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BUSINESS & AG LIFE, 1B
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THURSDAY EDITION
Film about
La Grande
family near
release
Local live
concerts
set to
resume
‘Joe Bell’ stars Mark
Wahlberg, opens July 23
Bart Budwig will
perform June 26
at HQ in La Grande
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The com-
pelling and tragic story of Jadin
Bell and his father, Joe Bell,
will soon hit the silver screen.
“Joe Bell” is set to open in
theaters July 23. The announce-
ment has been made on the
Twitter site of Mark Wahlberg,
an American actor, producer
and songwriter, who plays Joe
Bell in the fi lm.
“This family and their story
touched my heart in a big way,”
the social media post said.
The story of Joe and Jadin
Bell made national headlines in
2013 after Jadin, a 15-year-old
sophomore at La Grande High
School, took his own life after
being bullied because he was
gay.
Joe Bell later started on a
national walk in memory of his
son to draw attention to bul-
lying. He was killed on Oct.
9, 2013, while walking along a
road when he was hit by a truck
in Colorado.
The movie was originally
scheduled to be released in the-
aters in February but the release
was delayed because of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Patty Johnson, manager of
La Grande’s Granada Theatre,
said she is attempting to get the
movie booked for showings at
the theater. Johnson said she fi rst
needs to receive authorization
from its distributor. She said dis-
tributors have requirements for
elements like screen size and
audience capacity that must be
met before their fi lms can be
shown in a theater. Johnson said
she does not anticipate problems
in receiving authorization.
The fi lm is being released
by Solstice Studios and was
directed by Reinaldo Marcus
Green and its screenplay was
written by Diana Ossana and
Larry McMurtry. Ossana
and McMurtry also wrote the
screenplay for the 2005 land-
mark fi lm Brokeback Mountain.
The stars of Joe Bell, in addition
to Wahlberg, include Connie
Britton and Morgan Lily. The
movie was fi lmed at sites around
Utah, including Salt Lake City
and Summit County.
Although the fi lm was not
shot in Union County, Wahlberg
See, Movie/Page 5A
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Tuba player Alyssa Moy works through the notes at the Music Camps at Wallowa Lake Reimagined program held in the
commons of Eastern Oregon University on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The program, citing concerns over COVID-19 and the
lodging at Wallowa Lake, turned to Eastern Oregon University as a way to get prospective music students back into the
program, which was shut down last year due to the pandemic.
Making music
Wallowa Lake Music Camps story now has EOU twist
By DICK MASON
LA GRANDE — Music lovers
across the world are itching to
get back to live shows following
a hiatus due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
With infection numbers low-
ering nationwide, the owners of
HQ on Depot Street in La Grande
have sights set on a regular slate
of concerts returning to the venue.
“It’s really challenging right
now at half capacity, but we want
to engage the community and
get active and get people moving
and shaking again,” said HQ
co-owner Chris Jennings.
Jennings and co-owner Jesse
Cimone hosted HQ’s fi rst live
concert since the pandemic on
Saturday, May 22, when Klamath
Falls artist Arthur Buezo graced
the local stage. The owners were
unsure how the turnout would be,
but the event reached capacity and
they even had to turn away guests
at the front doors.
“The impression is that people
are eager to get back,” Cimone
said. “Keeping that eagerness is
really important.”
Staying afl oat during
pandemic
The Observer
LA GRANDE — They are
sounds of youthful promise and
a musical revival, sounds the
slowing COVID-19 pandemic
can no longer mute.
They are the band melo-
dies youths are playing out-
doors this week while attending
the Music Camps at Wallowa
Lake Reimagined program, one
sailing again after being cap-
sized in 2020 by the COVID-19
pandemic. The program is now
being conducted outdoors at
Eastern Oregon University as
a day camp after traditionally
being run, with the help of over-
night accommodations, each
summer at Wallowa Lake since
1999.
“It is so wonderful to be
back. It was such a disappoint-
ment last year,” said Linda
Birnbaum, a member of the
Music Camps at Wallowa
Lake’s board.
The pandemic made it
impossible for the camp pro-
gram to be conducted with
instruments received instruc-
tion from Monday, June 21,
through Wednesday, June 23,
and woodwind players are being
taught from Thursday, June 24,
through Saturday, June 26.
With state and local guide-
lines still in place for indoor gath-
erings, HQ is able to welcome in
approximately 50 attendees for
concerts. This limit will be in
place on Saturday, June 26, when
Enterprise native Bart Budwig
comes to town. Brian Mandella
will open for Budwig, with the
concert set to start at 8 p.m. and
doors opening at 7 p.m.
Looking forward, the owners
of HQ hope that heightened vac-
cination numbers in Oregon will
lead to the possibility of larger
capacity limits for events.
“It’s going to be a slow build
into public events,” Jennings
said. “Hopefully by August we’re
doing at least two to three shows a
month again.”
The main challenge of a lim-
ited capacity is the lost potential
revenue in ticket and beverage
sales.
“The biggest problem is that
See, Music/Page 5A
See, Concerts/Page 5A
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Instructor Duncan Titus guides a group of tuba players through “Songs 4 Tu-
bas” during a practice ensemble held on the grassy fi elds in Eastern Oregon
University on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.
overnight accommodations at
Wallowa Lake but organizers
were able to make the necessary
accommodations to hold it as a
daytime only event. Almost 40
students have been attending
sessions at the camp at Eastern
Oregon. Students playing brass
Oregon drier than last year as fi re season begins
Nearly 80% of state is in ‘severe’ drought
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
CORVALLIS — His-
torically dry conditions
are raising concerns that
another long wildfi re season
may be ahead in Oregon.
Experts at Oregon State
University held a virtual
forum Monday, June 21, to
discuss this year’s drought
and fi re conditions. Mean-
while, several large blazes
are already burning thou-
sands of acres and tem-
peratures are expected to
reach into the triple-digits
statewide.
“Right now, we are drier
at this point than we were
at this point last year,” said
Larry O’Neill, state clima-
tologist with the Oregon
Climate Service. “I think
we’re in the thick of it right
See, Drought/Page 5A
INDEX
Business & Ag.......1B
Classified ...............3B
Comics ....................7B
Crossword .............4B
U.S. Drought Monitor/Contributed Graphic
WEATHER
Dear Abby .............8B
Horoscope .............6B
Lottery ....................2A
Record ....................3A
SATURDAY
Obituaries ..............3A
Opinion ..................4A
Spiritual Life..........6A
Sports ............. 7A, 8A
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Friday
61 LOW
93/63
Partly cloudy
Mostly sunny; hot
TEMPS MAY BREAK TRIPLE DIGITS
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 73
3 sections, 24 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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