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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 2015)
REGION Saturday, February 21, 2015 East Oregonian Page 3A MILTON-FREEWATER PENDLETON Couple makes award history By MARCIA AKES For the East Oregonian Staff photo by Phil Wright Pendleton Round-Up director Carl Culham poses with the models of Pendleton Bike Week at Friday’s announcement of the forthcoming motorcycle rally. City readies to let ’er rev Motorcycle rally coming July 22-26 While several couples have earned Milton-Freewater’s top honors, Larry and Jennifer Anderson are the only ones to achieve the distinction in the same year. Jennifer was completely surprised when last year’s winner, Linda Hall, called her name Thursday night at the Community Building. Hall referred to Jennifer as “Lady of the Year,” noting that she is a beloved and dependable member of the community who always has a smile and never says “no” when asked to help. Larry, visibly pleased with his wife’s recognition, was shocked when a few moments later Mike Garton named him as Man of the Year. The Andersons have been promoting Milton-Freewater and volunteering since they arrived in town over a decade ago. From their tax consultant business to their hobbies and volunteer work, the two basi- cally do everything together. Their vast number of volunteer hours are spread among the M-F Senior Center, The Breadbasket, Citizens TV, annual community festivals and events, and as members of the M-F Chamber Ambas- sadors. The Community Building was packed for Milton-Freewater Area Chamber of Commerce’s 67th Annual Banquet, “An Evening In Paris — A Tribute to Those that Shine the Brightest.” The program kicked off with 2014 Chamber President Vicki Lee giving the President’s Award to Chamber Executive Director Cheryl York and Chamber Ad- ministrative Assistant Taridy Robertson. Lee noted that without them the chamber wouldn’t be what it is. 2015 Chamber President Gina Hartz- heim was introduced and Master of Cer- emonies Art Hill, vice president of Eco- nomic Development at Blue Mountain Community College. Sharame Marlatt was honored as Ju- nior Citizen of the Year. Shawn Kralman described the winner as “helpful, cheer- ful, honest and caring … always willing to jump in and help.” From volunteering Pendleton to offset costs associated with the event. Folkestad, of Camas, Washington, is a lobbyist for the drone industry in his day job and makes fre- quent trips to Pendleton’s By PHIL WRIGHT range for remote-con- East Oregonian WUROOHG À\LQJ YHKLFOHV He said city of Pendleton Pendleton’s next big economic development di- thing is rumbling into town rector Steve Chrisman and this summer — Pendleton Travel Pendleton coordina- tor Pat Beard cornered him Bike Week. Think throttles, not ped- some months ago about the possibility of a motorcycle als. Eric Folkestad, one of rally. Now the clock is tick- the event’s founders and organizers, told a room of ing to make an event good ORFDORI¿FLDOVDQGELJZLJV enough that people will at the Hamley Steakhouse want to come back. And that Pendleton could draw the riders who show, he SHRSOH IRU LWV ¿UVW said, are the kind who can motorcycle rally July 22- plunk down $35,000 for a 26 at the Pendleton Con- motorcycle and are likely vention Center. It will in- to stay in hotels and keep clude free concerts, poker restaurants busy. “It’s not going to be runs and a large motorcy- cle show “with every kind a bunch of crazy people of motorcycle you can coming in and breaking up the town,” he said. “That’s imagine.” East Oregonian Pendleton has a lot to not what we’re gonna do.” After the announce- offer motorcycle enthusi- Parents and students will asts, he said, and the area’s ment, Folkestad said he get an extra push toward sav- history and peoples dove- was involved in the Hells ing for college next year as tail with the kinds of folks Canyon Motorcycle Rally Hermiston School District is who like to ride. And he in Baker City for 14 years, one of a handful of districts said the organizers hope a but last year sold off his in the state to pilot a program member of the Confeder- interest in that and now is called Be College Ready. ated Tribes of the Umatilla focused on Pendleton. He Superintendent Fred Indian Reservation would said Boise is the main feed- Maiocco said the program will hold a blessing ceremony er for the Baker City event, be another tool in Hermiston’s and it draws about 8,000 for the bikes. toolbox to help point students “Motorcycles and Indi- people. That’s also about to a post-secondary education. ans go together — it’s like all the small city can han- The goal of Be College peanut butter and jelly,” dle, he said, but Pendleton Ready is to use presentations, has much greater capacity. Folkestad said. activities and free school sup- Beard said motorcycle Most of the crowd for plies printed with information Pendleton Bike Week touring has become pop- to encourage students and would come from Puget ular, and Pendleton Bike their parents to start realizing Sound, Washington, he ex- Week is an opportunity in elementary school that it plained. So building buzz for thousands to see what is possible for them to afford there is important. And Pendleton has to offer. college if they plan ahead. ——— motorcycle businesses in Dr. Michelle Jensen, a Contact Phil Wright at the Tri-Cities are already school counselor who did her willing to pack up their pwright@eastoregonian. dissertation for her Ph.D. on shops for a long weekend com or 541-966-0833. empowering students to go in Pendleton. The event, though, needs sponsors to cover the costs of en- tertainment, trophies and more. Riders tour throughout the county, he said, and a tribute ride from Salem and from Olympia, Wash- ington, would honor Til Taylor, the Umatilla Coun- ty sheriff who was killed From Dr. Hibbert, in a jail break in 1920. The Lacee, Jessica, Bailey, Heather, and Sarah money raised from the run 541-612-3707 would go to the city of Larry Anderson Man of the Year Jennifer Ander- son, Woman of the Year Tom Hinton Golden Pioneer Award Dorothy Hinton Golden Pioneer Award Sharame Marlatt Junior Citizen of the Year Award Bob Brown Agri-Business Award Liz Cahill Educator Award Morgen Brown Youth of the Year in youth sports to helping families in need, she is a “go-getter.” Sharame cares deeply about the community and in 2014 orga- nized a Parents’ Prom to raise money for a playground in memory of her 2-year-old daughter, Emilynn Kay Marlatt. The Golden Pioneer awards went to long-time volunteers Tom and Dorothy Hinton. Both have been involved with the M-F Junior Show, where Dorothy was fair secretary and Tom the sheep super- intendent, for over 30 years. Both have been heavily involved with 4-H and FFA, and are charter members of Friends of Mac-Hi FFA. Dorothy is an OSU Mas- ter Gardener and Tom played guitar at the Stateline Grange dances for 40 years. Orchardist Bob Brown was recog- nized with the Agri-Business Award. Brown is an owner in the family busi- nesses of Watermill Winery, Blue Moun- tain Cider Company, and Earl E. Brown & Sons Inc. where he is the warehouse manager. He has a degree in agricultural economics and serves on the Northwest Fruit Exporters Board of Directors and the Oregon Department of Agriculture Advisory Board for Commodity Inspec- tions. Bob has also been involved with youth sports and helps with the needs of the local schools. Described as a “difference maker,” Morgen Brown was picked as Youth of the Year. Among her many activities, in- cluding Key Club and National Honor Society, the young woman organized a project that caught state-wide attention. Morgen noticed there were students who came to school without a backpack or school supplies so she started “Fill a Backpack, Make a Smile.” With a goal of 25 backpacks, her fund-raising efforts ended up with 122. The second year she gave 187 backpacks to community stu- dents and earned a Governor’s Volunteer Award for her caring project. McLoughlin High School social stud- ies teacher Liz Cahill received the Educa- tor Award. She was referred to as a highly motivated and student-centered instructor who is an incredible asset to the students and school. “Extremely dedicated to her students...and constantly strives to pre- pare them for success after high school.” Hermiston to pilot college savings awareness program to college, said most students have already decided whether or not they will go to college by seventh grade, meaning it is important to reach the younger grades. She said stu- dents internalize talk around WKHKRXVHDERXW¿QDQFHVDQG decide their families can’t af- ford to support them at school and so they shouldn’t go. The school district works ZLWK VWXGHQWV WR ¿QG VFKRO- DUVKLSVDQG¿QDQFLDODLGEXW Be College Ready focuses on another tool: Oregon’s 529 College Savings Plan. John Valley, outreach co- ordinator for the Oregon 529 College Savings Network run by the state, said the govern- ment tries to make it as easy as possible for parents to save. There are no start-up or annu- al fees, no minimum balance, no requirement to contribute a certain amount on a regular basis and it only takes a $25 contribution to start the invest- ment account. Money contrib- uted to the account is tax-de- ductible and interest earned isn’t taxed as long as it is used to pay for some sort of high- er education. He said earning even a small amount of tax- free interest would be better than taking out student loans. “You want compound in- terest to work for you instead of against you,” he said. For being part of the pilot program the state will donate $529 to each Hermiston ele- mentary school’s PTA.
