REGION
SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2022
THE OBSERVER — A3
Eastern Oregon Regional Airport set for upgrades
FAA $5M grant
will fund runway
reconfiguration
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The Eastern
Oregon Regional Airport in Pend-
leton is receiving almost $5 mil-
lion in federal funds to reconfi gure
a runway.
The $4.96 million is part of the
$17.5 million in grants from the
Federal Aviation Administration’s
Airport Improvement Program
for crucial safety improvements
to runways in small airports in
Oregon, U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden
and Jeff Merkley announced
Monday, July 25.
In addition to the airport in
Pendleton, the Corvallis Munic-
ipal Airport is receiving $2.79 mil-
lion to reconstruct the runway and
update lighting, and the Crater
Lake/Klamath Regional Airport
is getting $9.75 million for runway
reconstruction.
“Small airports’ reliable air
service in rural areas is crucial
for Oregonians and our state’s
economy,” Wyden said. “I am grat-
ifi ed to see these dollars go toward
improving critical runway infra-
structure that is often taken for
granted when fl ying. Investing
in airport infrastructure lays the
groundwork for airports in Cor-
vallis, Pendleton and Klamath
Falls to continue to support jobs,
our state’s economic growth and
tourism.”
Merkley concurred.
“Regional airports are vital in
connecting rural communities to
economic opportunities across the
state and beyond,” he said. “These
improvements will not only support
the airport, but local economies of
these cities and Oregon as a whole.”
Steve Chrisman, Pendleton eco-
nomic development director and
interim airport manager, in the
announcement said the Eastern
Oregon Regional Airport was
grateful for the grant funding that
will mitigate a hot spot area on
Runway 29.
“The airport has been expe-
riencing unprecedented growth
for the last several years, which
requires safe and structurally sound
runways and taxiways,” according
to Chrisman. “Sens. Wyden and
Merkley have been stalwart sup-
porters of the airport and the Pend-
leton Unmanned Aerial System
Range, and this funding will help
alleviate a longstanding problem
for airfi eld users.”
The city proposed an airport
project to relocate Runway 29’s
threshold, build new taxi lanes and
rehabilitate aprons in March. The
engineer’s cost estimate was $4.5
to $5.5 million.
“We put together the pro-
posal with the FAA,” Chrisman
said, “and added it to the capital
improvement plan list.”
The Airport Improvement Pro-
gram grant is funding upcoming
East Oregonian, File
Rollers compact the asphalt of the primary runway in April 2020 at the Eastern
Oregon Regional Airport in Pendleton. Oregon U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff
Merkley announced Monday, July 25, 2022, that the Pendleton airport is receiving
almost $5 million in federal grant funds to reconfi gure a runway.
projects, he added.
“This was in the works for quite
some time,” Chrisman said. “It’s
a dangerous intersection. Now the
grant is awarded, but it was on the
list already.”
Projects on the capital improve-
ment project list receive grants on a
fi ve-year plan, he said.
“Our priority for the next round
of funding is to extend the wildlife
fence,” Chrisman said.
101-year-old Pilot Rock man weds on July 30
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
PILOT ROCK — Elmer
Jeff ers and Jerrie Gam-
mond, of Pilot Rock, are to
wed Saturday, July 30.
Jeff ers turned 101 in
April.
“We met at the coff ee
shop,” Jeff ers recalled. “We
started talking, had a good
time, then courted for about
a year and a half. She’s a
very fi ne lady.”
The newlyweds plan a
short honeymoon, he said.
“We don’t even know
where we’re going yet,” Jef-
fers said. “Some people
fi nanced it, and we look
forward to it, wherever we
may go together.”
This will be Jeff ers’ third
marriage.
“I’ve outlived two
wives,” he said. “The Lord
has been good to me.”
Jeff ers was born in Fort
Dodge, Iowa, and lived
there for 12 years. He
served in the Navy during
World War II and settled in
California after the global
confl ict ended. There, he
was in the meat business for
35 years. Jeff ers retired at
62 and moved to Pilot Rock
12 years ago.
Jeff ers had 12 siblings.
“Just three of the 13
are left now,” he said, “a
brother in Chattanooga,
Tennessee, and a sister in
California. We’ve been
blessed.”
With his fi rst wife, Jef-
fers had seven children.
“Only the youngest
daughter and eldest son still
survive,” he said. “She lives
in California and my son is
in Tacoma.”
Jeff ers is the great-uncle
of Harley Jeff ers, who,
with his wife, Dawn Jef-
fers, are pastors at the Pilot
Rock Life Church. A recep-
tion follows the wedding at
the Pilot Rock Community
Center.
“Elmer lives alone, at
least for now, drives and
shops for himself,” Dawn
Jeff ers said. “It might take a
few rings for him to answer
the phone.”
Gammond has lived in
Pilot Rock since 1951.
“I was born in Idaho, and
met my husband there,” she
said. “We had two daugh-
ters and a son. He passed
away in 2017, and Oromel
(her husband) in 2019.”
Oromel Gammond,
named for an uncle, went by
“Buster.”
“We look forward to a
few more years of good
marriage together,” Jef-
fers said of his relationship
with Gammond. “I’ve had
an amazing life. My parents
both lived to ripe old ages.
My dad died at 98 and my
mom at 95.”
Dawn Jeff ers/Contributed Photo
World War II U.S. Navy veteran Elmer Jeff ers celebrates his 100th birthday on April 16, 2021, in Pilot Rock.
He is getting married on Saturday, July 30, 2022, at the age of 101.
Mondays
& Tuesdays
Bowl for
4.75 /game
$
2022 Union County Fair Schedule
Wednesday, August 3
8:00 am Fair Opens
8:30 am FFA/4-H Swine Conformation - market followed by
breeding Beef breeding immediately following swine show with
½ hour break FFA/4-H Beef Breeding & Dairy follows Swine
Show
8:30 am FFA/4-H Sheep Conformation - market followed by
breeding Goats immediately following sheep show with ½ hour
break FFA/4-H Meat Goat Conformation – market followed
by breeding
10:00 am Exhibit Booths Open
10:00 am - 11:00 am Lego Time (Small Stage)
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Countryfied (Large Stage)
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Carla’s Fiddle School (Small Stage)
4:00 pm FFA/4-H Market Steer Conformation
5:00 pm Open Class Sheep & Meat Goat Show Open Class Beef
& Dairy Cattle Show (immediately following beef show)
5:30 pm Talent Show (Small Stage)
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Countryfied (Large Stage)
10:00 pm Fair Closes
Thursday, August 4
8:00 am Fair Opens
8:00 am Free Breakfast Sponsored by The Observer
8:30 am FFA Swine Showmanship followed by 4-H Swine
Showmanship 8:30 am FFA Sheep Showmanship followed by
4-H Sheep Showmanship Goats immediately following sheep
show with ½ break FFA Meat Goat Showmanship followed by
4-H Meat Goat Showmanship
9:00 am DeLong Applications due at Livestock Office
9:00 am Feed and Growth Records due at Livestock Office
10:00 am Exhibit Booths Open
10:00 am - 11:00 am Lego Time (Small Stage)
11:30 am - 12:30 pm Blue Plate Special (Small Stage)
2:00 pm ADGA Open Class Sanctioned Dairy Goat Show
NO EARLY CHECK IN)
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Lynque Oveson (Small Stage)
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Tiller’s Folly (Large Stage)
4:00 pm -5:00 pm Alka Mahdi (Small Stage)
4:00 pm FFA Beef Showmanship followed by 4-H Beef
Showmanship
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Becky’s Dance Studio (Small Stage)
6:30 pm 4-H Archery Competition – Fair Horse Arena
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Alka Mahdi (Small Stage)
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm Tiller’s Folly (Large Stage)
10:00 pm Fair Closes
Friday August 5
8:00 am Fair Opens
8:00 am FFA/4-H Dairy Goat Showmanship followed by
breeding – Sheep/goat arena
9:00 am 4-H Citizenship Award due at 4-H Office
9:00 am ADGA Open Class Sanctioned Dairy Goat Show
10:00 am Exhibit Booths Open
10:00 am 4-H/FFA Livestock Judging Contest (beef/sheep ring
bleachers)
10:00 am - 11:00 am Lego Time Championship (Small Stage)
11:30 am FFA Round Robin
1:00 pm Delong & Ruth Becker Award Interviews
1:30 pm 4-H Round Robin
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Ripple Effect (Large Stage)
2:30 pm - 4:30 pm Wasteland Kings (Small Stage)
3:00 pm Pee Wee Show
4:00 pm Fair Parade Line Up
5:30 pm Fair Parade Downtown
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Parade (Downtown La Grande)
6:30 pm Mutton Busting & Stick Horse Race - Mavericks Arena
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Wasteland Kings (Small Stage)
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Mutton Busting, Goat Tying, Stick Horse
Race (Mavericks Arena)
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm Ripple Effect (Large Stage)
7:30 pm 4-H Ice Cream Social – 4-H Exhibit Building
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm Teen Dance Sponsored by UCSCC &
La Grande Wrestling
10:00 pm Fair Closes
Saturday, August 6
8:00 am Fair Opens
10:00 am Exhibit Booths Open
10:00 am - 11:00 am FFA Awards (Small Stage)
11:00 am - 12:00 pm 4-H Awards (Small Stage)
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm 4-H Revue Show (Small Stage)
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Sage & Stone (Small Stage)
3:30 – 5:00 pm Auction Buyers Appreciation Dinner & Check I
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Brewers Grade (Large Stage)
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Cory Peterson (Small Stage)
5:00 pm - 8:30 pm Jr. Livestock Auction (Livestock Barn)
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Cory Peterson (Small Stage)
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm Teen Dance (Outside-Designated
Location)
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm Brewers Grade (Large Stage)
10:00 pm Fair Closes
Sunday, Aug 7
9:00 am - 12:00 pm Static Exhibit Pick up for Open Class &
4-H exhibits
Restaurant & Sports
Bar - NOW OPEN!
3 Happy Hour
3-6pm Daily
3 12 Lane Bowling Alley
3 Video Arcade & Pool
Open Daily at 11:30am!
BRICKYARD LANES
1212 Jefferson Avenue
Downtown La Grande, Oregon
Fall Leagues Forming Now! For more
info visit:
Brickyardlanes.com/leagues