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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (July 25, 2018)
REGION Wednesday, July 25, 2018 East Oregonian Page 3A IRRIGON PENDLETON Watermelon festival features generous slices of outdoor fun City hands fire chief search to outside organization By TAMMY MALGESINI East Oregonian By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian A homegrown festi- val that’s going on its 34th year is ready to offer fami- ly-friendly fun to go along with lots of watermelons. The Irrigon Watermelon Festival kicks off Saturday with a morning breakfast from 6:30-9:30 a.m. While there is a fee to eat, there is no charge to enter Irrigon Marina Park for activities that will run into the night. A parade will wind through town beginning at 10 a.m. People are encour- aged to register early, but may join the parade after registering Saturday morn- ing between 8-9:45 a.m. The main stage entertain- ment headliner is The Waste- land Kings, a La Grande rock ‘n’ roll band — other- wise, most of the other acts include people with local roots. “We try to have as much local entertainment as we can,” said Charlene Cooley, one of the event organizers. Cooley is especially excited to have Wade Aylett on at noon and 5 p.m. The Oregon native who lives in Irrigon sings country music. Another highlight, Cooley said, is the City Leader Seed Spitting Con- test (3:30 p.m.). It pits area government officials who will compete mano-a-mano — showing off their spitting prowess with watermelon seeds. Also, back this year is a lip sync contest. Popular during the early days of the festival, Cooley said it was brought back in 2017 after a 12-year hiatus. “It went over really well,” she said. “People really seemed to like it.” The festival also is known for its raffles — The city of Pendleton is outsourcing its search for a new fire chief. Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts said the city signed a contract with the Western Fire Chiefs Asso- ciation to find a permanent replacement for former fire chief Mike Ciraulo, who abruptly retired in April. Roberts said the associ- ation would start its search in August, but he didn’t know when it would rec- ommend a hire. The contract comes with some assurance that the association will deliver a quality candidate. Roberts said the city won’t have to pay the asso- ciation until it makes a fire chief hire and retains them for a year after the hir- ing date. If those markers aren’t met, the association continues the search. Although he oversees the fire department as the city’s public safety director, Roberts said City Manager File photo Brooke Toler and Nikki Phillips, Irrigon Junior-Senior High School students, serve up plates of melons during the 2016 Irrigon Watermelon Festival. This year’s event is Saturday at Irrigon Marina Park. offering those in attendance several ways to walk away as winners. General raffle tickets are $1 each or six for $5. Some of the items up for grabs includes admission to Triple Play Family Fun Park, including Raptor Reef indoor waterpark; tickets to Silverwood Theme Park; Tri-City Dust Devils tick- ets; a Pendleton Round-Up ticket package; gift certifi- cates and swag from local businesses, and more. Also, a 50-50 raffle offers half of the pot from sales of the 2018 event button, which are $2. And, 300 tickets ($10 each) will be sold for the Fisherman’s Dream. Val- ued at $1,200, the package provides a guided steelhead trip for six people by Stahl’s Guide Service and a custom steelhead rod by Castaway Custom Rods. In addition to watermelon sold by the slice, a barbe- cued chicken dinner will be available for purchase. About two dozen vendors are confirmed and more are likely to come on board by the weekend, Cooley said. Also, the Oregon National Guard will land a helicopter of the baseball field and dis- play some of their armored vehicles. And for the adven- turous, they will offer a rock climbing wall. Derrick Kestler is getting revved up for the event’s car show. He invites people to join the parade and then dis- play their vehicle at the park. The participation fee is $15 with registration from 9 a.m. to noon. There are multiple categories, and trophy pre- sentations will be made at 3 p.m. For questions, call Kes- tler at 541-571-0421. The evening crescendos with a street dance. “It’s just a lot of fun,” Cooley said. “We have a lot of entertainment for all ages.” For more information, call Cooley at 541-571-8541 or visit www.facebook.com/ irrigonwatermelonfestival. ——— Contact Community Edi- tor Tammy Malgesini at tmalgesini@eastoregonian. com or 541-564-4539 CDA director says depot transfer is close By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian There’s just one box left to check before the former Umatilla Chemical Depot can be transferred to local control. How long it will take is still unknown. At a Columbia Develop- ment Authority board meet- ing Tuesday morning, direc- tor Greg Smith told the board that all that was left was for the necessary par- Pendleton police raise red flag about IRS money scam PENDLETON — Pend- leton police are warn- ing residents not to fall for the IRS phone scam going around town. Shelly Studebaker, com- munity services officer for the Pendleton Police Department, said more than a dozen residents reported the scam. The calls show a New York number from someone claiming to be with the IRS and threaten- ing to arrest people for not paying taxes. The scam asked people to buy gifts or cash cards to make the payments. Studebaker said the calls seem to going after older residents, and she is putting the word out at the senior center and other facilities to raise awareness. Pendleton police in a written statement advised ties to wrap up the Section 106 process, which relates to agreement between the Army, state and tribal offi- cials and the local develop- ment authority concerning the best strategy to man- age habitat, historical and cultural concerns while also allowing for economic development on the former Army depot. Smith said if the CDA and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Res- ervation could come to an agreement by the end of the month, other agencies should be ready to give their blessing and the land could be transferred by September. “Which year?” is the run- ning joke on the CDA board after years of delays on the transfer, but Smith said this time it really is close. “Genuinely this is the last piece,” he said. “Everything else in terms of the checklist for transferring real estate is done.” The tribes and the CDA board have been negotiat- ing over protection of wild- life habitat, areas of cultural significance to the tribes and a portion of the Oregon Trail that runs through the depot but have not yet been able to come to a final agreement. Most of Tuesday’s meet- ing was in closed-door exec- utive session “to conduct deliberations with persons designated by the governing body to negotiate real prop- erty transactions.” residents not to answer the calls from unknown num- bers and don’t return any messages. The IRS will not call, email, text or use social media to contact you, according to Pendleton police, nor will the federal department threaten arrests or demand immediate pay- ment. The IRS also does not accept payments in the form of gift or cash cards. Pendleton police also advised locals to call the department at 541-276- 4411 to report losing funds in a scam. East Symphony, the week- long Summer Strings Music Camp kicked off Monday. The public is invited to the free performance Friday at 5 p.m. at Peace Lutheran Church, 210 N.W. Ninth St., Pendleton. Camp instructors include Zach Banks, a cellist and Oregon East Symphony educator; Austin Schlicht- ing, a Bellingham, Wash- ington-based violinist/com- poser; Emma Knight and Melinda Tovey, both vio- linists and local instructors; and cellist and Ethos music instructor Sammy Elwell and his wife, Amy, also a cellist. The camp is directed by Loree McKenna. This year’s camp is made possi- ble in part due to a generous contribution by the Pendle- ton on Wheels Foundation. For more information, contact OES executive director J.D. Kindle at oes- directorms@gmail.com. Strings camp crescendos with free concert PENDLETON — A con- cert featuring intermediate and advanced level cham- ber ensembles and begin- ner through advanced level orchestras will perform a concert in Pendleton. Presented by the Oregon 7/25 Cineplex Show Times $5 Classic Movie • Today • 12pm Casablanca $5 Children’s Classic Movie • Today • 10am Kung Fu Panda Free Small Popcorn & Small Soda THE EQUALIZER 2 (R) 3:50* 6:50 9:30 ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (PG13) 4:40 7:20 10:00 th th August 4 & 5 Pendleton Convention Center 7t4BUBQ 4VOBQt*OGPDPMMFDUPSTXFTUDPN East Oregonian Residents of Eastern Oregon will be able to learn the basics of Medicare for free in a series of local workshops in August. The class, hosted by the Oregon Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance pro- gram, will cover the basics of Medicare benefits, how to enroll, how much Medi- care costs, types of finan- cial help available, and where Medicare recipients can go for help. The workshops are open to anyone, but are aimed at those interested in enrolling in Medicare, health care professionals who work with Medicare recipients, and those who work with retirees or dis- abled people. To attend, call 503-947- 7302 or email shiba.ore- gon@oregon.gov. Walk- ins will be allowed as space permits. A list of local work- shops and dates is below: • Milton-Freewater Public Library, 8 SW 8th Ave., Milton-Freewater, Aug. 7, 1-3 p.m. • Umatilla Public Library, 911 7th ST., Uma- tilla, Aug. 8, 1-3 p.m. • St. Anthony Hospi- tal, 2801 St. Anthony Way, Pendleton, Aug. 8, 6-8 p.m. • Stanfield Public Library, 180 W. Coe Ave., Stanfield, Aug. 9, 10 a.m.- 12 p.m. • Good Shepherd Med- ical Center, 610 NW 11th St., Hermiston, Aug. 9, 6-8 p.m. Wilson Prairie Fire burns 120 acres in Morrow County East Oregonian Firefighters worked over- night to corner a wildland blaze in the southwest cor- ner of Morrow County in the Off-Highway Vehicle Park. The Wilson Prairie Fire was reported Monday on Oregon Department of For- estry land and spread to 120 acres and into the nearby Umatilla National Forest. According to a release from ODF, the fire con- sumed acres of grass, brush and timber, but fire crews were able to contain it inside retardant lines cut by bull- dozers in an overnight effort. No closures or evacua- tions have been ordered, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Fresh crews arrived Tuesday to relieve firefight- ers who worked overnight. Personnel include Oregon Department of Corrections and contracted crews, as well as three bulldozers, two water tenders, eight ODF fire engines and resources from the Heppner Ranger Dis- trict in the Umatilla National Forest. Helicopters and air tankers are also available as needed. On Tuesday the new crews began mopping up along the fireline and rein- forcing the perimeter to make sure the fire remains contained. Hot and dry conditions increase the potential for fire growth, and restrictions are in place for both ODF and Umatilla National For- est land. Diabetes Education Series Diabetes Self Management Series August 1 st , 8 th , 15 th & 22 nd SKYSCRAPER (PG13) 7:10 4:30 9:40 You Never Know What You’ll Find At A Collectors West Gun & Knife Show! Free Medicare workshops coming August Robb Corbett will have final authority over hiring a new fire chief. According to the police chief, Corbett will also make the decision about whether Roberts will continue to supervise the fire chief position going forward. While Ciraulo has never publicly stated why he retired after more than two years as chief, Roberts’ role in monitoring the fire chief position was a point of contention in his two- year evaluation document. Following Ciraulo’s retirement, residents and members of the firefighters union voiced their opposi- tion to the move at a city council meeting. Shawn Penninger, the assistant chief and fire marshal, is leading the fire department in the interim. He announced Tuesday night at the Pendleton city council meeting that the city has hired a temporary employee, with the title of assistant fire chief, to assist Penninger. JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM (PG13) 4:10 7:00 9:50 INCREDIBLES 2 (PG) 4:00 6:40 9:20 * Matinee Pricing wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 5:30PM to 7:30PM A dvan ce Registratio n Requ ired M o st M ajo r In su ran ces, M edicare, M edicaid Fo r m o re in fo rm atio n o r to register 541-278-3249 Melissa Naff, RD, LD, CDE Diabetes Educator • 541-278-3249 2801 St. Anthony Way Pendleton, OR 97801 www.sahpendleton.org
