Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 2017)
REGION Saturday, January 28, 2017 HERMISTON EOTEC requests marketing plan from subcommittee By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian The Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center board has directed a subcommittee to come up with a marketing and staffi ng plan for the project. The decision during Friday’s meeting came at the request of the project’s two managing partners — the city of Hermiston and Umatilla County — after the city council and county commission met for a joint work session on EOTEC Monday. Board member Dan Dorran said he agreed that the time was right to build on the discussions about opera- tions that took place during a November work session, and requested that the marketing subcommittee come back to the full EOTEC board for a “full-throated discussion” before sending it on to the city and county. Byron Smith, board chair and Hermiston city manager, noted that the board has been “hesitant to spend more than we have and trying not to be a burden on the city and county” but said it sounded like the two entities were willing to consider kicking more than their $45,000 per year each if that’s what’s needed to help fi ll the center with events. He said it was important to start on a plan with no specifi c people in mind for the positions. “Just ‘these kind of posi- tions doing these things,’” he said. The event center has had 43 events so far since it opened last May. During a budget discussion Friday, city fi nance director Amy Palmer broke down revenue and costs by event so the board could see how the fee structure was working out. She reported that so far in the 2016-2017 fi scal year EOTEC’s operations costs had been about $100,000 for a net loss of $4,645. Dorran reported to the board that the sign committee had been working with the Oregon Department of Transportation on directional road signs pointing the way to EOTEC, and those should be ready in a couple of weeks. He also shared the brick and stucco designs for a large, decorative entryway sign. The fundraising committee is also working to design the donor wall that will thank major contributors to EOTEC, and the board asked that there be some conti- nuity of color and materials between the two signs. Carl Hendon of Hendon Construction reported that the cold, snowy weather had pushed the expected comple- tion date for the rodeo arena from June 1 to June 15. John Eckhardt of Knerr Construction reported that the bid for concrete for the barns had been awarded and other subcontractor bids are not far behind. He said prolonged freezing and snowy weather — which his company is considering a once-every-75-years event — has caused some “real issues” staying on schedule. “We’re a little nervous, but we’re going to get through that and fi nd some solutions,” he said. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. BRIEFLY Asher’s Army sets fundraiser HEPPNER — Blazer tickets, a market steer and pig, a saddle, an AKC Labrador puppy, a custom fi shing rod and more are among the silent auction items offered during a fundraiser by Asher’s Army. Money is being raised to help fi nd a cure for leukodystrophy, a disease that is affecting Asher Schonbachler, the son of Eric and Rachel Schonbachler of Heppner. The event is Saturday Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. at the Heppner Elks Lodge, 142 N. Main St. The meal is $20 for ages 11 and up, or $10 for 10 and under. For more information or to make a donation to the event, visit www.facebook.com/ asherarmy. Heritage commission offers museum grants SALEM — Grants are available for museums for collections projects, heritage tourism and education and interpretation projects through the Oregon Heritage Commission. Typically awards of $2,000 to $10,000, the projects can include cataloging/storage, museum marketing and promotions, training museum staff, online education, workshops and camps. Museums may partner with other organizations for projects. A free two-hour grant workshop on project planning and grant writing is Wednesday, March 15 in Salem. A shorter webinar will be available Thursday, March 16. For more information, contact Kuri Gill at kuri.gill@ oregon.gov, 503-986-0685 or visit www.oregonheritage. org. ——— Submit information to: community@eastoregonian. com or drop off to the attention of Tammy Malgesini at 333 E. Main St., Hermiston or Renee Struthers at 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton. Call 541-564-4539 or 541-966- 0818 with questions. BUCKAROO BOOSTER CLUB FUNDRAISER Dinner & Auction Over $30,000 in auction items up for bid! Cracked Crab • Baked Salmon • Tri-Tip Steak • Complimentary Beer Wednesday • February 15th • $25 Per Person DINNER: 5:30-7pm • AUCTION: 6:30pm Pendleton Convention Center Limited to fi rst 500 tickets sold Tickets available at Big John’s Pizza, Pendleton Athletic and Dave’s Food Mart. Must be 21 & over to attend. Dr. Robert Alan Pratt, DMD PC Hill Meat Company Wheatland Insurance • Thews Sheet Metal • Papa Murphy’s Pizza McLaughlin Landscaping • McDonald’s of Pendleton Dean’s Pendleton Athletic • D.A. Davidson & Co. • Amerititle East Oregonian Page 3A MILTON-FREEWATER Portland photographer focuses on soldiers’ stories Conversation Project encourages dialogue By TAMMY MALGESINI East Oregonian Jim Lommasson has noticed a disconnect between the American public and soldiers who have fought in the recent confl icts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Portland-based freelance photographer and writer is on a mission to change that. Lommasson’s 2015 book, “Exit Wounds: Soldiers’ Stories — Life After Iraq and Afghani- stan,” is about United States soldiers who served in the wars. The book features Lommasson’s photographs and interviews, as well as photographs by the partici- pants. The project includes a traveling exhibit. In addition, Lommasson has been active with the Oregon Humanities Conversation Project. He will facilitate a discussion titled “Life after War: Photography and Oral Histories of Coming Home.” The free event is Friday, Feb. 3 at 6:30 p.m. at Frazier Farmstead Museum, 1403 Chestnut St., Milton-Freewater. Lommasson shares about the words of a Marine scrawled on a wall near Baghdad: “America is not at war. The Marine Corps is at war; America is at the mall.” Statistics, he said, indicate 100 percent of the American people knew a soldier who fought in combat during World War II. And, nearly 100 percent knew someone who fought in Vietnam. As far as the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Lommasson said the statistics are staggering — maybe two or three percent know someone who was involved in combat. “We don’t know the soldiers that we send to war,” he said. “They need to tell their stories and we need to hear their stories.” More than 60 years after the Battle of the Bulge — the bloodiest battle experi- enced by U.S. forces during World War II — Lommas- son’s father fi nally began to share more in-depth about his painful experiences on Contributed by Jim Lommasson “Growing up, my dream was to be in the Army. All I ever wanted to do was to be in the Army and lead men into combat. I got 30 seconds of my dream, I’d give my other leg to live it again.” – Lucas Wilson “We don’t know the soldiers that we send to war. They need to tell their stories and we need to hear their stories.” — Jim Lommasson, Portland-based freelance photographer and writer Contributed by Jim Lommasson Photographer Jim Lommasson will discuss his book “Exit Wounds: Soldiers’ Stories — Life After Iraq and Afghanistan” during an Oregon Humanities Conver- sation Project — titled Life after War: Photography and Oral Histories of Coming Home — Feb. 3 at the Frazier Farmstead Museum in Milton-Freewater. the battlefi eld. Lommas- son’s conversations with his father the last couple years of his life served as motivation to document oral histories of recent war veterans. Conversations with veterans, he said, need to take place sooner rather than later. It provides a better opportunity for soldiers to move forward in their lives, Lommasson said. Starting the project in 2007, Lommasson connected with soldiers at Veterans of Foreign Wars meetings, college campuses and social media. “Sometimes one vet would lead me to a pool of veterans,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect when I started this — it started with a basic interest.” Initially, Lommasson envisioned the project as focusing on veterans’ homecomings. However, as the conversations progressed, the soldiers kept coming back to sharing about their war experiences, even showing him and giving him pictures. “I thought, ‘I just need to shut up and start listening better.’ The stories and photos fl ooded in — that’s when the project took off,” Lommasson said. During the Conversation Project event, Lommasson will show slides and share stories. The audience is invited to join the dialogue and share their thoughts and experiences. “I try to make it so that we sit in a circle instead rows of seats,” he said. “We want to encourage conversation.” For more about Lommasson’s project, visit www.lifeafterwar-sol- diersstories.blogspot.com. For a calendar of Oregon Humanities events, go to www.oregonhumanities. org/calendar. And, for more about Frazier Farmstead Museum, contact Kristin Williams at 541-938-4636 or frazier1868@gmail. com. ——— Contact Community Editor Tammy Malgesini at tmalgesini@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4539
