The Baker County press., December 04, 2015, Page 9, Image 9

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 9
Local & Entertainment
Durkee holds
community
Thanksgiving
BY CHUCK BUCHANAN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Each year for over a
century the small commu-
nity of Durkee has held its
annual Thanksgiving din-
ner for anyone who cares
to participate.
This traditional dinner
of turkey, stuffi ng and all
of the fi xings began in the
1890s with two families,
the Shaws, who had come
to the Durkee Valley from
England, and the Smiths.
The two couples had no
local family members to
celebrate the holiday with
so they decided to get
together for the meal and
to invite anyone in the area
who had no place to go to
gather with them.
The Durkee community
is known throughout the
area for its hospitality and
Thanksgiving is just one of
many gatherings that occur
there. In the days of the
Durkee Grange, the locals,
and anyone else who cared
to come, would gather at
the hall for a meal at noon
followed by a program of
some sort put on by local
families. After the pro-
gram, folks would go home
to do their evening chores
before returning to the hall
for an evening meal. The
evening meal was followed
by a dance.
Nowadays, the Durkee
Thanksgiving Dinner is
a bit more sedate. Partic-
pants gather at the former
Durkee school for dinner
at midday. For a number
of years Jean Bunch and
family have provided two
turkeys, stuffi ng and gravy
along with mashed pota-
toes, salads, pies and other
goodies.
The bulk of the meal
comes from potluck pro-
vided by those who come
for dinner, though bringing
food is not a prerequisite
for doing one's part to
make the food disappear.
Instead, the whole point of
this community dinner is to
invite those who may not
have anywhere else to go
for the holiday and make
them feel welcome.
After the meal the cards
often come out and games
of pinochle start up, along
with any board games, etc.
anyone might care to bring
to the party. Around 5:30
p.m., the food is brought
back out, supper is eaten,
the hall cleaned up and
everyone heads for home.
Numbers vary from year
to year. Some years there
might be twenty hungry
diners, other years have
seen as many as sixty or
more.
Attendance often de-
pends on the weather and
road conditions. This year's
dinner saw about thirty-
fi ve men, women and
children making their way
through the wide selection
of delicious foods.
Bebe’s word search
This week’s crossword puzzle
Sprenger
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 1
“And everybody should
exercise their responsibil-
ity to vote,” she added.
Sprenger asked, county-
by-county, what the most
important issues are at
the local level. In Baker
County and across eastern
Oregon, economic issues
such as preserving the
remainder of the shrinking
infrastructure to enable
continued logging and oth-
er use of natural resources
and management of public
lands were key.
Baker County Repub-
lican Chair Suzan Ellis
Jones said, “It’s unusual
for the House Leader-
ship from Salem to have a
representative come all the
way out here just to fi nd
out what’s important on
this side of the state. We
appreciate it.”
Baker County Republi-
can Vice Chair Kody Jus-
tus also met with Sprenger.
Sprenger sits on the
Joint Interim Committee
On Ways and Means Sub-
Committee On Education,
House Interim Committee
On Education as Vice-
Chair, and House Interim
Committee On Judiciary
Joint Interim Special Com-
mittee On Public Educa-
tion Appropriation.
She fi rst assumed offi ce
in 2008.
After her stop in Baker
City, Sprenger was on her
way for a visit with her son
in La Grande before con-
tinuing on with her tour,
then heading back to the
west side of the state.
Oregon has a special
legislative session com-
ing up in February during
which legislators anticipate
tackling issues such as the
ongoing minimum wage
debate.
Sprenger said the session
brings a natural end to her
travels. “When we’re in
session that’s all I do—ses-
sion.”
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Across
1- Waterproof overshoe;
7- Clavell’s “___-Pan”;
10- Per;
14- Syrian city;
15- Margin;
16- Vaccines;
17- Pertaining to the
mind;
18- The Monkees’ “___
Believer”;
19- River to the Moselle;
20- Indelible;
23- Even-money roulette
play;
26- Last: Abbr.;
27- Mythical weeper;
28- I could ___ horse!;
29- Arles article;
30- Feel lousy;
31- 220 yards;
33- Math subj.;
34- Conductor ___-Pe-
kka Salonen;
37- Dictator Amin;
38- Kind of cross;
39- Matchsticks game;
40- Music style per-
formed by Dr Dre and
Eminem;
41- It’s in the bag;
42- Hosp. sections;
43- Shore;
45- Freddie Krueger
roamed ___ Street in the
movies;
46- Writer Fleming;
47- Eye drop;
48- Madame de ___;
51- Hogwash;
52- Holds up;
53- Mitosis;
56- Sandwich cookie;
57- Bali ___;
58- Be innate;
62- Purim’s month;
63- ___ loss for words;
64- ___ Fideles;
65- Dissolve, as cells;
66- Bert Bobbsey’s twin;
67- Hoi polloi;
Down
1- Leg;
2- Pub choice;
3- Author Deighton;
4- Kind of computer or
disk;
5- Slap;
6- Gap;
7- Something of very
little value;
8- Shoot for;
9- Apple product;
10- Attack;
11- Singer Bryson;
12- Toothbrush brand;
13- European capital, in
song;
21- Lichen;
22- Riddle;
23- Suit;
24- Diploma word;
25- Heart chambers;
29- Render weaponless;
30- Extra-terrestrial be-
ing;
32- Verdi opera;
33- Having a handle;
34- Iroquois foes;
35- Begin’s co-Nobelist;
36- Copycats;
44- Squirrels away;
45- Pooh pal;
46- Sea off Greece;
48- Toast;
49- Behind time;
50- Specifi c geographi-
cal places;
51- Gaucho’s rope;
52- Blair of “The Exor-
cist”;
54- Asian prince;
55- Former name of
Thailand;
59- Snaky curve;
60- AAA suggestion;
61- Some MIT grads;