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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (July 28, 2017)
LOCAL: Friends of the Library completes another successful booksale. PAGE 5 The LOCAL: 5J welcomes Chinese exchange teachers. PAGE 3 Baker County Press TheBakerCountyPress.com 75¢ All local. All relevant. Every Friday. Friday, July 28, 2017 • Volume 4, Issue 30 Sumpter man celebrates 100th birthday BY MEGHAN ANDERSCH Meghan@TheBakerCountyPress.com Harvey Halverson of Sumpter reached a rare milestone—celebrating his 100th birthday last Friday. He still lives indepen- dently and daughter Veneta Reed says he drives into Baker City twice a week to socialize. He loves happy hour and Keno, and main- tains an active social life. Halverson was born in La Center, Washington in 1917. He said in his teens he hopped a train to run away from home and made it as far as North Dakota. He got a job working con- struction in CCC camps in Montana. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a work program that ran in the 1930s as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. Halverson worked in the CCC camps for two years before returning home where he went to work in the woods with his dad who owned a logging company. He built a sawmill and sold it to his dad—that was located out of Kelso way up Mount Pleasant. Reed recalled, “The boys walked miles to catch the bus.” Later Halverson had a rock and slate business and a snowmobile business. He also worked for the Forest Service for 20 years. He was a C & M foreman and supervised teams that built fi re trails. He organized teams and placed them on fi re lines. He also ran diesel machines around the clock to supply power to remote ranger stations. Harry Randall Truman lived below one of the ranger stations and Halv- erson recollected, “I knew him, and his wife and daughter, very well.” Meghan Andersch / The Baker County Press SEE 100TH BIRTHDAY PAGE 5 Five generations gathered to celebrate Harvey Halverson’s 100th birthday last Saturday. County renews Visitors Bureau for one year BHS choirs to go to NYC Todd Arriola/ The Baker County Press Members of the Transient Lodging Tax Committee, and Jeff Nelson, Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors President, discuss their concerns with County Commissioners. Samantha O’Conner/ The Baker County Press L-R: Tommy McDonnel, Jordan Remein, Carlos Grove, Hannah Violette, Sarena Cullum, Hannah Johnson, and Ashlie Chastain met Monday to talk about their upcoming trip and fundraising. BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com The High School Bel Canto and Trebel Choirs were selected to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York in April 2018 for a Choir Festival with multiple other choirs. They will be gone April 13th to the 16th. Choir Director Hannah Violette explained that they will meet Rollo Dilworth an internationally renowned Youth Choir Composer. According to WorldStrides.com, the website for the Choir Festival, Dilworth “is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities and Music Education at the North Park University School of Music in Chicago, Il- linois. He also serves as director of the Music Institute of Chicago Children’s Choir.” The students will also see a Broadway Show while on their trip. Violette met with some of her students Monday, July 24th, to discuss different fundraising ideas to raise money • TWO-YEAR CONTRACT WAS THE PREVIOUS NORM BY TODD ARRIOLA Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com for the trip. The students will have a booth at the Eclipse Festival August 19th and 20th at the Geiser-Pollman Park, where they will sell eclipse viewing glasses. They discussed the possibility of having a bake sale and selling beverages at their booth, such as bottled water and lemonade. They will also have a donation box at their booth. “We will gladly accept donations toward this trip,” stated Violette. “It costs $1,600 per student.” They also discussed the possibility of having a can drive—Cans for Carnegie. They will discuss the fund- raising ideas further with the other choir members when school starts. Violette and her students also discussed having a yard sale as a fundraiser. She explained that they will have it in September and will be accepting donations starting August 22. For people who have questions or who wish to make donations, her school number is 541-524-2600, extension 618. The Baker County Board of Commissioners held a work session on Wednesday, July 19, 2017, 2 p.m., which included a discussion with members of the Transient Lodging Tax Committee, and concern from Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors Presi- dent Jeff Nelson that the Professional Services Agreement between the County and the Visitors Bureau was renewed for only one year, instead of two. Present from the Board were Chair Bill Harvey, Com- missioners Mark Bennett and Bruce Nichols, and Execu- tive Assistant Heidi Martin. Present from the Transient Lodging Tax Committee (TLTC) were Kathy Reedy, Tori Brown, Chelsea McLa- gan, and Lea Gettle. Attendance also included Baker County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Shelly Cutler, Shelly Christensen of Baker County Administra- tive Services, Baker County Chamber Board directors Jerry Peacock and David Kassien, Baker County Tour- ism Marketing Director Tim Bishop, and Baker County Museum Commission member Kurt Miller. Harvey opened the meeting, and began a discussion regarding the additional $4,000 that had been previously approved to be added to the Visitor Services line of the County TRT (Transient Room Tax) Marketing budget, and the recommendation of the TLTC to renew the Pro- fessional Services Agreement (PSA) between the County and the Visitors Bureau as a one-year contract. SEE VISITORS BUREAU PAGE 3 Friday Sunny and hot. Highs in the lower 90s. Friday Night: Mostly clear and seasonable. Lows in the mid 50s. Saturday Sunny and hot. Highs in the lower 90s. Saturday Night: Mostly clear and seasonable. Lows in the mid 50s. Sunday Sunny and hot. Highs in the lower 90s. Sunday Night: Mostly clear and seasonable. Lows in the mid 50s. The Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center forecast: Our forecast made possible by this generous sponsor: ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Transient Lodging Tax Committee Fire danger, restrictions increase The Outdoor Column by Todd Arriola Offi cial weather provider for The Baker County Press. Range Rider system to change Wolf injures calf West Nile in Haines mosquitoes Page Page Page Page Page Page 5 7 7 8 8 9
