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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (July 10, 2015)
10 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2015 Local Huntington celebrates with Jimmy Lloyd fireworks, parade, music Rea passes Submitted Photo. “I’m going to keep on doing the boogie until they roll me out in a Cadillac hearse,” Blues Hall of Fame bassist Jimmy Lloyd Rea told his doctor. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Eileen Driver / The Baker County Press ‘The Friends’ rocked the 4th with holiday music in Huntington last weekend. • 104 DEGREE HEAT DIDN’T WILT SPIRITS BY EILEEN DRIVER Eileen@TheBakerCountyPress.com Huntington’s 4th of July celebration was enjoyed by locals and vacationers alike starting with the “Salute to Freedom” Parade sponsored by the Huntington Lion’s Club. Colorful floats made from trailers, tractors, tricycles and golf carts made their way slowly down Hwy 30/Washington Street along with Hunting- ton fire trucks, BLM fire trucks and the car carrying this years Grand Marshall Bud Howard and his wife Louise. On foot were a moun- tain man and a pioneer woman walking down the road with Smokey the Bear and his Helpers. Both sides of the street were lined with young and old alike vying for the at- tention of all involved and scooping up the candy and other goodies tossed from floats as they passed by. As a grand finale the Huntington pumper truck sprayed fountains of water on the crowd as a welcome relief from the 104-degree temperature that didn’t manage to wilt the crowd’s enthusiasm for the holiday festivities. As the parade wound down the local band “The Friends,” with a special appearance by Arizona Kennedy, struck up some lively holiday music and serenaded the crowd while they enjoyed the shady Lion’s Club Park and ate barbecued hot dogs, brauts, potato salad, watermelon, bottled water or pop and popsicles supplied and sold by the Chamber of Com- merce. The day ended with a bang as at dusk the fes- tivities moved to Farewell Bend State Park where the Huntington Lion’s Club put on the Grand Fire- works Display. The fireworks display is looked forward to all year and when asked how long the Lion’s Club has been putting on the 4th of July fireworks, Bill Burley, Lion’s Club Treasurer and Fireworks Coordinator replied, “ I don’t know if anyone knows the answer to that question. I moved here in 1969 and they were doing it then. “The Huntington Lion’s fireworks has a long his- tory and was at that time held at Farewell Bend State Park. It was at one point moved to Hunting- ton for 45 years and then moved back to Farewell Bend when the Fire Chief at the time set the hill on fire while setting the fire- works off.” Luckily nothing but beautiful, colorful recre- ations of “bombs bursting in air” happened this year for those who were present to watch and enjoy. Chalk artists needed On Saturday, July 25, beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing throughout the day, visitors can stroll down Main Street to watch the progress of art created at Chalk it Up to Art, an annual event. Local chalk artists are needed. Businesses spon- sor the sidewalk squares at $5 each. Proceeds to go the Baker Art Guild. Call Ann Mehaffy at 541.519.0698 to sign up or for more information. Rea, a Blues Hall of Fame bassist/vocalist and recipient of 15 Cascade Blues Association Muddy Waters awards, became Baker City’s most well-known musician after forming Jimmy Lloyd Rea and the Switchmasters, the band named after his father’s Gibson Switchmaster guitar. The band recorded four albums, the first in 1981 with late guitarist Vince Hozier. “We should have recorded more but life got in the way,” Terry Martin, musician and owner of a recording studio in Walla Walla, shared with the congregation. “You and Vince are up there playing some great blues.” Wayne Dyke, who played drums with the Switchmas- ters for more than a decade was the last to speak during the ceremony and shared memories of his time with Rea. Dyke spoke about his close bond remembering Rea’s sense of humor and ability to spin advice into conversa- tions without being overbearing and without appearing to be giving advice at all. Dyke also mentioned the value Rea placed on young people. “I know I’ll see him again someday because he knew the Lord,” said Dyke in closing. Jimmy Lloyd’s own words are printed within the re- membrance card handed out at his funeral and he lived up to those words. “I’m going to the doctor, Not feeling so well. He says, ‘Jimmy Lloyd what you got is the boogie disease. You might get better. You’ll never get well.’ I said, ‘Thank you doctor’ and stood up on the doctor’s table, started yelling to the doctor and the nurse, ‘I’m going to keep on doing the boogie until they roll me out in a Cadillac hearse.’ Let’s boogie.” Jimmy Lloyd Rea leaves a legacy of authentic blues music and a community in mourning as he was escorted to his final resting place at Mount Hope Cemetery, Mon- day afternoon—in a Cadillac hearse. MayDay, Inc. receives grant MayDay, Inc. of Baker City has received a grant of nearly $10,000 from Trust Management Services, LLC, to help fund education and community awareness regard- ing domestic violence, sexual assault and elder abuse. The effort will include staff training, classes in schools, adult programs, advertising, and special events. The grant will support programs in high school and middle school classes throughout Baker County and North Powder. Topics such as dating violence, harass- ment, and sexual assault will be covered. Another grant, Community 101, was awarded by the leadership class at Baker High School to provide materials for school programs. Also included are classes for the general public and for adults in New Directions Northwest treatment programs. Many participants in these classes are survivors of do- mestic violence and/or sexual assault. Awareness among the general public is also a goal of the program. The grant will be used for radio and news- paper advertising, community events, and social media. Also included in the grant is funding for staff training on effective community-based education strategies. “This award will help address our goals of reducing abuse and increasing services to victims,” said MayDay Executive Director Milli Joseph. Obstacles such as lack of awareness and misinformation often prevent victims from seeking the help they need. The Trust Management Services website explains that the foundation was “organized to contract with, assist and better prepare charitable organizations to make sound funding decisions and maximize responsible giving in Oregon.” P.E.O scholarships awarded locally Melissa Andino received the Oregon Scholarship in the amount of $1,030 and Terri Clark received a $2,460, four-term Marguerite Scholarship from the CJ Chapter of P.E.O. Andino will pursue an education in nursing from Eastern Oregon Univerity. Clark is also a pre-nursing student at Blue Mountain Community College.