
Etan, was sentenced to at least 25
years in prison.)
In 1992, Jay Leno made his de-
but as host of NBC’s “Tonight Show,”
succeeding Johnny Carson.
CORRECTION
The Observer mis-
identified the man in two
photos on page 1A of the
April 1, 2021, edition of
the newspaper. The man
in the photos was Blue
Chavez. The Observer
regrets the error.
UNION COUNTY —
The threat of rain Saturday,
May 22, did not douse the
volunteer spirit burning
within local mountain
bikers.
The Blue Mountain
Singletrack Trails Club’s
annual Mount Emily Recre-
ation Area Work Day drew
about 30 people.
“It was one of the big-
gest turnouts we’ve had,”
said Sean Chambers, Union
County’s parks director.
The National Weather
Service forecast rain for the
day, and some fell as the
work started at 8:30 a.m.
but it did not appear to
cause anyone to leave.
“These are real die-
hards,” Chambers said late
in the afternoon after a day
in which rainfall at MERA
was far less than what some
expected.
The volunteers, many
of whom were members
of the trails club, focused
much of their efforts on the
Skills Development Center
at MERA, which is adja-
cent to its Owsley parking
lot. The skills center is
where mountain bikers pre-
pare themselves to take on
dick Mason/The Observer
Volunteers at the Mount Emily Recreation Area’s annual work day for nonmotorized trails prepare to in-
stall a “skinny” — a narrow pathway for mountain bikers to train on — from a split tree at the site’s Skills
Development Center Saturday, May 22, 2021. The skinnies help mountain bikers prepare to handle the
8- to 12-inch-wide trails at the recreation area.
the challenges of MERA’s
trails.
The work included
adding about 60 feet to the
skill center’s network of
“skinnies.” A skinny is a
narrow pathway mountain
bikers ride on to improve
bike handling skills and
balance. Skinnies often are
made of lumber or a fallen
tree.
The skinnies installed
May 22, which are made
from split trees, will help
riders learn to handle the
8- to 12-inch-wide pas-
sages they will encounter at
MERA, said Ed Mosiman,
a member of the club who
helped run the work day.
The club also added a
new drop site at the center
using a plank that drops
riders 1 to 2 feet. The
drop sites simulate some
of the drops riders have to
make while riding trails at
MERA.
The crew also prepared
for the construction of a
new MERA bridge for
hikers and mountain bikes.
The new bridge will cross a
stream on the MERA Loop
trail. It will be wider than
the bridge now at the site,
making it safer to ride over,
Chambers said.
Materials for the bridge,
some of which the Union
County Public Works
Department donated, were
driven within 100 yards of
where the new span will
be. Volunteers then carried
the items to the work site,
Mosiman said. A trails club
member later will build the
bridge.
The improved bridge
will enhance a network
of hiking and mountain
biking trails at MERA that
are hard to top, according
to Jonah Lindeman, who
assisted with the work day.
“You can’t find places
like this everywhere. It is a
gem,” Lindeman said.
Jeff Crews of La Grande,
who also served as a vol-
unteer at the work day,
agreed that the quality
of the MERA’s trails are
exceptional.
“This is like Disney-
land for mountain biking,”
Crews said.
Eagle Cap Excursion Train rolls again starting July 4
Train ride offers
scenic views of
Northeastern
Oregon
Wallowa County Chieftain
ELGIN — Independence
Day weekend will not only
bring in the celebration of
our nation’s birth, but the
official return of the Eagle
Cap Excursion Train.
The COVID-19 pan-
demic forced the train to
a halt during 2020. The
Friends of the Joseph
Branch, which manages the
train, announced in April it
would be returning in 2021.
That first date has been set
for July 3, according to a
press release.
The later start date gives
the organization more time
to prepare for the ever-
changing measures from
the state level and for more
people to get shots against
COVID-19.
“We usually launch the
season with the Mother’s
Day Brunch, but in order
to ensure we have all of
Wallowa County Chieftain, File
The Eagle Cap Excursion Train, run by the Friends of the Joseph
Branch, makes its way back to the Elgin Depot in this undated pho-
to. The train, which did not operate in 2020 because of the COVID-19
pandemic, returns to the rails Independence Day Weekend.
our new safety measures
in place and more people
are vaccinated against the
virus, our first trip starts a
little later than normal,” Ed
Spaulding, president of the
Friends, said in the press
release.
This year, there will be
18 train rides, starting on
that first Saturday in July
and running through Sat-
urday, Oct. 23. Most of
the trips are scheduled for
Saturdays, but a handful
of midweek trips that run
during the afternoon and
evening are slated. Two
train robberies are on tap,
as the Gold Rush Bandits,
riders on horseback who
“rob” the train, will take
part again.
There will be fewer
passengers to allow for
social distancing and a
face-mask requirement for
both volunteers and pas-
sengers, except for when
people aboard are eating or
drinking. A new ventilation
system that filters the air
as it circulates will also be
installed.
“We believe these mea-
sures will provide pas-
sengers with the confi-
dence they can safely enjoy
the scenic train rides,”
Spaulding said in the
release.
There is a bonus oppor-
tunity for riders this year,
though it is limited to one
passenger per trip. Riders
have the opportunity to
reserve a ride in the cab of
the engine alongside the
engineers during the return
trip.
“Get the unique perspec-
tive from sitting high above
the track, in the engine
and talk with the engineers
for the entire ride back to
Elgin,” the release states.
“Your cab ride includes a
special railroad cap, along
with lunch and a seat in the
passenger car during the
first leg of the trip.”
This option, for those 18
or older, is by reservation
only. Cost is the original
price of the ticket for a reg-
ular ride, plus an additional
$200 for the ride in the cab.
Ten Depot Street in La
Grande and Chuckwagon
Sisters Catering in Enter-
prise are providing the
lunches for the train rides.
According to its website,
all but one of the Saturday
trips are $35 for youths age
3-16, $70 for adults, and
$65 for those 60 and older.
Kids under 3 ride free. A
pair of longer trips on July
21 and Oct. 9 are $40, $75
and $70. The train rob-
beries take place on July 24
and Sept. 4.
The full schedule for the
summer, and a description
of the trips, is available
online at www.eaglecap-
trainrides.com. The web-
site is also where riders can
book a spot on a trip, or
they can do so by calling
the Elgin Depot at 541-
437-3652. Those inter-
ested in volunteering can
call Peggy Weishaar at
541-786-0094, or email
weishaar73@gmail.com for
more information.
OK to forgo masks in La Grande
schools in some situations
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Students, staff,
volunteers and visitors no longer have
to wear face coverings outdoors at La
Grande School District events, according
to an update the district sent Thursday,
May 20.
That includes outdoor physical educa-
tion classes, recess and other school activ-
ities, although physical distancing and
other related requirements still apply.
And school district staff who are fully
vaccinated also can ditch face cover-
ings and physically distance inside school
buildings when students are not present
(such as before and after school or on
weekends), but only when the school has
checked their vaccination status.
The Oregon Department of Educa-
tion and Oregon Health Authority made
adjustments to the Ready School, Safe
Learners guidance as well as risk guide-
lines based on the U.S. Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention and the OHA
making recent changes regarding masks
and other COVID-19 safety practices,
according to the update from the school
district.
“In general, these updates do not sub-
stantially change Ready Schools, Safe
Learners guidance,” the press release
stated. “However, these updates do
impact students, families and staff before
and after school as well as sports, activi-
ties and graduation ceremonies. In addi-
tion, these updates to RSSL and sports/
events allowances are up to the discretion
of local districts to choose to implement.”
Fully vaccinated students, staff, vol-
unteers and spectators are not required
to wear face coverings at indoor sports
events only when the schools check the
vaccination status that meets OHA guid-
ance. All previous physical distancing
and capacity restrictions still apply.
That also applies to school board meet-
ings if children are not present. Most chil-
dren in Oregon are not yet vaccinated.
School board meetings are open to the
public.
Those who are fully vaccinated also
can take off masks at indoor sporting
events as long as the schools check the
vaccination status per OHA guidance.
Again, all previous physical distancing
and capacity restrictions still apply.
According to the press release, the
Oregon Health Authority defines “fully
vaccinated” as an individual who has
received both doses of a two-dose
COVID-19 vaccine or one dose of a sin-
gle-dose vaccine and at least 14 days have
passed since the individual’s final dose of
the vaccine.
Per the OHA, “proof of vaccination
status” means documentation provided by
a tribal, federal, state or local government
or a health care provider that includes
an individual’s name, date of birth, type
of COVID-19 vaccination given, date or
dates given, depending on whether it is
a one-dose or two-dose vaccine, and the
name/location of the health care provider
or site where the vaccine was adminis-
tered. Documentation may include, but
is not limited to, COVID-19 vaccination
record card, or a copy or digital picture of
the vaccination record card.
The press release also emphasized the
district will not tolerate shaming of stu-
dents, parents or staff for continuing to
wear masks in all locations and following
all key safety practices. People who are
vaccinated may continue to wear masks if
they want to.
Lastly, families should be aware that
an increase of active transmissions of
COVID-19 in a school or in its local com-
munity may necessitate the reinstatement
of the requirement for face coverings. La
Grande School District will use its local
teams, data and context to continue to
monitor and adjust as the need arises.
For more information on the adjust-
ments by ODE, go to https://www.oregon.
gov/ode/students-and-family/healthsafety/
alex Wittwer/The Observer
Spectators look on from Island Avenue in Island City during the Ag-Timber Parade Friday, May 21, 2021.
The parade, which was canceled last year due to the pandemic, saw dozens of participants and hundreds
of spectators.
Ag-Timber Parade rolls along
By ALEX WITTWER
The Observer
ISLAND CITY — The
Ag-Timber Parade returned
Friday, May 21, after taking
a year off due to the pan-
demic, to again celebrate
the agricultural and timber
industries that make up a
large chunk of the local
economy.
Oregon Women in
Timber sponsored the
parade that rolled out
starting at 6 p.m. Oregon
Women in Timber is a
statewide nonprofit organi-
zation committed to raising
awareness about the impor-
tance of proper forest man-
agement and the products
that come from Oregon’s
timberlands.
“The Ag-Timber Parade
is our way to show our sup-
port for the big industries in
Union county,” said Tiffany
Sherman, an organizer with
Oregon Women in Timber
who helped facilitate the
parade. “It’s been around
for years and years and
we just like to honor those
industries that honor our
community.”
The parade ran from D
Street in Island City before
making its way down Island
Avenue. The Union County
Sheriff’s Office blockaded
the street for the hour-long
parade, which showcased
fire engines, log trucks, vin-
tage cars and farm equip-
ment. Participants in the
parade threw out candy for
children in the crowd.
“We didn’t have the
Ag-Timber in 2020 — but
(before that) we’ve had it
for probably 50 years at this
point,” Sherman said. “It’s
been around for a really
long time, and Women in
Timber has been with it for
23 years.”
The parade harkened a
return to normalcy in Union
County, which saw frequent
shutdowns over the course
of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the state easing restric-
tions and relaxing outdoor
gatherings due to increased
vaccination rates, more
parades and outdoor activ-
ities, such as the Eastern
Oregon Livestock Show and
Elgin Stampede, are on the
horizon this summer.
“I was glad to see the
participation. People
seemed to enjoy it. They
came out to watch,”
Sherman said. “I’m glad
we had it. Kids are excited
to get out and do some-
thing again.”