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.