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TUESDAY EDITION
June 22, 2021
Theater
group
returns
for repeat
Elgin-based group looks
to defend its title at
national competition
By CARLOS FUENTES
The Observer
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
The crystal-blue waters of Wallowa Lake are easily visible on a clear day from the Wallowa Lake Tramway, which was the case Saturday, June 5, 2021.
Wallowa Lake Tramway has eye on the future
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
TRAM FACTS
WALLOWA LAKE — More
of the same exciting rides and
new features can be expected
during the next half-century
of life in the Wallowa Lake
Tramway, co-owner Mike
Lockhart said.
Like many businesses, last
year — when the tram marked
its 50th anniversary — was
taken up with just getting
through the coronavirus pan-
demic. He said nothing spe-
cial was done to mark the fi rst
half-century of county’s top
tourist attraction.
“I didn’t think about that
until this morning,” he said.
Originally constructed in
1970, the tram was fi rst owned
by a stock corporation known
as High Wallowas, which was
later forced to sell, Lockhart
said.
“It started with a bunch of
dedicated people who wanted to
build an attraction that would
be special, which this is, in my
Elevation: Base 4,450 feet; Summit
8,150 feet.
Distances: Vertical 3,700 feet; Hori-
zontal 1.83 miles; Trails 2½ miles.
Time: One way 15 minutes.
Header: 150 hp electric motor with a
55 hp auxiliary
Towers: highest is 74 feet; average
tower height is 30 feet.
Top terminal counterweight: 28 tons
Gondolas: Swiss-made four-pas-
senger cabins with a detachable grip.
One car leaves the terminal every 90
seconds.
Land: One-third is privately owned;
two-thirds is owned by U.S. Forest
Service Wallowa-Whitman National
Forest.
From the top, you can see four states:
Oregon, Idaho — including Seven
Devils — Washington and on a clear
day, the Bitterroot Mountain Range of
Montana.
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Tourists eat outside the Summit Grill at the top of Mount Howard, while others
embark on a hike around the summit after riding the Wallowa Lake Tramway up
Saturday, June 5, 2021.
opinion,” he said.
He and three others bought
the attraction. In 1984, he said,
he and Bill Whittemore bought
out the other two partners and
became co-owners.
have for the tram is to con-
tinue to maintain and upgrade
it. The attraction operates from
late May to early October and
“We’ve been operating it
ever since,” he said.
Focus on maintenance
Perhaps the primary goal
Lockhart and Whittemore
ELGIN — Students repre-
senting the Opera House Youth
Actors in Elgin will perform
musical theater on June 25-27 at
the 2021 Junior Theater Festival
in Sugar Land, Texas, their fi rst
festival in over a year.
The Elgin-based group,
which draws in members from
Wallowa, Union and Umatilla
counties, took the top group
award at the festival in 2019 and
2020, along with a handful of
individual awards. This year,
they are looking for a repeat.
“I am excited, this is the most
nerve-wracking thing I do at the
opera house,” OHYA director
Terry Hale said. “I’m nervous
for the kids, and we really root
for them because we know how
hard they worked.”
Every year, Junior Theater
Festivals occur at multiple loca-
tions throughout the United
States to celebrate musical the-
ater. In 2019, nearly 15,000
people attended at least one of
the three festivals. This year,
there will be 50 groups in atten-
dance, plus an additional seven
joining virtually. Every group
will perform a 15-minute act,
competing for individual and
group awards.
The Opera House group will
present a 15-minute perfor-
mance of selected acts from The
Little Mermaid Jr., which they
have been rehearsing three days
a week since April.
“We would like to win the
outstanding performance award
again, we’ve won it two years
in a row and we’re going for the
hat trick,” Hale said. “Our com-
petition is pretty fi erce. These
kids work hard, they deserve it
because of the eff orts that they
put in.”
This is the fi rst festival that
the group will attend since JTF
West in February of 2020. This
year, a festival was held online
in January, and the second, JTF
West in Sacramento, was can-
celled due to COVID-19 restric-
tions. Sugar Land is a fi rst-time
host, and will be the last festival
See, Tram/Page 5A
See, Theater/Page 5A
Elgin fi refi ghters fi ll empty stomachs
Community breakfast is a
highlight during the
return of Riverfest
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
ELGIN — Firefi ghters in Elgin
extinguished empty stomachs, not
fi res, at this year’s Riverfest.
Community members came out
Saturday, June 19, to take part in
the Firemen’s Breakfast at the Elgin
Fire Hall on the corner of 10th and
Baltimore Street. The fi refi ghters
and support staff served pancakes,
eggs, sausage and drinks to approx-
imately 500 individuals in atten-
dance throughout the morning.
“It’s good for the community and
it’s an event we really enjoy,” Elgin
Fire Chief Kevin Silvernail said.
“This is one of our biggest fund-
raisers of the year.”
Riverfest returned to Elgin
in 2021 after being canceled last
year due to the COVID-19 pan-
demic. Locals from Elgin as well as
Davis Carbaugh/The Observer
See, Elgin/Page 5A
Firefi ghter Jake Smith cooks eggs for hungry locals at the Elgin Fire Hall at Riverfest on
Saturday, June 19, 2021.
INDEX
Classified ...............3B
Comics ....................7B
Crossword .............4B
Dear Abby .............8B
WEATHER
Home & Living .....1B
Horoscope .............5B
Letters ....................4A
Lottery ....................2A
THURSDAY
Record ....................3A
Obituaries ..............3A
Opinion ..................4A
Sports .....................6A
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Wednesday
61 LOW
92/60
Partly cloudy
Mostly sunny
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Issue 72
2 sections, 14 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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