REGION
Saturday, November 19, 2016
East Oregonian
PENDLETON
HERMISTON
Round-Up introduces court
EOTEC project
coming together
as 2017 nears
Kendra Torrey of
Milton-Freewater
picked as queen
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
East Oregonian
The Pendleton Round-Up
introduced its 2017 queen
and four princesses for the
first time Saturday morning.
Kendra Torrey, 21, was
named queen.
She
grew
up
in
Milton-Freewater and has
ridden horses since the age
of six. She has competed in
both English and Western
styles in the show ring and
in pleasure, equitation and
halter classes as well as
countless trail competitions.
Torrey has been a
Milton-Freewater Pioneer
Posse princess, Walla Walla
Frontier Days princess and
a 2015 Pendleton Round-Up
princess.
Torrey is a recent Walla
Walla Community College
graduate completing an
Associate of Arts degree
in preparation for further
studies in psychology.
“The
Pendleton
Round-Up is so much more
than a rodeo,” said Torrey.
“It is history, it is family, it is
home and as a member of the
court I am proud to promote
this legendary organization.”
She is the daughter of
Gary and Shelly Torrey of
Kuna, Idaho.
Sydney Jones, Taylor
Ann Skramstad, Kaleigh
Waggoner and Betsy West
were named princesses.
Jones, 19, is a Pendleton
native. She is currently
attending Carroll College
in Helena, Montana, and
studying biology/pre-medi-
cine.
Jones graduated from
Pendleton High School in
2016, was elected National
Honor Society president, and
was dancer of the year with
the multi-award winning
PHS Rhythmic Mode dance
team.
Jones has ridden as
a Pendleton Round-Up
pennant bearer for eight
years, worked souvenir
booths for six years and acted
in the Happy Canyon Night
Pageant where her father
served as the centennial
show director.
“Round-Up is its own
Kendra Torrey
Betsy West
Sydney Jones
Kayleigh Waggoner
Taylor Ann Skramstad
“The Pendleton Round-Up is so
much more than a rodeo. It is
history, it is family, it is home.”
— Kendra Torrey,
2017 Round-Up queen
world,” said Jones. “It trans-
ports you back to something
authentic where everyone
is welcome and comes
together, even though we live
in an often divided world.”
Jones is the daughter of
Harper and Kim Jones of
Pendleton.
Skramstad, 21, is from
Umapine, and is a Walla
Walla High School graduate
who now attends Walla
Walla Community College
and competes on the school’s
rodeo team. Between 4-H
and FFA she has competed
in
western
equitation,
pleasure and trail classes,
as well as halter, showman-
ship, jumping and multiple
English styles.
With her parents being
horse breeders, Taylor has
raised, trained and ridden
horses her entire life. She
has been a princess for the
Milton-Freewater Pioneer
Posse and served as their
queen in 2011. She has ridden
in Pendleton’s Westward
Ho! Parade and attended the
Pendleton Round-Up with
her family since her earliest
childhood.
Skramstad is the daughter
of Scott and Kelly Skram-
stad.
Waggoner, 18, is from
Pilot Rock. A Pendleton
High School graduate with
a 4.34 GPA, she is currently
seeking a nursing degree at
George Fox University.
She has volunteered for
the Pendleton Round-Up
working souvenir booths,
annual work parties, and has
been a parade pennant bearer
since she was five years old.
W a g g o n e r ’ s
great-great-grandfather
R.W.
Fletcher
started
the Round-Up Cowboy
Mounted Band in 1910. Her
great-grandfather R.A. (Bob)
Fletcher served many years
as chute boss and was the
1987 Westward Ho! Parade
grand marshal; her grandfa-
ther Robin Fletcher volun-
teered more than 60 years
and served on the Round-Up
Board of Directors; all three
of these patriarchs have been
inducted into the Pendleton
Round-Up
and
Happy
Canyon Hall of Fame. Her
Father Allen is a past Happy
Canyon show director and
her mother Rebecca just
published a book telling the
Work on the Eastern
Oregon Trade and Event
Center has been moving
along quickly in the last
month.
Carl Hendon, CFO
for Hendon Construction,
said the company has been
working to accelerate the
schedule for the rodeo arena.
“As things stand right
now, I’d say we’re a week to
10 days ahead of schedule,”
he told the EOTEC board
during their Friday meeting.
He said with construc-
tion it’s always possible that
roadblocks will come up in
the future, but for now the
goal is to finish the arena in
June.
The board also heard
an update from Knerr
Construction.
John
Eckhardt told them that
American Fencing was
the low bidder for on-site
fencing and the landscaping
bids will be in next week.
Creation of the metal barn
buildings is in the works, as
are the pens and panels. The
company will hire subcon-
tractors for installation of
the barns in December.
Business
manager
Heather Cannell said she
had been working with
G2 Construction and Frew
Development Group to
fix a checklist of problems
with the event center that
were discussed at a board
Happy Canyon story from its
inception in 1916.
West, 20, is from Athena.
She graduated from Weston
McEwen High School and is
now studying health sciences
at the College of Idaho with
multiple minors in Spanish,
sociology
and
human
services. Her collegiate
research was able to isolate
and register a new soil virus
that has been sent for further
DNA testing.
Her lifetime of horseman-
ship began on the front of
her parents’ saddles before
she can remember. The West
family bred and raised AQHA
horses, which allowed Betsy
to develop into a natural
horse person. She has
carried Pendleton Round-Up
pennants for six years, and
rehearsed the grand entry
as a fill-in flag bearer many
times. Her great-grandfather
Jack French was a judge in
Round-Up’s earliest years,
and great-grandmother Ruth
Porter Piquet served as queen
in the 1930s.
Many relatives volun-
teered for decades in
Round-Up
and
Happy
Canyon, her great-uncle
Morris Temple was a founder
of the Main Street Cowboys
and a former Pendleton
Mayor. Betsy is looking
forward to sharing her year
on the Pendleton Round-Up
court with her horse,
Feathers.
West is the daughter
of Clay and Mary West of
Athena.
East Oregonian
Anyone looking to cut
their own firewood on the
Umatilla National Forest
has Wednesday, Nov. 30
before the season comes to
an end. Firewood permits
will not be available again
until May 2017.
Forest officials ask the
public to take precautions
when cutting firewood
this late in the fall, as road
and soil conditions can
become slick, soggy and
saturated. Mountain travel
will require extreme care
to avoid getting stuck in the
mud or snow, and causing
damage to the land.
Another potential late
season concern is misiden-
tification of live versus
out of the Bowman Building,
17 S.W. Frazer in Pendleton.
She also works one day a
week at 707 E. Broadway in
Milton-Freewater. She can be
reached at 541-278-5482 or
via email at jennifer.olson@
umatillacounty.net.
———
Contact George Plaven
at gplaven@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0825.
dead western larch. Larch
needles turn yellow and fall
off at the end of the growing
season, which can cause the
tree to appear dead when
it is actually only dormant.
Tips on identifying live
larch are located in the
firewood guide that comes
with each permit.
Firewood permits are
available at any Umatilla
National Forest office
or participating local
businesses. Permits are $5
per cord, with a minimum
purchase of four cords. The
forest allows a maximum
purchase of 12 cords per
household during the
calendar year.
For more information,
call 541-278-3716 or visit
www.fs.usda.gov/umatilla.
PRESENTS
Tremendous Trio Book Signing!
November 19th from 5-7pm
John Groupe
Becky Waggoner
Rick Steber
125 S. Main St., Pendleton, OR 97801
(541) 276-9292 • penbkco@eonet.net
NOW
HIRING!
SCHOOL BUS
DRIVERS
No Experience Necessary
NOW
HIRING
25 TH ANNUAL
A new face has joined
the Umatilla County human
services department to
help local veterans access
resources such as filing
disability claims, pensions
and other benefits.
Jennifer Olson was hired
Oct.
17
from the
Depart-
ment of
Ve t e r a n s
Affairs
office in
Wa l l a
Walla. As
assistant
veterans Jennifer Olson
service
officer, it is Olson’s job to
work with the 1,800 veterans
in Umatilla County and make
sure they are aware of tools
and programs available in the
community.
“A lot of my position is
legal counsel for veterans
in our area,” Olson said.
“With all of my background,
I’m able to articulate to our
soldiers or airmen or seamen
what’s necessary for them
to file that claim, or go to
school.”
Olson, 47, was raised in
a military family and served
three years in the U.S. Air
Force. Her husband, a Pend-
leton native, is also an Army
veteran.
In addition to assisting
veterans directly, Olson
said she is available to
help families obtain their
surviving spouse benefits.
She will also work with local
outreach programs, including
CAPECO and the Veterans of
Foreign Wars, to make sure
veterans and their families
receive the best possible care.
“If our soldiers don’t get
help, that’s where problems
can arise,” she said.
Eventually, Olson said
she wants to organize semi-
nars or prepare packets that
would outline, step by step,
everything that’s available
for veterans.
“I’ll work hard to ensure
they have the best care and
services possible,” she said.
Olson’s office is based
workshop in October.
Some issues, like the
water heater not making
the water hot enough, have
already been fixed. Others,
like an imperfection in the
glass front doors that makes
them look streaky, are
scheduled to be repaired.
And some, like a loud jet
engine sound in the confer-
ence room when the HVAC
system kicks on, still have
people working to locate
the problem.
Cannell said the event
center has been busy, with
events every day this week
and the Farm Fair coming
up at the beginning of
December.
After speaking with
the
nonprofits
that
have traditionally had a
permanent food building
at the Umatilla County
Fairgrounds, board member
Dan Dorran asked for and
received permission to
begin searching for mobile
food trucks to use instead.
The trucks, instead of
buildings, will allow for
more flexibility in arranging
the fair and could be rented
out during the year for use
at other events.
Dorran said Hermiston
Christian School has said
it does not want to continue
selling hot food, meaning
the board only has to find
two trucks. He said he
believed he could procure
two used food trucks for
less than $75,000.
Firewood cutting season
ends in forest Nov. 30
Veterans service officer joins Umatilla County
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
SIGN ON BONUS’
$250 Hiring Bonus
$100 Bonus - Pass DMV Test in 7 Days
11.88 Hour - Part Time
• 401K Benefits Available • Paid Training
• Bonus Opportunities • Perfect for Extra Income
F R I D AY
DECEMBER 2
PENDLETON
2016
CONVENTION CENTER
TICKETS ARE $30
EVENING CELEBRATION | 6:00 PM
• Heavy hors d’oeuvres
• WE PAY FOR YOUR CDL
• WEEKENDS/HOLIDAYS OFF
• FLEXIBLE HOURS
Come Join Our Team In Pendleton! 541-276-5621
FAMILY DAY | 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
• Free admission thanks to
Wildhorse Resort & Casino
• Live and silent auctions
• Mingle with community members
and enjoy the festivities!
• Lunch with Santa and his elves
• Make ornaments and playdough
• Letters to Santa
For more information, please contact St. Anthony Hospital Foundation at (541) 966-0528
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