RECORDS
TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022
If I were the mayor of Elgin ...
The Observer
ELGIN — Stella Mayﬁ eld
School ﬁ fth and sixth grade
students recently participated
in the Oregon Mayors Asso-
ciation’s “If I Were Mayor”
contest, hosted by Risa Hall-
garth, mayor of Elgin.
Fifth graders made
posters and sixth graders
wrote essays responding to
the question of what they
would do as mayor to make
Elgin an even better place
to live.
The top three posters
chosen among the ﬁ fth
graders were Harley Myers
(ﬁ rst place), Kinley Wil-
liamson and Kendall Skill-
ings. In the sixth grade essay
contest, the top three were
Ethan Power (ﬁ rst place),
Garrett Bolen and Kloe King.
The poster and essay
from Stella Mayﬁ eld’s ﬁ rst
place winners have been
sent to Salem, where they
will be judged in the state-
wide Oregon Mayors Asso-
ciation contest.
According to the OMA
HONORS
Academic achievements of
local students, near and far
The Observer
Risa Hallgarth, Contributed Photo
The top winners in the “If I Were Mayor...” contest at Elgin’s Stella Mayﬁ eld School pose with their
submissions in April 2022: from left to right, ﬁ fth graders Kinley Williamson, Kendall Skillings and Harley
Meyers, and sixth graders Garrett Bolen, Ethan Power and Kloe King. The ﬁ rst place selections in each
grade level were submitted to the statewide Oregon Mayors Association contest.
website, state-level ﬁ rst
place students will win
$500. Second and third
place winning students will
be awarded $300 and $100,
respectively.
Flora School Days ‘Back in the Saddle Again’ June 4
Wallowa County Chieftain
IF YOU GO
FLORA — The historic
Flora School is “Back in
the Saddle Again” this year,
after taking time oﬀ for the
COVID-19 pandemic. The
school will be open for its
traditional School Days
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat-
urday, June 4.
Visitors are urged to
come, see, learn and live in
the past including dressing
in an “Old West” style,
according to a press release.
Part of living in the past
begins early, as the forge
will be ﬁ red up and ready
for the third-annual black-
smith contest at 8 a.m.
Dutch oven implements
are the focus of this year’s
blacksmith contest.
The tools will be auc-
tioned oﬀ at the end of the
day along with a presenta-
tion of winners. Dick Phil-
lips, a Walla Walla, Wash-
ington, blacksmith from
days gone by, will judge
this year’s competition.
All metals are provided.
For more information, call
or text Nathan Thompson at
509-876-7812.
Demonstrations of pio-
neer skills generally start at
10 a.m. and continue until
3 or 4 p.m. Some skills and
THE OBSERVER — A5
Flora is about 35 miles north
of Enterprise, just oﬀ Oregon
Route 3. The Flora School,
built in 1915, is on the National
Register of Historic Places.
Now known as the Flora
School Education Center, the
schoolhouse, at 80974 College
Lane, has been restored as a
pioneer arts education center.
LA GRANDE — Stu-
dents from La Grande
attending out-of-state
universities, as well as
students studying at La
Grande’s Eastern Oregon
University, earned aca-
demic honors and degrees
this spring. The hard work
of the following students
was recognized in reports
from their universities.
Andrew Peasley gradu-
ated from Utah State Uni-
versity, in Logan, Utah,
with a bachelor of science
degree in kinesiology.
The 2022 graduating class
includes graduates from
summer and fall 2021 and
spring 2022 semesters.
Since its founding in
1888, Utah State Univer-
sity has evolved from a
small agricultural col-
lege to a multi-campus
research university.
According to the press
release, USU “fosters the
principle that academics
come ﬁ rst by cultivating
diversity of thought and
culture, and by serving
the public through
learning, discovery and
engagement.”
Angelina Karpenok,
also studying in Utah,
was honored among Dixie
State University’s 111th
graduating class. The May
6 ceremony in St. George,
Utah, celebrated the
achievements of the insti-
tution’s largest ever gradu-
ating class.
Dixie State Univer-
sity is an open-enroll-
ment teaching institution
that oﬀ ers more than 200
academic programs. The
press release stated the
university is committed
to an “active learning,
active life” approach to
education.
According to a May
5 announcement, four
Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity students — Roland
Victor Balajadia, Leah
Batchelor, Sierra Howard
and Lara Insko — were
initiated into The Honor
Society of Phi Kappa Phi,
the nation’s oldest colle-
giate honor society for all
academic disciplines.
Membership is by invi-
tation only and requires
nomination and approval
by a chapter.
Only the top 10%
of seniors and 7.5% of
juniors are eligible for
membership. Grad-
uate students in the top
10% may also qualify, as
do faculty, professional
staﬀ and alumni who
have achieved scholarly
distinction.
DEATH NOTICE
Sarah R. Alexander
La Grande
Wallowa County Chieftain, File
Pioneer demonstrations and activities are featured during Flora
School Days in 2019. The annual event helps raise money for the Flora
School restoration project and to highlight the folk arts. The school
moved the celebration online during the COVID-19 pandemic, but
the June 4, 2022, event is “Back in the Saddle Again.”
activities scheduled include
grafting heirloom apple
trees, story time, town tours
with draft mules, cleaning
cast iron after lunch and
sewing bean bags, to name
a few.
One of the highlights of
the day is the Camp Chili
Cookoﬀ . Contestants should
be signed up, pay a $5 fee
and be ready to cook at
11 a.m.
They must be done by
2 p.m. For $1, visitors can
taste-test each chili an vote
for the winner of the con-
test. Contestants may only
have the beans cooked prior
to the start.
For more information
about the cookoﬀ , call or
text Shannon Wiedeman at
541-263-0132.
Flora School Days is part
of an ongoing eﬀ ort to raise
money to restore the school
building to its 1915 glory.
For more information,
visit Flora School’s web-
site, www.ﬂ oraschool.org,
Facebook page, Instagram
or YouTube channel, email
ﬂ oraschool@tds.net or call
541-828-7010.
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
FRIDAY, MAY 27
11:43 a.m. — A person on the 600 block of Adams Avenue, La
Grande, waved down an oﬃ cer for a non-injury vehicle accident
involving a tree branch. An oﬃ cer took information.
1:18 p.m. — A caller on the 63500 block of Bond Lane, La
Grande, reported a dog bit a person. A Union County sheriﬀ ’s dep-
uty responded and took a report.
3:40 p.m. — Emergency services in La Grande responded to
Second Street and C Avenue for a vehicle crash involving an injury.
Police took a report.
5:26 p.m. — A caller reported a downed cable was creating a
traﬃ c hazard on the 400 block of Adams Avenue, La Grande. An
oﬃ cer responded and removed the cable from the road.
8:01 p.m. — A resident on the 100 block of Willow Street, La
Grande, reported telephonic harassment. An oﬃ cer responded
and counseled the subject of the complaint.
SATURDAY, MAY 28
5:10 a.m. — La Grande police responded to the 2700 block of
Island Avenue on a report of a person who may have been experi-
encing mental illness. Police counseled the person, who then left.
9:21 a.m. — A resident on the 100 block of Willow Street, La
Grande, reported telephonic harassment. An oﬃ cer made contact
and issued a warning.
9:29 a.m. — Local law enforcement responded to Safeway,
2111 Adams Ave., La Grande, on a report of a ﬁ ght and warned two
people for disorderly conduct.
9:44 a.m. — A caller on the 300 block of Third Street, Union,
reported a dog biting someone. A Union County sheriﬀ ’s deputy
responded and took a report.
3:02 p.m. — Local law enforcement responded to the 2200
block of May Lane, La Grande, for a vehicle crash. Union County
Sheriﬀ ’s Oﬃ ce arrested Christoper Stampke, 34, of La Grande, for
driving under the inﬂ uence of intoxicants and reckless driving.
6:58 p.m. — La Grande police responded to the 1800 block of
X Avenue on a report of a dog bite. An oﬃ cer made contact and
took a report.
10:14 p.m. — Union County sheriﬀ ’s deputies responded to
Spring Creek Road, La Grande, on a report of a disturbance. The
parties separated.
SUNDAY, MAY 29
5:34 a.m. — La Grande police took a report for a ﬁ re on the 2900
block of Third Street.
1 p.m. — A Union County Sheriﬀ ’s Oﬃ ce boat patrol on Pilcher
Creek Reservoir, North Powder, cited two Baker City men, one 27,
one 30, for second-degree criminal mischief.
3:26 p.m. — A caller on the 100 block of West Chestnut Street,
Union, reported a dog bite victim was at Grande Ronde Hospital,
La Grande. A Union County sheriﬀ ’s deputy responded and took a
report.
4:05 p.m. — A resident on the 71700 block of Catherine
Creek Lane, Union, reported the theft of tools and a battery and
attempted theft of a trailer. A Union County sheriﬀ ’s deputy made
contact and logged information.
4:37 p.m. — A Union County sheriﬀ ’s deputy responded to
GrandeScapes Nursery and Landscaping, 11001 Island Ave., Island
City, on a report of theft from the nursery during the night. The
deputy took information.
5:38 p.m. — Local law enforcement responded to a site on
Interstate 84 outside La Grande near the Oregon Department of
Transportation weigh station for a ﬁ ght. The parties separated.
8:21 p.m. — Emergency services responded to a report of a ﬁ re
on Robbs Hill Road, La Grande.
1st Thursday of the month starting June 2nd
Sip, Shop, Repeat, Local
The evening starts at the Chamber Office, 207 Depot Street
where you pick up your insulated tumbler and participating
businesses map for a $10 donation. Participating businesses will
be open 5pm-8pm, serving samples of different
beverages and offering discount promotions
Sarah R. Alexander, 70, of La Grande, died May
28, 2022, at a local care facility. Arrangements are by
Loveland Funeral Chapel & Crematory, La Grande.
UPCOMING
LOCAL
SERVICES
June 4 — JOSEPH BRESHEARS: 1 p.m. grave-
side service, Wallowa Cemetery.
June 4 — DENNY LEWIS: 2 p.m. celebration
of life, Mount Emily Building, Union County Fair-
grounds, La Grande.
June 8 — HELEN COCHRANE: 11 a.m. celebra-
tion of life with lunch and music, Union County Senior
Center, La Grande.
June 11 — HOWARD BAILEY: 11 a.m. memo-
rial gathering and lunch, Riverside Park Pavilion, La
Grande.
June 11 — BOB POLLOCK: 11 a.m. celebration
of life, Pine Valley Fairgrounds, Halfway.
June 18 — RODNEY McKEE: 11 a.m. celebration
of life, Blue Mountain 4-H Center, 66501 End Road,
Summerville (casual dress preferred).
June 18 — GERRY KEFFER: 11:30 a.m. celebra-
tion of life and lunch, Island City City Hall.
June 23 — DAN KRAMER: 2 p.m. memorial ser-
vice, Grandview Cemetery, La Grande.
June 25 — LARRY HANEY: 1 p.m. grave-
side military service and celebration of life, Wallowa
Cemetery.
— Calendar courtesy of Loveland Funeral Chapel, La Grande
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