REGION
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
East Oregonian
Page 3A
ECHO
Hundreds of cyclists to ride Red 2 Red
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
The Echo Red 2 Red cross
country mountain Eike race
is e[pected to more than
douEle Echo¶s population
this weekend as Eikers from
all over the country arrive for
the annual race.
Organizers are e[pecting
400 to 40 participants
for Saturday’s race, many
Eringing family or friends
along for the weekend.
Organizer
Stephanie
Myers said the race, which is
in its eighth year, has grown
in popularity Eecause of the
unique terrain, and the fact
that it’s the ¿rst OBRAsanc
tioned race of the season
in Oregon and most of the
Paci¿c 1orthwest due to the
mild, dry terrain.
³<ou Must can’t ride
anywhere else this time of
year,” Myers said.
She said usually aEout 40
percent of riders come from
out of state.
Myers said participants
in the race, which offers a
13mile Eeginner’s course, a
2mile course and a 32mile
course, get a good workout.
³People think it’s Àat
Eecause we live in a relatively
Àat area, Eut the course is
de¿nitely not Àat,” she said.
The trails for the race
— including a new one this
year — are on private prop
erty Eelonging to Sno Road
Winery owners Lloyd and
Lois Piercy.
Lloyd said hosting the race
over the years has Eeen ³a lot
of fun.” They allow people
to use the trails if they ask
permission, and he said they
have seen a lot of local chil
dren out there each weekend
and gotten to know people
from all over the country
that way. Many of those
people heard aEout the trails
and aEout Echo from seeing
videos and pictures posted Ey
Red 2 Red participants.
He said descriEed the
terrain as left “in its native
clothes.”
“It’s a true desert steppe,
the way it’s supposed to Ee,”
he said. “Even though it’s
desert, it’s truly Eeautiful.”
So far the cycling commu
nity has Eeen considerate of
the land, he said. Piercy and
Myers Eoth said they hope to
see more trails in the area in
the future.
“I think this is the ¿rst of
several trails that could Ee
Euilt around here,” Piercy
said. “We could Eecome
a Eicycle area. I think we
already are.”
He said few mountain
Eike races start and end in
towns, leaving family and
friends with little to entertain
themselves for a couple
hours. But Red 2 Red Eegins
and ends in downtown Echo,
offering a Eoost for local
Eusinesses. Piercy said over
the weekend, some of those
economic Eene¿ts also trickle
to Hermiston and Pendleton
as people look for hotels or
additional shopping.
“Even if you don’t ride,
come out and enMoy the day,”
he said. “It should Ee fun to
watch.”
Participants can register
and pick up packets )riday,
March 4 from 47 p.m. at
Echo Bike and Board, 23
S Main St. in Pendleton or
Saturday from :3010:30
a.m. at Sno Road Winery,
111 W Main St. in Echo.
Registration is $0 for adults
or $20 for Munior riders.
The race kicks off at 11
a.m. at the corner of Main
Street and Dupont Street in
Echo on Saturday. Awards
and a rafÀe will Ee held after
the race at appro[imately
3:30 p.m.
On Sunday, a separate
7. kilometer poker run will
start at 8 a.m. for runners and
10:30 a.m. for riders at the
Echo West Vineyard trail
head. Registration is $20 and
cash prizes are handed out
for the top ¿ve poker hands
dealt at checkpoints along the
trail.
)or more information
aEout either event visit www.
echored2red.com or call
Myers at 412892444.
———
Contact Jade McDowell
at jmcdowell@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4536.
PENDLETON
Artist shares love of native plants in new exhibit
East Oregonian
Contributed
“Alders Along the Rogue” is among the artwork
by Frances Stilwell that will be on display
at Pendleton Center for the Arts. The exhibit
opens with an artist’s reception Thursday from
5:30-7 p.m.
ComEining science and art,
a new e[hiEition at Pendleton
Center for the Arts features the
pen and pastel works of )rances
Stilwell, a retired Eiophysicist and
ethologist.
)rances Stilwell is passionate
aEout sharing her knowledge of
native plants, and her artwork
provides the perfect vehicle for
viewers to Eroaden their under
standing of the haEitats in which
they grow. Her e[hiEit, “Oregon’s
Botanical Landscape: An Oppor
tunity to Imagine Oregon Before
1800,” is Eased on her Eook of the
same name.
The e[hiEit will open Thursday
with an artist’s reception from
:307 p.m. at the arts center, 214
1. Main St., Pendleton. It’s free
and open to the puElic.
Created during a span of 2
years, Stilwell painted while she
stood or sat in the haEitat of each
native plant. Each painting is
presented along with printed te[t
and maps that educate the viewer
aEout the regions in which the
plants live.
A memEer of Eoth the
1orthwest Pastel Society and the
1ative Plant Society of Oregon,
Stilwell hopes the e[hiEit will
inspire others to e[plore the
natural world more fully, and use
their artistic side to speak aEout
their e[periences.
The arts center is open Tues
days through )ridays from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from
noon to 4 p.m. The e[hiEit remains
on view through Saturday, March
26. Admission is free.
In addition, area teachers are
invited to schedule ArtZOOM
sessions during the e[hiEit.
ArtZOOM provides free Skype
Eased virtual gallery tours,
including a guided art proMect, to
classEound groups.
)or more information, call
412789201 or visit www.
pendletonarts.org.
Photo contributed by Oregon State Police
Oregon State Police seized approximately 25 pounds
of cocaine and 44 pounds of methamphetamine
during a trafic stop Feb. 23 in Sherman County.
Cops seize $2.3M
worth of drugs
GXULQJWUDI¿FVWRS
East Oregonian
Oregon State Police arrested two men and seized more
than $2.3 million worth of cocaine and methamphetamine
dXring a traf¿c stop )eE. 23 in Sherman
County.
$lEerto $leMandro Martinez, 32,
of Moses Lake, Washington, and Jose
Joel Helguera Del Rio, 31, of Royal
City, Washington, were Eooked into
Multnomah County Mail on multiple
federal drug and ¿rearm charges.
7he men were pulled oYer at aEout
1:30 p.m. on Highway 97 south of
%iggs Junction for a traf¿c Yiolation. Del Rio
Less than a minute into the stop, an
OSP trooper oEserYed a handgun in the
Yehicle¶s gloYe Eo[. 1either Martinez
nor Del Rio had a concealed weapons
permit, and they were detained.
A search of their Dodge Caravan
later revealed appro[imately 2
pounds of cocaine and 44 pounds of
meth. OSP patrols were assisted on
scene Ey detectives from OSP and the
Portland Police Bureau, the Sherman Martinez
County Sheriff¶s Of¿ce, 8.S. Marshals
Service and 8.S. Attorney¶s Of¿ce. An investigation is
ongoing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
BRIEFLY
Athena man dies
LQWUDLOHU¿UH
ATHE1A — An Athena
man died Saturday night in
a trailer ¿re.
Jerry Lee LamEert Sr.,
64, was the only victim in
the ¿fthwheel trailer at 446
1. Third St.
The callout to respond
to the ¿re was at 10:44
p.m. Saturday, according
to Athena Volunteer
)ire Department, which
e[tinguished the Elaze a
short time later.
Athena ¿re Chief John
Reitz identi¿ed LamEert
as the victim. State ¿re
marshal Scott Goff said
he investigated the scene
and it looks like “discarded
smoking material,” such as
a cigarette, was the cause of
the ¿re.
(JJSURGXFHU
KDWFKHVJUDQWIRU
solar panels
The Oregon Department
of Energy has awarded
more than $70,000 to install
solar panels at a commer
cial egg production facility
in Milton)reewater.
The )arm on Edwards
Road was one of 13
recipients of RenewaEle
Energy Development grants
from the state, totaling
$1. million. RenewaEle
Energy Development
grants help local Eusinesses
and nonpro¿ts invest in
Eiomass, solar, geothermal,
hydroelectric, wind, land¿ll
gas or other types of green
energy.
“Solar installations
are Eooming across the
country right now,” said
state energy analyst RoE
Del Mar. “The overall
cost of installing panels
has dropped, and with
the renewal of the federal
ta[ credit, the time is
right for Eusinesses and
organizations to invest
in this renewaEle energy
resource.”
Mahlon Zehr contracts
with Wilco[ )amily )arms
of Roy, Washington, to
raise 30,000 cagefree
chickens at The )arm on
Edwards Road. The facility
is e[pected to produce
8. million eggs per year,
which will Ee sold at
Oregon Costco stores. Most
of Zehr’s equipment is fully
automated.
Grant funds will Ee
awarded after the solar
proMect is completed and
operational.
“ODOE is proud to
support these diverse
proMects that will generate
renewaEle electricity
for Oregon farms, small
Eusinesses, our military
and more,” said department
Director Michael Kaplan.
6FKRROVKLUH
superintendent
from Walla Walla
ATHE1A — The Athe
naWeston School District
has hired Laure Quaresma
as its new superintendent.
Quaresma, the assistant
superintendent of Walla
Walla PuElic Schools,
will start July 1, replacing
former superintendent Jerry
Copeland.
“I think Laure will make
an outstanding contriEution
to the district,” interim
superintendent Jim Reger
said in a press release. “Her
e[perience as a teacher, a
Euilding administrator and
an assistant superintendent
will all serve as assets in
her new position in our
district.”
Reger, who was also
an interim superintendent
for the Milton)reewater
8ni¿ed School District,
agreed to ¿ll the post
temporarily after Copeland
resigned to Eecome the
human resources director at
the InterMountain Educa
tion Service District.
Quaresma won the MoE
over Tom Yahraes, the
CEO of Big Sky Discovery
Academy in Big Sky,
Mont., and Roger Trail, the
e[ecutive director of human
resources for the Clarkston
(Wash.) School District.
According to the press
release, Quaresma has Eeen
Walla Walla’s assistant
superintendent since 2010
and previously worked as
an elementary principal,
middle school assistant
principal, university adMunct
professor and teacher in
Washington and Oregon.
She earned a Eachelor’s
degree in education from
Western Washington
8niversity and a master’s
degree in curriculum and
instruction from Eastern
Washington 8niversity.
Quaresma said she
was eager to work in a
small school district and
familiarize herself with its
communities.
“It’s a strong school
district that really supports
its students,” she said. “I
am eager to continue the
concepts of teaching and
learning through individ
ualized instruction and
discovering what motivates
kids on their paths to
college and career.”
———
Briefs are compiled
from staff and wire reports,
and press releases. Email
press releases to news@
eastoregonian.com
National
Dentist
Day
March 6 th
“Helping Pendleton
smile, one dental
visit at a time.”
WELCOME 2A Coaches,
Players, Families & Fans!
Le atenderé en español
www.pendletondentist.com
We are proud to offer affordable, traditional Ranch Cookin’
Something for everyone, including
USDA PRIME STEAKS • MOM’S MEATLOAF • BABY BACK RIBS
FIRE ROASTED SALMON • BUNKHOUSE PASTA
Hamley Saloon open at 4 PM
DINNER in STEAKHOUSE at 5 PM
For Large Group
Reservations, call
541.278.1100
HAMLEY CAFÉ 8 AM - 4 PM
Breakfast 8 AM- 11 AM • Lunch 11 AM - 3 PM
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M A I N & C O U R T • D O W N T O W N P E N D L E T O N • 5 41 - 2 7 8 - 1 1 0 0
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or
1300 6th Street,
Suite G in
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Wilson Dental
Arts Inc.
ORTHODONTIST
541.519.7772
BRACES FOR CHILDREN & ADULTS
Pendleton
Hermiston
Specializing in Dentures,
Partials, Relines & Repairs
John G. Wilson LD
Denturist
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Durk V. Irwin, D.M.D. P.C.
2237 SW Court Ave.
1060 W. Elm, Suite 135
541.276.7819
541.567.2662
dirwin@irwinorthodontics.com
Initial Exam Free • 1-800-962-7038
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