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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
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