REGION
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
East Oregonian
Page 3A
Yard sales turn unwanted items into bargains
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
Nowhere is the phrase
“one man’s trash is another
man’s treasure” more true
than at a yard sale.
Each Saturday when
the weather is good, bar-
gain hunters comb through
tables of items in yards and
garages that the owners no
longer want, looking for that
perfect find at a fraction of
its usual price.
Karen Bower found one
of those recently.
“I found an antique
oak rocking chair that was
beautiful, just last week,”
she said. “It was $35 but
it should have been a lot
more.”
On Saturday she was
back at it again, combing
through items at a $2-a-bag
sale in Hermiston.
“I just love to go to
garage sales. I find great
stuff I need,” she said, hold-
ing up a plastic grocery bag
that included a lightly used
Carhart jacket, desk lamp,
wall hangings and a few
small electronics. “This is a
$2 bag. Imagine!”
She goes yard sale-ing
whenever she can, and said
multi-family sales usually
have the best finds.
The one she was at Satur-
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
Yard sale signs are posted at the corner of Seventh Street and Highland Avenue.
day morning was put on by
three families and included a
wide variety of clothing, fur-
niture and household items.
Tammy Wagner, who was
handing out grocery bags to
customers, said her family
had been saving up items for
a couple of years.
“We did the $2 a bag so
we could get rid of stuff,”
she said.
Several young families
were there at about 10:30
a.m. picking through tables
of children’s clothing, and
Wagner said there had been
a steady flow of people all
morning. She wasn’t sure if
people would be out look-
ing for sales the weekend
before school started, she
said, but since it was such
nice weather and the smoke
had finally cleared it seemed
like a good opportunity.
Some sales draw in casual
passerby with signs, while
others that are held farther
out of town might require
some advertising on Face-
book or in the classifieds to
let the serious bargain hunt-
ers know that the sale is
worth tracking down when
they go out that weekend.
Off Edwards Road, an
expansive multi-family sale
featured clothing, tools,
housewares, books and
other items laid out over the
yard and inside the barn.
Organizer Jan Hern-
dan said she tries to have
one with a few other fami-
Mirasol health fair spreads wellness information
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
Wellness checks, immunizations
and free tacos were all offered up at the
Mirasol Family Health Clinic’s well-
ness fair Saturday.
The Hermiston medical clinic
offered the health fair to connect fam-
ilies with health services and informa-
tion, and there were several families
browsing through the booths on Satur-
day afternoon.
Tera Kulhanek was manning a booth
for Lifeways, handing out information
about mental health services in the area.
She said she hoped to connect people
with resources to help them have a more
positive outlook on life.
“We’re here to support people,” she
said.
The Umatilla Morrow County Head
Start booth had car seats, so that staff
could teach parents about the proper car
seat for their child and the safest way
to buckle them in. Head Start provides
free car seat checks for parents at their
offices as well, and discounted car seats
are available for people who qualify
for Women, Infants and Children or the
Oregon Health Plan.
“We just want kids to be safe,”
Tabitha Woods said.
They were also working on spread-
ing the word about WIC and who is eli-
gible for the service. The most popular
part of the booth, however, seemed to be
the opportunity for parents to measure
their child’s height.
Next door, Cathy Wamsley was pro-
moting the InterMountain Education
lies once every other year.
The sale was set to run Sat-
urday and Sunday but she
said a few people actually
showed up Friday to ask
if there was any way they
could buy things early (they
were asked to come back the
next day). She said Saturday
morning had been steady,
and the camping equipment
in particular had been going
quickly.
She said usually knows
it’s time to put on a yard
sale when she is running
out of room for new posses-
sions and she has articles of
clothing she isn’t wearing
anymore because her style
has changed. Her husband
passed away since her last
yard sale, she said, so she
was also parting with quite a
few of his things.
“It was just time,” she
said.
On Division Avenue, a
smaller sale of clothing, jew-
elry and a few larger items
such as a guitar were on dis-
play. Lola Lopez said she
had priced things according
to what she would be willing
to pay, and most of what she
didn’t sell would likely be
donated to Goodwill while
the bigger-ticket items she
would try and sell online.
She had a DeWalt drill sit-
ting near the front of the
All wildfires in
Umatilla National
Forest contained
East Oregonian
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
Camila Cazana, 6, practices brushing a stuffed dragon’s teeth at the Mira-
sol Family Health Clinic’s health fair Saturday.
Service District’s free oral health pro-
gram. Working with Advantage Dental
and a grant from the Oregon Commu-
nity Foundation, the IMESD is offering
free dental checks to kids in all school
districts in Union, Umatilla and Morrow
counties.
She asked parents to give permission
when schools sent home forms asking if
their child could have a free dental exam
at school, and handed out “tooth timers”
to help kids know how long they should
brush their teeth.
“I want the kids to know that it’s
important to brush their teeth at least
twice a day,” she said.
The health fair was held in the Mira-
sol parking lot on Saturday and offered
other informational booths about well-
ness, as well as services such as $10
sports physicals.
———
Contact Jade McDowell at jmc-
dowell@eastoregonian.com
or
541-564-4536.
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yard and said throwing in a
power tool or some fishing
equipment can help wives
convince their husbands to
stop and take a look at a sale.
She is also a frequent
shopper at yard sales herself,
and said her favorite thing
she ever bought at a yard
sale was a small microwave
that looked like it belonged
in the 1970s.
“It was just the cutest
ever microwave,” she said.
“It was $5.”
Jackie Alleman showed
up at Lopez’s sale with a
couple of kids from her
neighborhood and a college
student from her church. She
said they carpooled from
Heppner to hit up as many
sales in Hermiston as they
could, looking for back-to-
school clothes and other
deals.
It can be tricky to know
what time to go out — some
of the best finds get snatched
up early in the day, but Alle-
man said the later in the
day you go the more people
are usually willing to come
down on their prices.
“There’s a whole eti-
quette to yard sales,” she
said.
———
Contact Jade McDowell
at jmcdowell@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4536.
All wildfires reported
in the Umatilla National
Forest after last week’s
thunder storms have been
contained.
A news release from the
U.S. Forest Service noted
that the cooler and more
humid weather expected
this week should assist in
mop-up efforts.
The Harrison Fire is still
at 30 acres, according to
the release, and is 100 per-
cent contained. A 20-per-
son hand crew is helping
mop up the fire in the wil-
derness 16 miles west of
Sumpter.
The
Gilman
Fire,
located near Gilman Flats
in the Heppner Ranger
District, is also 100 percent
contained. The fire is 954
acres. Grant County has
lifted Level 1 “get ready”
evacuation notices for
Monument, Ritter, Dale,
Middle and North Fork
communities.
Lightning sparked sev-
eral fires in the Umatilla
National Forest the week-
end of Aug. 19, including
the Gilman Fire, the Cup-
per Canyon Fire north-
east of Monument, and the
Low Ridge Fire southeast
of Walla Walla.
While fires are currently
contained, the fire danger
rating remains at “High,”
and public use restrictions
of campfires and chain-
saws are still in effect.
More information about
the restrictions can be
found at www.dnr.wa.gov,
w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m /
UmatillaNF or by calling
the toll-free information
hotline at 877-958-9663.
Hermiston/Pendleton LP #510
Hermiston/Pendleton Special
Olympics Local Program #510
would like to thank local businesses
and individuals which helped make our
annual golf tournament a success.
The tournament was able to raise over $6,000
to support our local athletes!
GOLD MEDAL SPONSORS
www.mybackyardbydesignor.com
Umatilla Electric Cooperative; The Knights of
Columbus--Our Lady of Angels Council #3999; A & A
Mini Storage; Roger’s Toyota of Hermiston and
Purswell Pump Co.
102 E Columbia Dr. Kennewick, WA 99336
SILVER MEDAL SPONSORS
WE HEAR YOU!
Inland Pool and Spa Centre; Swain Motors, Inc.; Wyatt
Harris/Second Chance; Schroth Financial Services;
Barak & Associates; Parkins Door Co.; Burns Mortuary
of Hermiston; RDO Equipment, Inc; “Best Dressed
Team” was sponsored by Dan & Christine Aguirre Family.
FREE Estimates!
License #188965
Expires - 9/30/18
HOLE SPONSORS
Renata Anderson, MA
Pam Wagenaar,
Administrative Assistant
LOCAL, INDEPENDENT AUDIOLOGIST
Working within the community of Pendleton,
our clinic provides a variety of hearing healthcare
services including hearing assessments and
rehabilitation, education, and counseling.
SERVICE YOU CAN RELY ON!
You can trust Renata to provide a
complete hearing evaluation and
a professional diagnosis of your
specifi c hearing loss. Call for an
appointment with Renata today
and start hearing what you’ve
been missing.
2237 SW Court, Pendleton
541-276-5053 • www.renataanderson.com
Hermiston Dental Group; Hermiston Drug & Gift; Gary
Culp Machine; Mary Bousquet; Doris Boatright; Dan &
Christine Aguirre Family; R & R Sports Trophies; Eastern
Oregon Telecom; O So Kleen, Inc.; Northwest Livestock
Commission, LLC; Walker Wells Financial Advising; Alice
Coelho; Burns Mortuary of Hermiston; Oregon Trail
Homes; Lifetime Vision Source; Fence Tite Rite; Horace
Mann Insurance; and Joan and Gregg Holstrom.
OTHER SPONSORS
Water Station Sponsors: Jilli’s Silly Golfers and
Family. The Beer and Snacks basket was created by
Rita McDougal. The Mulligan basket was provided by
American Printing, which also included a gift
certificate from Eastern Oregon Mobile Slaughter.
TEAM PRIZES & DOOR PRIZES
Club 24 Express Fitness; Desert Lanes; Ste. Michelle
Wine Estates; Hagerman Trucking; Midway Tavern; Ye
Olde Pizza Shoppe; Pizza Hut; Neighbor Dudes; Hales
Restaurant; Northwest Farm Supply; Randy’s Pro Shop;
Norco; Blue Mountain Cabinet Suppliers of Hermiston/
Jeff Edmundson; Les Schwab; Smitty’s Ace Hardware
and Deanna Plum/Tastefully Simple.
LUNCHEON
Lunch sponsored by Tom Huxoll, owner of Cascade
Automotive, and was served by The Knights of Columbus,
and Special Olympics coach, Doris Boatright. Hermiston
Safeway and 7-Eleven also contributed to the luncheon.