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
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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
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decide their families can’t af-
ford to support them at school
and so they shouldn’t go.
The school district works
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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.