REGION
Saturday, November 7, 2015
East Oregonian
Happy Canyon horse headed to Vegas
PENDLETON
Chinook and Bryson
Bronson picked for
Àag duty at NFR
Now 100, Goldie’s
will open for
all-ages New Year’s
Eve party
East Oregonian
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Pendleton public works employee Darren Craven
uses a chain saw to remove an old willow tree
that fell Wednesday at Aldrich Park. Craven, who
estimated the height of the tree at 80 feet, said
another nearby willow (pictured at left) is also
unhealthy and in danger of falling in the future.
City to replace
fallen trees
East Oregonian
When a tree fell at
Aldrich Park in Pendleton
Tuesday, not only was
someone around to hear it,
she saw it too.
Interim
Parks
and
Recreation Director Donnie
Cook said a parks employee
witnessed the willow topple
over without any sort of
provocation or wind to aid.
The tree was one of two
willows at Aldrich Park
the city was planning to
tear down because of their
advanced age. Cook was
glad nobody was in the
vicinity of the tree when it
came down, although the
unexpected development
did create one bene¿t.
“Mother Nature saved
us $1,000,” Cook said.
That $1,000 would
have gone to a contractor,
who will tear down the
remaining tree within the
next few weeks. The city
will plant replacement trees
in the future, and though
the type of tree hasn’t been
decided yet, Cook said they
won’t be willows.
The city also recently
cut down mature trees at
the southern end of Pioneer
Park, near Northwest
Despain Avenue.
Last November, an early
freeze killed the ¿ve trees.
A year later, Cook got
into a conversation with
John Taylor of the Lions
Club at a Coffee with the
City event at Buckin’ Bean
Coffee Roasters, where
they discussed the need to
replace the trees.
Taylor took the issue
back to the club, which
agreed to buy six replace-
ment trees for the city.
Cook said the parks
department is currently
waiting for public works to
locate nearby utility lines,
which would allow staff
to dug out the stumps and
plant the new trees by the
end of next week. A plaque
will be placed by the trees
to commemorate the Lions
Club’s contribution.
The parks department
is using the planting of the
new trees lining Despain to
plant an additional six trees
by the Pioneer Park shelter.
HERMISTON
Council to consider
putting marijuana
on 2016 ballot
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
Marijuana is back on the
agenda for the Hermiston
City Council after an ordi-
nance referring the question
of marijuana dispensaries to
the voters failed to get the
necessary votes.
The ordinance would put
a marijuana dispensary ban
on the Nov. 2016 ballot. In
order for an ordinance to be
passed at the same meeting
as its ¿rst reading the vote
must be unanimous. The
Oct. 26 vote on the issue
was 6-2, with councilors
Rod Hardin and Doug
Smith voting against.
Now that the ordinance
has been read at a separate
meeting, Monday’s vote
does not need to be unani-
mous for the ordinance to
pass.
On Monday the city
council will also be asked to
con¿rm the appointment of
city manager Byron Smith
to the Eastern Oregon Trade
and Event Center board for
a four-year term beginning
in January 2016.
The city’s position on
the board is currently ¿lled
by former city manager
Ed Brookshier, but when
councilors voted during
their Oct. 26 meeting to give
$600,000 to the EOTEC
board for construction they
asked that a current city
administrator be given the
position instead.
The council will also
consider a noise waiver
request from the Oregon
Department of Transporta-
tion for construction work
along Highway 395.
The department is plan-
ning to repave the highway
from Fourth Street near
Safeway to Highway 730.
The project is expected to
last from March to August
in 2016 and a letter from
ODOT states that doing
much of the work at night
will cut down on disruptions
to traf¿c and local busi-
nesses along the highway.
Page 3A
A memo from city staff
recommends the council
approve the noise waiver,
noting that there are “virtu-
ally no residences imme-
diately abutting this stretch
of highway within the city”
and that the nighttime work
would be less disruptive to
businesses.
———
Contact Jade McDowell
at jmcdowell@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4536.
Happy Canyon’s equine
icon and his rider will take
rodeo’s center stage next
month at the Wrangler
National Finals Rodeo in Las
Vegas.
Chinook, a paint horse
well-known for his calm in
the Happy Canyon Arena,
and Bryson Bronson will
present the 8.6. Àag during
the Dec. 5 opening ceremony
of the NFR.
The pair performs at
both the PBR and Happy
Canyon Night Show during
Round-Up week each year,
but will be in front of a
markedly larger audience in
Las Vegas. Last year 177,565
people attended the 10-day,
nationally televised rodeo at
the Thomas & Mack Center.
“They are instantly recog-
nizable to people in Pendleton
as the representatives of our
two fantastic events,” said
Round-Up President Bill
Quesenberry in a press release.
“Pendleton Round-Up and
Happy Canyon are lucky to
have them.”
Happy Canyon President
Jason Hill was excited as
well.
“What
a
wonderful
kick-off to Happy Canyon’s
100th Anniversary.” Hill said.
“Chinook and Bryson have
performed so well at PBR
and Happy Canyon over the
years, it’s nice to see them,
and our two events, garner
national recognition.”
If you can’t make the
rodeo party in Vegas, it will
return to Pendleton for New
Year’s Eve.
Happy Canyon is kicking
off its 100th year celebration
with an all-ages Dec. 31
party at Goldie’s Bar at
the Pendleton Convention
Center.
“We’re awfully good
at throwing parties, so we
decided New Year’s Eve
would be a good time
to get this celebration
started in Pendleton,” said
Tanner Hawkins, Happy
Canyon 100th Anniversary
Committee Chairman.
According to Hawkins,
Happy Canyon will modify
its normal Goldie’s Bar
con¿guration to welcome
kids and adults alike.
“We are excited to
welcome the kids back for
this event,” he said. “We
are hoping to offer them
a glimpse of how Happy
Canyon used to be with
a band in the Pendleton
Convention Center Gym so
they can dance and have a
great time.”
The party will also feature
the usual Goldie’s fun, with
a gaming area in the back.
Admission to the event will
be $5 for everyone.
Adults over 21 will
receive a complimentary $5
gambling chip to use on the
table games. Doors will open
on December 31 at 8 p.m.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Bryson Bronson holds the U.S. flag while riding Chi-
nook during the Pendleton Fourth of July Parade.
Chinook, Bronson and the
horse’s owner, Rusty Black,
were picked for the duty after
two tryouts of sorts. In April
they presented the Àag at the
Longines FEI World Cup in
Las Vegas and in September
NFR representatives came to
the Round-Up to see the horse
and rider again.
“Chinook and Bryson
did a fantastic job during
Round-Up week this year,”
said Round-Up publicity
director Carl Culham. “We
believe they are excellent
representatives of our tradi-
tions here in Pendleton.”
Round-Up and Happy
Canyon will also have a
presence at the Cowboy
Christmas event that runs
with the Wrangler National
Finals Rodeo. For the past
two years the organizations
along with Travel Pendleton
have set up a booth at the Las
Vegas Convention Center.
The Wrangler National
Finals Rodeo will be telecast
on CBS Sports Network. The
rodeo runs from Dec. 3-12.
BRIEFLY
Meeting to discuss
forest ¿re fuels
reduction project
GRANITE — The North
Fork John Day Ranger
District of the Umatilla
National Forest will hold a
public meeting Thursday,
Nov. 12 to discuss a ¿re fuels
reduction project within the
Granite Creek watershed.
The meeting will run
from 5-7 p.m. at the Granite
city shop in Granite, located
about 90 miles south of
Pendleton in Grant County.
Forest of¿cials have
proposed treating 38,000
acres of land as part of
the Ten Cent Community
Wild¿re Protection Project,
straddling the Umatilla and
Wallowa-Whitman national
forests. Communities
within the project area
include Granite and the
largely unpopulated city of
Greenhorn.
“We are really looking
forward to engaging with
and listening to the Granite
community, introducing
the project and discussing
VOTE FOR
SCOTT WRIGHTSON
for District 5 of the
Hermiston Irrigation District.
Stop by the office at 366 E. Hurlburt on
Nov. 10th between 7am and 8pm to vote.
Paid for by Scott Wrightson,  366 E. Hurlburt, Hermiston, OR 97838
objectives, proposed areas
and treatment tools,” said Ian
Reid, North Fork John Day
District Ranger.
For more information
about the project, contact
Andrew Stinch¿eld, acting
¿re management of¿cer for
the district, at 541-427-5397.
Irrigon hosts
special Veterans
Day luncheon
IRRIGON — Bud
Costello, a World War II
veteran from Irrigon, is the
featured guest during the
upcoming Irrigon Chamber
of Commerce meeting.
The no-host luncheon
gathering is Wednesday
at noon at Stokes Landing
Senior Center, 195 Opal
Place, Irrigon. The cost is
$8 for members and $10 for
non-members.
Costello recently traveled
to Washington, D.C., as an
honored veteran and will
share his experiences and
show pictures. All veterans
are urged to attend.
For more information,
the award based on several
design elements of the travel
center, including its separate
entrance for diesel fuel
customers. It also noted the
fresh and nutritious ready-
to-go meals for sale and the
“farm-to-table” approach that
keeps the convenience store
stocked with fresh produce
year-round.
The magazine stated
Space Age Fuel updated the
Hermiston location’s brand
by “reimaging of colors,
¿nishes, lighting, cabinetry,
¿xtures, graphics and
signage” and plans to extend
that to its other Oregon
locations.
contact Phyllis Danielson
at irrigonchamber@
irrigonchamber.com or
541-922-3857.
Space Age Fuel
wins award
HERMISTON — Space
Age Fuel in Hermiston was
recognized by Convenience
Store News for the best
mid-sized remodel in the
business.
The Hermiston station is
the chain’s Àagship location.
Convenience Store
News, a national magazine
that publishes industry
research and trends, gave
Providing the Most Advanced Digital
Hearing Technology
A family run business for over 50
Years
541-276-3155
1-800-678-3155
29 SW Dorion
Pendleton
236 E Newport
Hermiston
www.ruhearing.com
CONCEALED CARRY
PERMIT CLASS
Oregon - Utah - Valid 35 States
PENDLETON
Red Lion - 304 SE Nye Ave.
Nov. 11 th • 1:00 pm or 6:00 pm
Walk-Ins Welcome!
HERMISTON
GUN CLUB
THANKS OUR
HARVEST TEAM
CHALLENGE
2015 SPONSORS
Simplot Grower
Solutions
Simplot 1
BASF
Monsanto
Yara
Horizon AG
Potash Corp
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Syngenta
UPI
Dupont
OR/Utah: (Valid in WA) $80.00 or Oregon only: $45
www.FirearmTrainingNW.com • FirearmTrainingNW@gmail.com
360-921-2071
Pepsi Primetime @ the Museum
From Armistice
to Veterans Day:
A history with James Givan
November 11 1pm
FREE admission
FIRST FRIDAYS ARE FREE!
Exhibits, Museum Store
Open Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm
Kinship Café
Open Mon-Sat, 11am-2pm
541.429.7700
www.tamastslikt.org