REGION
Saturday, April 16, 2016
East Oregonian
Page 3A
HERMISTON
PENDLETON
Fialka, Bracher retiring from HEF
Council accepts $150K grant
to establish Future Farm
HQMR\DEOH´ %UDFKHU VDLG
with a laugh. “I think we’ve
established a good rapport
with the community, and
Two long-time and instru-
they’re willing to support us
mental leaders in the Herm-
and what we do. We have a
iston Education Foundation
great community.”
will retire this month, leaving
Both women will continue
RSHQLQJV RQ WKH QRQSUR¿W
to volunteer with events and
board.
are active in other community
Ann Fialka and Judy
organizations.
Bracher have served on the
“I’ll miss being in contact,
HEF Board of Trustees for 13
having a sideline seat to what’s
and 12 years, respectively, and
happening in the district, but
have each submitted a notice
it’s time,” Fialka said.
of retirement.
Fialka and Bracher are
“We really feel like the Ed
EO file photo
Foundation is in a good place. Hermiston Education Foundation board member Judy two of the longest-serving
It’s right on the brink of long- Bracher restocks food during the 2014 “Beach and Beef board members, second only
to Karen Sherman, who was
range planning, and it’s time Dinner” at the Hermiston Conference Center.
one of the founding members.
to let the next generation take
The organization
$40,000 a year.”
With the retirements, the
over,” Fialka said Friday.
Both
women board is now looking for
The Hermiston Education provides grants to
have been instru- DERXW IRXU LQGLYLGXDOV WR ¿OO
)RXQGDWLRQ LV D QRQSUR¿W teachers within the
mental in organizing its ideal size of 15, according
SXEOLF EHQH¿W FRUSRUDWLRQ district twice a year
the
foundation’s to Fialka and Bracher.
aimed at enriching student as well as providing
efforts
annual events: the
Anyone interested in
experiences in the Hermiston volunteer
HEF Beach & MRLQLQJ WKH +() ERDUG RI
School District. Although the DQGSURMHFWV)LDOND
Beef crab feed in trustees is asked to contact
group serves the Hermiston has been on the
February and the Briana Cortaberria at the
School District, it is its own board for almost
every
one
of
the
+() )XQ 5XQ LQ Hermiston School District
entity.
October. While the for an application packet and
The board of trustees, organization’s 24 Fialka
crab feed brings in contact information. Fialka
which governs the foundation, grant cycles, and
represents a cross-section of the Spring 2016 grants will be the bulk of the organization’s said the ideal board member
the Hermiston community and announced Wednesday during funding, the fun run was orig- is someone passionate about
LQDOO\VWDUWHGMXVWIRUFRPPX- “making good things happen”
is a mix of district employees a special reception.
³, FDQ UHPHPEHU WKH ¿UVW nity recognition. When they and being involved in the
and community members.
Bracher is the current chair grant cycle when we had MRLQHG WKH ERDUG ERWK )LDOND community.
The HEF board meeting
of the foundation’s board of a couple thousand dollars and Bracher decided to focus
directors; both Fialka and and we were looking at the on two pieces: community this month will be the last for
Bracher have served as past DSSOLFDWLRQV WU\LQJ WR ¿JXUH recognition of what the foun- each Fialka and Bracher. The
out how to best be good stew- dation was and being good board will elect a new chair.
chair as well.
“It’s been an amazing
“It really is a working ards of the money,” Fialka stewards of the funding.
“I think our years have experience,” Bracher said. “It
board,” Bracher said. “You VDLG ³1RZ ZH¶UH ORRNLQJ
at $25,000 in grants a cycle, been very productive and was a great ride. It really was.”
have to be a worker bee.”
By JENNIFER COLTON
East Oregonian
BMCC brings a week of art and culture
By JENNIFER COLTON
East Oregonian
A World War II survivor,
a Bosnian refugee and a
doctor with knowledge of the
Zika virus will all appear at
Blue Mountain Community
College this week for the
18th annual Arts and Culture
Festival.
The free three-day event
will run Tuesday-Thursday
and include events in both
Hermiston and Pendleton.
This year’s theme, “Here and
There,” focuses on an under-
standing of modern and past
events, as well as culture from
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and around the world.
The event brings special-
ized speakers and events
to both the community and
students of Hermiston and
Pendleton.
“Anything that we can do
to increase our own experi-
ence, our own learning, it is a
great opportunity,” said Alison
Timmons, festival coordi-
nator and BMCC English
instructor. “This is as much an
opportunity for our students as
it is for the community — and
vice versa.”
For students, especially
in Hermiston, the event also
brings a part of the college
King
Taiblum
experience similar to what
they could experience at a
larger college campus.
A 10-person committee
works for most of a year on
the Arts and Culture festival.
In June, the committee settles
on a theme for the next year’s
festival, such as the 2016
“Here and There” topic.
“We try to choose themes
that are open to multiple
interpretations,”
Timmons
said. “With ‘Here and There,’
we started off by thinking
about how here and there is a
geographic reference, but then
you can also look at fantasy
and reality.”
The theme will apply to
each of the presentations, from
history to visual analytics to
the afterlife.
Current events presen-
tations include Dr. Sascha
McKeon, who will speak on
the impacts of the Zika virus
currently under scrutiny by
Willis
McKeon
health organizations, and
135 MRXUQDOLVW $QQD .LQJ
who covered the Malheur
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from earlier this year. Historic
presentations include the story
of Selena Hutchins, a Bosnia
refugee, and Manny Taiblum,
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regime and survived World
War II as a Jewish teen after
his family was sent to the
Treblinka death camp.
Some presenters, including
Hutchins, McKeon and Fred
Brown, a historian from
Seattle, will speak in both
Hermiston and Pendleton.
Brown will speak on an
animal history of Seattle and
animals and urban landscapes.
The festival also includes a
salmon dinner and a powwow
presented by the Confeder-
ated Tribes of the Umatilla
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BMCC Pendleton campus.
The salmon dinner runs from
Brown
4-6 p.m. Wednesday, and the
powwow begins at 6 p.m.
A full festival schedule is
available at www.bluecc.edu/
AandC.
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
At a special meeting
Thursday, the Pendleton
City Council unanimously
agreed to spend $10,000 to
help establish the Oregon
Unmanned Aerial Systems
Future Farm.
The funds will be added
to a $150,000 grant from
62$52UHJRQWKHDJULFXO-
tural research and develop-
ment arm of the Pendleton
8$65DQJH
The council also made
agreements with Duke
Joseph, a Carlton adver-
tising agency, and Digital
Harvest,
a
Hampton,
Virginia drone company.
The two companies will
split the grant money to
establish and operate the
Future Farm.
Digital Harvest will
provide a drone pilot, one
full-time UAS technician,
seasonal student interns,
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installation of the Future
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professorship from Digital
Harvest CEO Young Kim
and assistance with sustain-
able funding efforts.
Duke Joseph has prom-
ised to brand and market
Future Farm, create a
steering committee, recruit
and inventory cooperative
farms, recruit industry
users, solicit investors and
sponsors, identify and apply
for grants, produce and
market a two-day Drone
5RGHRLQ-XO\GHYHORSDQG
market a one-week UAS
operator course in July
and recruit and train two
seasonal interns.
In addition to the $10,000
match, which will be used
for Future Farm promotion,
the city will provide free
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space at the Eastern Oregon
5HJLRQDO$LUSRUWIRUD\HDU
Steve Chrisman, Pend-
leton’s economic develop-
ment director and airport
manager, said the Future
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starting to attract attention
from drone companies.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra
at asierra@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0836.
STANFIELD
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East Oregonian
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in a new code enforcement
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Joyce Wright previously
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a part time police/code
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RI¿FHU
according to an email from
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Blair Larsen. She is
returning to the still-vacant
position.
Tristan Walker, 27, is
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from the four-member
police department. Walker,
who recently married,
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for several years and in
February 2015 was part
of a crew of volunteer
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to rescue a dog that fell
over a 30-foot cliff. Larsen
said Walker will attend
Oregon’s Public Safety
Academy in May to obtain
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Larsen also stated, “All
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go through the statutorily
required
background
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passed that requirement.”
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Council meets Tuesday
at 7 p.m. in the council
chambers, 150 W. Coe Ave.
The agenda also shows the
council will meet behind
closed-doors to discuss
Larsen’s evaluation
• Experience BMCC •
PENDLETON EVENTS
TUESDAY, APRIL 19th
ST-200
10:00 am: Dr. Fred Brown, An Animal
History of Seatt le
(All presentations will be in the Bob Clapp Th eatre Unless
Otherwise Noted)
10:00 am: Chris Jennings, Eastern Oregon Film
Festival Director
11:00 am: Manny Taiblum, author of WITH G-D
AT MY SIDE. Stories of surviving the Warsaw Ghett o
during World War II
11:30 am: ASG Barbeque
12:00 pm: BMCC Staff showcase
7:00 pm: EO Forum in ST200 with John Turner, America and the World Since WWII
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20th
CONCEALED CARRY
PERMIT CLASS
Oregon - Utah - Valid 35 States
HERMISTON
Best Western: 2255 Highway 395 South
April 29 th • 1:00 pm & 6:00 pm
Walk-Ins Welcome!
OR/Utah: (Valid in WA) $80.00 or Oregon only: $45
www.FirearmTrainingNW.com • FirearmTrainingNW@gmail.com
360-921-2071
(All presentations will be in the Bob Clapp Th eatre Unless Otherwise Noted)
9:00 am: Selena Hutchins, Bosnia refugee talks about her experiences. She is also a gaming
producer at Big Fish in Seatt le, WA.
10:00 am: Dr. Sascha McKeon, Zika Virus
11:00 am: Wendy Willis, A World Without Secrets: Privacy and Expectations in the United States
12:00 pm: Lisa Naas Cook, Too Busy to Rest: Boundaries and Balance in a Nonstop World
1:00 pm: Anna King, NPR journalist on Malheur-Th e Standoff
4:30 pm: Salmon Dinner & Children’s POW WOW ~ FREE & OPEN TO PUBLIC
THURSDAY, APRIL 21st
7:00 pm: College Community Th eatre, “No One Knows Nothing”, a reader’s theatre presen-
tation of an original screenplay by Joshua King. Free production, with post show Q & A with
screenwriter and cast.
HERMISTON EVENTS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20th
Wildhorse Resort &
Casino presents the
4th Annual
Mammoth Cup
Golf Tournament
Sunday, May 15
Wildhorse Resort
Golf Course
10:00 am: Dr. Fred Brown, Animals & Urban Landscapes
11:00 am: Karen Nicksich, children’s author of “Th e Time of My Life” on grieving for the
loss of a pet. Also presenting-Maddie the Th erapy Dog.
12:00 pm: Food & Entertainment
1:00 pm: Wendy Willis, A World Without Secrets: Privacy and Expectations in the
United States
2:00 pm: Smoke & Mirrors Literary Group/Creative Writing Class, “Banned Book
Reading”
THURSDAY, APRIL 21st
9:00 am: Devin McKeon, Code: Th e Secret Language of Machines
10:00 am: Lisa Naas Cook, Too Busy to Rest: Boundaries and Balance in a Nonstop World
10:00 am: Russ Burtner, presents on Visual Analytics
11:00am: Dr. Sascha McKeon, Zika Virus
12:00pm: Lunch & “Music in the Round” with Dr. Margaret Mayer & BMCC Music Students
1:00 pm: Selena Hutchins, Bosnia refugee & Big Fish Video Gaming producer in Seatt le, WA
2:00pm: Patrick Weatherly, Poetry & Music Collaboration
FIRST FRIDAYS
ARE FREE!
Supported by: CHI St. Anthony Hospital,
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Cayuse
Technologies, Pepsi/Pendleton Bottling Co.
and Byrnes Oil Co.
Advertising Partners: East Oregonian and Port of Kennewick.
Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm
541.429.7700
www.tamastslikt.org
Questions?
Contact HGastin@bluecc.edu or go to
www.facebook.com/BMCCArtsCultureFestival
Blue Mountain Community College is an equal opportunity educator and employer.